Mumbai

From seven islands to one city

Mumbai was once seven separate islands. After they passed to the British Crown in 1661, work to fill in the shallow sea between them went on until the seven became a single landmass, and the city grew into one of India's defining ports. Even Marine Drive's curving shoreline came out of the Back Bay reclamation project, first proposed in 1860 and taken up again in the 1920s. The promenade you're walking on was open water a little over a hundred years ago. The time the whole city moves together is Ganesh Chaturthi. Ever since Lokmanya Tilak turned it into a grand public celebration in 1893, images of Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, have been set up in homes and neighborhoods, with the festivities lasting as long as eleven days. On the last day, processions carrying the idols off to be immersed in water fill the streets.

The Fort district, between Gothic and Art Deco

South Mumbai's Fort district has a long stretch of lawn called the Oval Maidan. On its east side stand 19th-century Victorian Gothic buildings such as the High Court and the Rajabai Clock Tower; facing them on the west are 20th-century Art Deco buildings, the Eros Cinema among them. In 2018 the two ensembles were inscribed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Just to the north, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus is a World Heritage railway station designed by British architect Frederick William Stevens. Its Gothic spires carry traditional Indian ornament, and the building still serves as the headquarters of the Central Railway. Nearby in Kala Ghoda, the Jehangir Art Gallery has been at the heart of India's art scene since 1952, and it's free to visit.

By boat from the Gateway to Elephanta

On the Colaba waterfront, the Gateway of India is a 26-meter arch commemorating the 1911 visit of King George V and Queen Mary. Designed by architect George Wittet, it was completed in 1924, and when colonial rule came to an end, the last British ship sailed from right in front of it. From the jetty beside the arch, ferries leave for Elephanta Island, about 10 km away. On the roughly hour-long crossing, South Mumbai's shoreline stretches out as it falls behind you. Step into the island's great cave and, in the dim interior, there's a carving of Shiva with three faces. Over 6 meters tall, it's known as the Trimurti. The caves are believed to have been cut from the rock between the 5th and 8th centuries, and they became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

The shoreline at dusk

Marine Drive is a 3.6 km seafront road that curves along the water in a C. When the streetlights come on along a stretch lined with palms and 1920s–30s Art Deco buildings, the lights follow the bend like a string of pearls, which is how it got the nickname Queen's Necklace. At the northern end, the food stalls on Girgaum Chowpatty beach are where you can round off your walk with a kulfi (Indian ice cream). Farther north, out in the sea, stands Haji Ali Dargah, built of white marble. It's the shrine of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, a saint who came from Iran, and it sits on rocks about 460 meters from shore. As you walk in along the causeway, roughly 640 meters long and without railings, waves roll in on both sides and it feels like walking on the sea.

Street food and Irani cafes

Vada pav is a spicy potato dumpling, deep-fried and tucked into a soft bun. Plenty of people eat one standing at a stall outside the station, then get on their train. Pav bhaji is buttered bread you dip into a spicy vegetable curry. At the old Irani cafes opened by Iranian immigrants, you dunk bun maska, a bun spread thick with butter, into sweet chai. This being a coastal city, bombil, a fish fried until crisp, is a regular on seafood restaurant menus. Walk through the office districts around lunchtime and you might cross paths with the dabbawalas, dressed in white with Gandhi caps. Their lunchbox delivery has been running since 1890: about 5,000 of them travel between homes and offices, bringing home-cooked meals to nearly 200,000 people every day.

Trains and a bridge over the sea

Mumbai's day runs on its suburban trains. Three lines, Western, Central, and Harbour, link the city from north to south, and at rush hour the carriages are packed so tight there's barely room to stand. Metro Line 3, fully opened in October 2025, is the city's first fully underground line, running from Aarey in the north through the airport to Cuffe Parade at the southern tip. Head for the western suburbs and you'll cross the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, an eight-lane cable-stayed bridge over the sea. According to India's Ministry of Tourism, it cut travel time between the western suburbs and the central business district from 45–60 minutes to 7–10.

Suggested 4-day itinerary (3 nights)

Day 1 — Metro Line 3 from the airport into South Mumbai → walk the Oval Maidan and Rajabai Clock Tower → sunset on Marine Drive → dinner at the Chowpatty stalls Day 2 — Early start at the Gateway of India → ferry to the Elephanta Caves → back in Colaba for chai at an Irani cafe Day 3 — Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus → Kala Ghoda and the Jehangir Art Gallery → Haji Ali Dargah → across the Sea Link for dinner in Bandra Day 4 — Ride a suburban train a few stops at midday → airport

What to eat

• Vada pav (fried potato dumpling in a bun)
• Pav bhaji (Chowpatty beach stalls)
• Bun maska and chai (Irani cafes)
• Bombil fry (seafood restaurants)

Handy tips

• Metro Line 3 gets you from the airport to Cuffe Parade at the southern tip in about 45 minutes. By road at rush hour the same trip could take up to two hours, so it's the way to skip the traffic if you're staying in South Mumbai.
• The Elephanta Caves are closed on Mondays. Once you're on the island there are still steps to climb up to the caves; if walking is hard, there's a small toy train on the island.
• Haji Ali Dargah is open 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. In the July–August monsoon, the gates at both ends of the causeway close for a few hours at a time until the waves settle, so leave some slack in your plans then.