Diu Island is located south of Gujarat, India, and is connected to the mainland by bridges and a ferry.

Culture and History

Diu was under Portuguese occupation from 1539 to 1961, when the Indian government used military action to retake all the Portgese enclaves. Apart from Diu, also Daman, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli were "liberated" in this conflict. This area used to be a part of a larger union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu before Goa became a state by itself. Union territory of Daman and Diu is still administrated from Delhi.

Diu has fine but not so spectacular beaches, Diu town, some villages and all in all very relaxed atmosphere compared to most of India. Diu is not anything like Goa for example and those expecting to find a similar place on a smaller scale might be disappointed.

Talk

Gujarati, hindi and english are mostly understood and spoken. Some older residents might still speak portuguese.

Travel to Diu - Visa Requirements

Flights and airtickets to Diu

Diu is an easy one-hour flight from Bombay with Jet Airways. (around $200-$300 for a return trip).

Buses to Diu

State run busses as well as some private companies serve Diu from Ahmedabad. Trips take around 10 hours and both regular and night time sleeper buses exist.

A long trip (over 20 hours at least!) by bus from/or to Mumbai is also possible.

Tours and Getting around Diu

Autorickshaws, rent a bike or a scooter.

Diu tourist attractions and sightseeing

The old Portuguese churches and fort, local Hindu temples, the old Portuguese architecture in the town, beaches and sea shore.

Diu city tours

Relax, go sightseeing, explore the island with a motorbike, work on your tan on a beach.

Most popular beach is Nagoa Beach which is packed with Indian tourists and especially western women will gain some unwanted attention here. A better option would be finding a quiet spot (which is easy) if one wants to go swimming.

Diu cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

Cheap accomodation as well as some mid range hotels are abundant and are mostly located in Diu town. Resorts and the like can be found for example near Nagoa Beach.

Diu Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Fresh seafood, Gujarati food, and standard North and South Indian food are available.

Diu nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

Alcohol is legal in Diu, unlike in neighbouring Gujarat, so a lot of people come to Diu especially for drinking. Indian and foreign beer and spirits are widely available.

Stay safe

Wear a helmet (if you manage to rent one) when riding a motorbike or scooter.

Get out

See Get in.

This page was last edited by Wikitravel user Willywill9876. Based on work by otto mahlanen, Colin Jensen, David and Ravikiran Rao and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license

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