Mumbai Holidays — Gateway of India, Bollywood & Street Food
Mumbai
Holidays
Maximum City — Bollywood, the Gateway of India, the best restaurants in India and a city that never sleeps
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Flight Time
9–10h direct from London (Heathrow to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International)
Best Time
November to February — cool and dry; avoid June–September monsoon
Country
India
Suppliers
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Mumbai Holiday Guide
Mumbai is India's most cosmopolitan and energetic city — a city of extraordinary ambition, creativity and contradiction. As India's financial capital and the home of Bollywood, Mumbai pulses with an energy unlike anywhere else in the country.
The city divides naturally into three areas. South Mumbai (Colaba, Fort, Churchgate) contains the colonial landmarks — the Gateway of India, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya museum. Central Mumbai contains Dharavi and the extraordinary Crawford Market. North Mumbai (Bandra, Juhu, Andheri) is where Bollywood lives — film studios, celebrity homes and the city's best restaurants and nightlife.
Mumbai is also the natural gateway to Goa (1h by plane, 8h overnight train) and Kerala (2h by plane). Most visitors spend 3–4 days in the city before heading south.
Average Temperatures
Jan
28°C
Feb
29°C
Mar
31°C
Apr
33°C
May
33°C
Jun
30°C
Jul
28°C
Aug
28°C
Sep
29°C
Oct
31°C
Nov
31°C
Dec
29°C
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Call 01282 960 460Top 8 Things To Do in Mumbai
The colonial landmarks, Bollywood glamour, world-class food and electric street life that make Mumbai the most exciting city in India.
Gateway of India & the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
The Gateway of India, built in 1924 to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary, is Mumbai's most iconic landmark — a 26-metre basalt arch overlooking the Arabian Sea at Apollo Bunder. Behind it stands the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, opened in 1903 and still one of the finest hotels in Asia. The waterfront promenade is the best place to watch Mumbai life — ferries to Elephanta Island depart from the jetty beside the Gateway.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus — Victorian Gothic Marvel
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus, still known as VT or CST) is one of the world's great railway stations — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a masterpiece of Victorian Gothic architecture built in 1887. The station handles over 3 million passengers daily and is still a working terminus — the chaos and energy of the platforms is extraordinary. The exterior, with its domes, turrets, pointed arches and stone carvings, is best photographed at dusk.
Elephanta Caves — Ancient Rock-Cut Temples
The Elephanta Caves on Elephanta Island, a 1-hour ferry ride from the Gateway of India, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site — a series of rock-cut cave temples dedicated to Shiva, carved between the 5th and 8th centuries. The main cave contains the extraordinary Trimurti sculpture — a 6-metre three-headed bust of Shiva representing his three aspects (creator, preserver, destroyer) — considered one of the finest examples of Indian sculpture. The island is also home to a large colony of macaque monkeys.
Marine Drive — The Queen's Necklace
Marine Drive is Mumbai's most famous promenade — a 3.6km curved seafront boulevard along the Arabian Sea, lined with Art Deco apartment buildings from the 1930s. At night, the streetlights along the curve create the 'Queen's Necklace' effect that gives the road its nickname. The promenade is the best place for an evening walk, watching the sunset over the sea and the city lights come on. Chowpatty Beach at the north end is famous for its street food.
Mumbai Street Food — Vada Pav & Pav Bhaji
Mumbai's street food is among the finest in India — a city where eating on the street is a serious art form. Vada pav (a spiced potato fritter in a bread roll, Mumbai's answer to the burger), pav bhaji (spiced vegetable mash with buttered bread), bhel puri (puffed rice with tamarind and chutney), sev puri and the extraordinary dosas of Matunga are all essential. The Mohammed Ali Road area during Ramadan is one of the great street food experiences in Asia.
Dharavi — Understanding Mumbai's Other Side
Dharavi, with a population of around 1 million in just 2.1 square kilometres, is one of the world's most densely populated areas and one of Asia's largest informal settlements. Responsible guided tours (run by local social enterprises) offer a fascinating insight into the extraordinary entrepreneurial energy of Dharavi — the settlement has a GDP estimated at over $1 billion, with leather goods, pottery, recycling and food industries all operating within its lanes.
Bollywood — The World's Largest Film Industry
Mumbai is the home of Bollywood — the Hindi-language film industry that produces more films than Hollywood and has a global audience of over 3 billion. Film City in Goregaon offers studio tours where you can see sets, costumes and (occasionally) filming in progress. The Bollywood Museum in Bandra is a good introduction to the industry's history. For a more authentic experience, visit the Prithvi Theatre in Juhu for live performances.
Colaba & Bandra — Mumbai's Coolest Neighbourhoods
Colaba, at the southern tip of Mumbai, is the city's most atmospheric neighbourhood — the Colaba Causeway market, the Leopold Cafe (featured in Shantaram), the Sassoon Docks fish market at dawn and the galleries and boutiques of Kala Ghoda are all within walking distance. Bandra in the north is Mumbai's most fashionable suburb — the Bandstand promenade, the Hill Road boutiques, the Carter Road seafront and the extraordinary restaurant and bar scene make it worth the journey.
Explore Mumbai on the Map
Key areas, beaches and attractions across the island.
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