Mumbai

city · Maharashtra

Mumbai runs on its trains, and the fastest way to stop being a tourist here is to work out which line you need and get on it.

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Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

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The Bandra-Worli Sea Link

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State: Maharashtra
Type: City
Best season: Winter
Things to do: 4+

Mumbai runs on its trains, and the fastest way to stop being a tourist here is to work out which line you need and get on it. The stretch people photograph without knowing what it is runs from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus down to Oval Maidan: Victorian Gothic on one side, Art Deco on the other, facing each other across the park. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is best walked at seven in the morning when the light is low and the traffic has not started. Skip the crush at the Gateway of India unless you are taking the ferry to Elephanta, which is worth a half day for the rock-cut Shiva in cave one. Instead go to Banganga tank in Walkeshwar — a stepped water tank in the middle of the richest neighbourhood in India, almost always empty of visitors. Monsoon, June to September, is when the city is most itself and most difficult. The rain is genuinely heavy, the trains flood, and locals will tell you both that it is beautiful and that they dread it. Both are true. November to February is the easy window.

A short history

Originally seven marshy islands held by Koli fishing communities, Mumbai passed to the Portuguese in 1534 and then to the British Crown in 1661, as part of a Portuguese princess's dowry. The Crown leased it to the East India Company, and land reclamation over the following two centuries fused the islands into one peninsula and into India's commercial capital.

Why Mumbai matters

India's financial capital and home of Bollywood, a city of colonial architecture, street food and relentless energy.

When to go

October to March, when the humidity drops and the city is comfortable to walk.

Why visit

India's best city to eat in, and one that makes more sense across several visits than in a single trip. Start with Marine Drive at dusk, breakfast in an old Irani cafe, and the first ferry of the morning to Elephanta, before the caves fill up.

Cultural notes

The seven islands belonged to the Koli fishing communities long before the Portuguese took them in 1534, and long before they passed to England in 1661 as part of a royal marriage dowry to Charles II. What grew on them became a global trading port, and then a centre of India's freedom struggle, of its banking industry, and of its contemporary art.

How to reach

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport handles flights worldwide, and the historic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus is the main railway hub. Multi-lane expressways run in from Pune and Nashik, and the metro lines make getting across the city quicker.

Mumbai in 5 days

See the full itinerary

5 days in Mumbai

Take the whole plan, or add any single stop.

Day 1

Gateway of India

Basalt, twenty-six metres, finished in 1924 to mark a royal visit that had happened thirteen years earlier. The last British troops in India left through it in 1948. Ferries to Elephanta go from the jetty alongside.

Day 1

Colaba Causeway shopping

Day 1

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus & the Fort district

Day 1

Kala Ghoda art precinct

Day 1

Marine Drive

Three and a half kilometres of seafront reclaimed in the 1920s, with a row of Art Deco flats behind it that is UNESCO-listed. Walk it after six, when the rest of the city is doing the same. The concrete blocks on the sea side are tetrapods, and people sit on them despite the risk.

Day 2

Elephanta Caves

The Elephanta Caves are a group of rock-cut temples carved into the basalt cliffs of Elephanta Island (Gharapuri), a short ferry ride across Mumbai harbour. Excavated mainly in the 5th–6th centuries CE, the largest (Cave 1) is dedicated to Shiva and holds a grand pillared hall and monumental reliefs, including the celebrated three-headed Sadashiva. Portuguese sailors renamed the island 'Elephanta' after a large stone elephant once found near the landing.

Day 2

Haji Ali Dargah (Mumbai)

The Haji Ali Dargah is one of Mumbai's most recognisable landmarks — a white-domed Indo-Islamic shrine and mosque set on a tiny islet in the Arabian Sea, reached by a causeway that submerges at high tide. The tomb of the saint Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari draws pilgrims of all faiths.

Day 2

Dhobi Ghat from the Mahalaxmi bridge

Day 2

Bandra-Worli Sea Link

Day 2

Bandstand & Bandra cafes in the evening

Day 3

Siddhivinayak Temple (Mumbai)

Shree Siddhivinayak is Mumbai's most beloved Ganesha temple, built in 1801 and today one of the richest and most-visited shrines in India. Its inner sanctum enshrines a black-stone idol of Lord Ganesha whose trunk curves to the right, a rare and especially auspicious form that draws millions of devotees, film stars and cricketers alike.

Day 3

Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Sanjay Gandhi National Park, in the northern suburbs of Mumbai, is a rare protected forest within a megacity and one of the world's most-visited national parks. Its forests are famous for a resident leopard population living alongside the city, and the park also holds the ancient Kanheri Caves, lakes, a toy train and popular nature trails.

Day 3

Crawford Market

A colonial-era wholesale market housed in a Norman Gothic building, selling fruit, spices and clothing.

Day 3

Mohammed Ali Road food crawl

Day 4

Film City tour in Goregaon

Day 4

Juhu Beach

Day 4

Street food at Juhu chowpatty

Day 5

CSMVS Museum or a Kala Ghoda art walk

Day 5

Coffee in Fort district

Day 5

Last shopping at Colaba Causeway

Food & cuisine

Signature dishes and local flavours to look for in Mumbai.

Full food guide →

Vada pav

Mumbai's iconic spiced-potato fritter in a bun — the city's favourite snack

Pav bhaji

Buttery mashed-vegetable curry with soft pav, born in Mumbai

Bhel puri

Tangy puffed-rice chaat eaten by the sea

sev puri

Tangy puffed-rice chaat eaten by the sea

Irani cafe fare

Grilled veg sandwiches, bun maska and chai at old Irani cafes like Britannia and Kyani

Bombay sandwich

Grilled veg sandwiches, bun maska and chai at old Irani cafes like Britannia and Kyani

Koli seafood

Bombil (Bombay duck), pomfret and prawn curry from the city's fishing community

Mohammed Ali Road at Ramadan

Kebabs, malpua and phirni during the evenings of Ramadan

Eat your way through Mumbai

A stop-by-stop walk through what this city actually eats — what to order, in what order, and when.

Mumbai Street Food Trail

Mumbai guide & itineraries

Mumbai is perfect for

foodiesculturenightlifefirst-timers

Nearby getaways

Elephanta Island

~1 hr ferry from the Gateway

Lonavala & Khandala

~2 hrs, Western Ghats

Alibaug

~1 hr by ferry, beaches

Pune

~3 hrs

Shopping

Mumbai's best-known shopping street is Colaba Causeway, a run of stalls and shops for clothes, jewellery, bags and souvenirs where bargaining is expected. Nearby Fort and Kala Ghoda have bookshops, design stores and art galleries, while the 19th-century Crawford Market (Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Market) sells everything from fruit to housewares. Chor Bazaar is the city's famous antiques-and-curios market; Linking Road and Hill Road in Bandra are the places for street fashion and shoes; and Zaveri Bazaar is the traditional gold-and-jewellery hub. For fixed-price handloom and crafts, head to the state emporiums and the big malls at Lower Parel and Bandra-Kurla.

Things to do

How to spend your time in Mumbai.

Elephanta Caves

Rock-cut Shiva caves on an island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site reached by ferry

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus

Victorian Gothic railway station, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Marine Drive & Chowpatty

The Queen's Necklace promenade and city beach at sunset

Hidden gems

Dhobi Ghat

The world's largest open-air laundry, best seen from the Mahalaxmi bridge

Bandra & Bandstand

Sea-facing suburb of street art, cafes and Bollywood-star bungalows

Frequently asked questions

What is the best time to visit Mumbai?

November to February is the most pleasant, with warm, dry days. March to May is hot and very humid, and the June–September monsoon is heavy — dramatic to experience but disruptive for sightseeing.

How do you get around Mumbai?

Suburban local trains are the city's lifeline and fastest for long north–south trips, though rush hours are extremely crowded; a growing Metro, black-and-yellow taxis, app cabs and BEST buses fill the gaps. In South Mumbai many sights are walkable.

How many days do you need in Mumbai?

Two to three days covers South Mumbai's heritage, Marine Drive, a trip to Elephanta and an evening in Bandra. Add time for a Dharavi walk, Bollywood or a day trip to the Western Ghats.

How do you visit the Elephanta Caves?

Ferries leave from the Gateway of India and take about an hour each way to Elephanta Island; allow a half day, wear sun protection, and note that ferries do not run during the peak monsoon.

What food is Mumbai famous for?

Vada pav and pav bhaji were both born here, along with seaside bhel puri, Irani-cafe sandwiches and chai, coastal Koli seafood, and the Ramadan food street on Mohammed Ali Road.

What are the best day trips from Mumbai?

Elephanta Island (about an hour by ferry) is the easiest; the Western Ghats hill stations of Lonavala and Khandala (around 2 hours), the beaches of Alibaug (a short ferry) and the car-free hill town of Matheran are all popular escapes.

Explore Mumbai & nearby

Places here, plus more across Maharashtra — tap a mood to reshape the list.

Spiritual

Siddhivinayak Temple (Mumbai)

A quiet moment, away from the rush

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Spiritual

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Tours & experiences

Things to book and do in Mumbai