Diu Fort

Diu Fort is a Portuguese fortress on the eastern tip of Diu island, off the south coast of Gujarat, built from 1535 after a treaty with Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat. Diu Fort guarded one of the most valuable trading ports on the Arabian Sea and withstood two great sieges, in 1538 and 1546, the second of which made it famous across the Portuguese empire.

Portugal held Diu for more than four centuries, until Indian forces took the territory in December 1961. Diu Fort was built with the sea on three sides and a rock-cut moat on the landward side, and its thick walls still carry old cannons. Part of the fort was later used as a jail. Today Diu Fort belongs to the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, and the walk along the ramparts is the main attraction.

What to see

• The ramparts and bastions, with cannons pointing out to sea
• The lighthouse, which you can climb for a small fee
• The moat on the landward side, cut into the rock
• Panikota, the small fortress standing in the sea just offshore
• St Paul's Church, a Baroque church in Diu town close by

What to wear

Diu Fort is an open-air site with little shade, so wear light cotton, a hat and sunglasses, and bring water. Wear shoes with good grip, as the ramparts are uneven and can be slippery near the sea. Modest clothing covering shoulders and knees suits the churches in town. Diu sits in Saurashtra, where women often wear the chaniya choli or bandhani saree and older men the kediyu jacket and dhoti, and some families still keep Portuguese names.

Local food to try

Unlike Gujarat, Diu is not dry, and its food mixes Gujarati, coastal and Portuguese influences. Try fresh fish, prawns and lobster at the seafood restaurants of Diu town and near Nagoa Beach, and look for Gujarati thalis with dhokla, kadhi and rotla if you eat vegetarian. Fafda and jalebi are sold for breakfast in the town market, and a few places serve Goan-style curries and bread.

Good to know

• Best from October to March, when it is cooler and the sea is calmer
• Open daily, about 8am to 6pm
• No entry fee for the fort; a small fee to climb the lighthouse
• Allow 1 to 2 hours
• At the eastern end of Diu town, about 7 km from Diu airport; Veraval is about 90 km by road
• Keep back from unfenced edges on the seaward ramparts

Nearby places

The Somnath Temple on the Gujarat coast is about 90 km by road and makes an easy day trip. Daman's Devka Beach belongs to the same union territory but is a long drive away on the far side of the Gulf of Khambhat. For a longer Gujarat journey, the Rann of Kutch is roughly 400 km north.