By road
~90 km from Veraval/Somnath
West India · Diu
Diu
Portuguese forts and calm island beaches · ~90 km from Veraval/Somnath
Getting there
By rail
Delwada, ~9 km (limited service); Veraval (~87-90 km) has far more train connections
By air
Diu Airport, its own, in town, mainly connected via Mumbai and Ahmedabad
Best time to visit
October to March — breezy and dry
Don't miss
Diu Fort
St. Paul's Church
Naida Caves
Nagoa Beach
Things to do
Cycling the island loop
Water sports at Nagoa
Fort rampart walks
Where to eat
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia, Photo: Sumit sharma · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Swimwear, cycle-friendly clothes, sun hat
A quieter corner
INS Khukri memorial cliff at sunset
About Diu
- Island
- Coastal
Where it is
Diu is an island town and district of the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, off the southern coast of Gujarat's Saurashtra peninsula and separated from the mainland by a narrow creek.
History
Diu was a prized port of the Gujarat Sultanate. The Portuguese defeated a combined Gujarati and Egyptian Mamluk fleet off the island in 1509, gained a foothold by treaty in the 1530s and built its great fort. Diu stayed Portuguese until India took it over in 1961, and it was governed with Goa and Daman before joining the present union territory in 2020.
People
Diu's people speak Gujarati, and fishing and tourism are the main livelihoods. Portuguese-era churches, Hindu temples and mosques stand close together in the old town.
Known for
- Diu Fort on the sea
- St Paul's Church
- Nagoa Beach
- Naida Caves
- Panikotha, the fort in the sea
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.