GOA
Best at sunset - gets crowded by 5pm in peak season, arrive by 4pm for a clear view before the rush.
Built by the Portuguese between 1609 and 1612 under Viceroy Ruy Tavora, the fort was designed to guard the mouth of the Mandovi River against Dutch and Maratha naval incursions and served as a key freshwater replenishment stop for passing ships, hence its name (aguada means 'watering place'). Its four-story lighthouse, added in 1864, is the oldest of its kind in Asia. The fort's lower section later served as a central jail, which continued to operate as Goa's main prison well into the 21st century.
