India Travel Tips 3: Mumbai

The trickiest question of all is what people should do while they’re in Mumbai, because it’s not a tourist hub. It’s no wonder that the Lonely Planet “Goa & Mumbai” devotes 140 pages to Goa, and only 37 to Mumbai.

I’ve had many visitors during my time here and each time I struggled to come up with ideas. It was usually fine because I have a busy social calendar and took them to some great shops and restaurants. But in terms of tourist sites… here is my best shot at touristy things to do in Mumbai.

The Taj & Gateway to India

The Gateway to India is the iconic structure built to welcome the Queen Mary in 1911, and to wave goodby to the British colonizers when they finally left in 1947. It stands next to the Taj Hotel, with its old-time grandeur and famous high-tea menu. Nice pictures are guaranteed. From here, you can walk around South Mumbai to see Marine Drive, and the CMS Terminus, which is a train station that’s also a UNESCO heritage site.

Elefanta Island

From the Gateway, you can hop on a boat to Elefanta island, which means you get to sit in a boat for a while (don’t look at the water) and visit another World Heritage Site, this time with an ancient temple. It’s not bad or anything, but for me it was definitely a “one and done.”

Lower Parel

For a fun night out and good restaurants I love Bandra West and Colaba. You gotta know where to go, and make reservations, but the nightlife is great. However, I mostly prefer Lower Parel. It’s an area in central Mumbai that used to have small-scale industry, so all the excellent restaurants (Bombay Canteen, Masque) and bars (Port, Eve, etc.) are located in old factories, which does wonders for the design and atmosphere. Also, you can shop there very efficiently: just spend all your money at the designer interior deco shops—especially Jaipur Rugs.

Sanjay Gupta park

There’s a massive park in the north of Mumbai, and they even have tigers, which you can observe from a bus (they’re in large parks/cages during the day). It takes a bit of climbing, but you can also visit the Ancient Buddhist Kanheri caves. They’re really good—but be warned that there will also be a million people and food-stealing monkeys.

Kala Goda

The neighbourhood with the best reputation in Mumbai among hipsters is probably Kala Goda, in south Mumbai. It’s the site of many galleries and boutiques, hidden gem restaurants, and a yearly art festival that lasts several weeks.

Dharavi slum

If you’re curious about what life and commerce in a slum looks like, look no further than Dharavi. I’ve written a post on it here. Dharavi is famous from the movie Slumdog Millionaire. It’s fascinating to walk around in and I would recommend it to everyone, but only with a proper local tour guide like Reality Tours.

Shopping

Of course, there is absolutely fantastic shopping in Mumbai. Problem is, you really have to know where to look. It’s not hard to get recommendations though. Everyone who lives in Mumbai knows where to get the best rugs, fabrics, sarees, spices, jewellery, and so on, but the directions aren’t always as clear. Often it’s a guy you have to call on WhatsApp, or people just mention a street name or market, like “Chor Bazar,” “Santa Cruz,” or “Linking Road,” which doesn’t feel very specific or easy to navigate once you arrive.

Massages, treatments

If the traffic and the noise is just too much for you in Mumbai, you can always decide to go for massages, manicures and pedicures, or Aryuvedic treatments. You can also get cheap, high-quality permanent laser makeup, or have some dental work done.

There are a few more landmark things the Lonely Planet guidebook mentions, and probably a lot more that local insiders can recommend, that I haven’t seen or forgot about. Like the Sassoon fishing docks, the Haj mosque, or the CSM Museum, which is a combination of Islamic, Hindu and British architecture with apparently a great collection. The funny thing about Mumbai is that there’s little to do for tourists, and yet you’ll never, ever get bored in this city.