Diu Things to Do

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It was my first place to meet locals. It was wonderful to find many people speaking Portuguese with Portuguese nationality.
All locals that were born before Decembre 1961 are considered Portuguese, but they need to request for the nationality.

Part of this church was into a museum, housing a lot of important antique statues, inscriptions on the stone by the ancient rulers, magnificent wooden carvings, idols, shadow-clocks and various other vital artifacts. A majority of these have been collected from the excavations from different sites and exhibited for the general public.
A guesthouse is located in another part of the monument.

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Diu Fort was constructed between 1535 and 1541 as the result of a defense alliance between the king of Gujarat and the Portuguese. It is enfolded by the Arabian Sea on three sides.
This monument has a huge structure that houses a lighthouse. A couple of mounds of iron shells from its strife-ridden past can be seen even today in these premises.
Some canons have also survived. The main front wall has five huge windows with stone galleries.
A picturesque view of the sea can be had from here.

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This church was constructed in the year 1691 and is dedicated to our Lady of Immaculate Conception.
Diu St Paul’s Church is considered to be the only church in operation in Diu till date. Boasting a Gothic architectural style, this church is the biggest Portuguese Catholic church on the island. Its intriguing volutes and shell like motifs are the sight to behold. This apart, you will also be mesmerized by seeing the lavish wood carving. In fact glancing through this exquisite work you will realize why this is touted to be the most elaborate of all the Portuguese churches in India.

On Wednesdays there is mass in Portuguese.

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There are at least four options to travel around the Island: taxi, auto, motorbike and bike.
It's very easy to explore the island using a bike, and they charge around 25 INR per day. Anyway, if you prefer a motorbike without drive you pay 150 INR.

The small Island of Diu, along with goa and Daman did not become part of India when Independence came in 1946 from the British.

These three small enclaves were part of the Portugese empire and did not become part of the India state until the 1950's.

Goa has become a massively commercialised monstrosity on a par with the concrete jungles of the Spanish Costas. Diu on the other hand, whilst there has been commercial development, still has an air of being 'undiscovered'.

I'm not exactly a 'beach' person, but spent an enjoyable couple of days 'chilling out' on Nagoa beach getting away from the hard slog of temple sightseeing. There are many other 'palm fringed paradises' which the holiday brochures will write purplely prose on in years to come, but for the moment the belief that Diu is like Goa before the the tourist arrived is still in the air.

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A great place to stroll around in, and relax with beautiful views of the sea.

The Fort was built in 1535 by the portuguese.