Mumbai Travelers Recommend

With three days in Mumbai, you’ll have time enough to really get a feel for the city, from its blockbuster tourist sights to its thriving houses of worship, with plenty of time to shop, sample local food, and visit surrounding historic attractions. Here’s one way to do it.

Day 1: The Best of Central Mumbai

Spend your first day exploring the sights of central and southern Mumbai. Start at Mahalaxmi Temple, one of the most important Hindu temples in the city. Then stop by Dhobi Ghat to take a few photos of the world’s largest laundry operation before continuing to Haji Ali, a mosque and Sufi shrine situated at the end of a long pier jutting into the sea. From here, head south to the popular flea market Chor Bazaar, a great place for people watching, before visiting Mani Bhavan, a museum dedicated to Gandhi and the Indian Independence Movement. Continue on to the Hanging Gardens, a popular park full of intricate topiary; try to make it in time to watch the sunset over the sea. Finish your evening at nearby Chowpatty Beach, a popular coastal hangout spot best known for its ample street-food stalls and a great place to graze for dinner.

Day 2: Heritage and Food

Spend your second day delving deeper into southern Mumbai, visiting popular architectural sights such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, one of the world’s finest examples of Indo-Saracenic architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also visit the Bombay High Court, another fine example of colonial architecture, before making your way to the Colaba neighborhood in the heart of touristy Mumbai. From here, hop a ferry to Elephanta Island to see the Elephanta Caves, a collection of Buddhist and Hindu rock-hewn caves dating to the seventh century. Alternatively, spend your afternoon shopping at the sprawling Crawford Market or opt for a cooking class where you can learn to make South Indian dishes. Either way, sample street food favorites such as puffed-rice bhel puri and pav bhaji, spiced potato curry.

Day 3: A Day in the Caves

For your final day, head out of town to visit area ancient cave temples. A nearby option is the Kanheri Caves in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, 109 basalt caves carved between the first century BC and the 10th century AD that served as Buddhist monastic dwellings. Alternatively, head farther afield to the Bhaja and Karla Caves, two complexes about 20 minutes apart by car. Each boasts rock-hewn cave structures dominated by Buddhist shrines and monastic dwellings, many dating back to around the first century BC. Return to Mumbai for a final dinner of South Indian cuisine, either in a restaurant or gathered from your favorite street-food stalls.

A portmanteau of Hollywood and Bombay (the former name of Mumbai), Bollywood refers to India’s Hindi-language film industry. For many travelers, the chance to experience Bollywood culture is one of the top reasons to visit Mumbai. Fortunately, ample Bollywood-specific tours and attractions welcome curious visitors with open arms.

What Is Bollywood? Bollywood films span genres, though most have a few common characteristics that distinguish them from Hollywood films, beyond their use of the Hindustani language. For one, they can be quite long and often include an intermission in the middle. They also tend to feature multiple song-and-dance breaks, which sometimes advance the storyline—but sometimes are just plain entertaining. Most actors simply lip-synch their songs, with the actual voices belonging to a handful of professional vocalists known as playback singers.

Where to Go

• Bandstand Promenade: Though the Bandstand Promenade’s Hollywood-esque Walk of the Stars has been removed, many of Bollywood’s top stars still live in the area, and if you hang around long enough you may just spot one.
• Colaba: The hub of tourist activity in Mumbai, local scouts often head straight to Colaba to seek out foreigners to act as extras.
• Film City: This gargantuan film studio complex has been a premier Bollywood shooting location since the 1970s.
• Juhu: A popular filming venue, this upscale coastal neighborhood is home to many of India’s top movie stars.
• Regal Cinema: The art-deco Regal Cinema is one of the oldest movie theaters in town and is a great place to see Bollywood films.
• S.J. Studios: Many of Bollywood’s most famous films have been shot at this studio.

  How to Go Experiencing Bollywood in Mumbai is best done with a guide or organized tour, especially as most film studios are actively used year-round and don’t allow people to just wander in. Most tours visit Film City, though some head to other locations, such as S. J. Studios—and a few do both. Most tours make at least a cursory stop in one of the neighborhoods where a lot of Bollywood stars live, and some even offer little extras such as dance lessons. If you dream of gracing the silver screen, you’re on their own—but hanging out in Colaba just might help you catch the eye of a local casting agent!

Mumbai is jam-packed with interesting sights and attractions old and new. With two days in this sprawling Indian city, you’ll be able to check out important religious sights, ancient cave temples, and colonial-era buildings, with time left over for people watching, nightlife, and sampling local fare. Here’s how to make the most out of your 48 hours in Mumbai.

Day 1: Central Mumbai Highlights

**Morning:**Start your morning off with a visit to the historic—and photogenic—Dhobi Ghat, the world's largest outdoor laundry operation, located in the Mahalaxmi neighborhood. While in the area, check out Haji Ali, a 15th-century marble shrine and mosque situated on a promenade jutting out into the sea.

**Afternoon:**In the afternoon, delve into Indian history at the museum Mani Bhavan, where exhibits illuminate the life of Gandhi and the Indian Independence Movement. From here, it's a short jaunt to the Hanging Gardens, a lovely green space known for its elaborate topiary and lovely sunset views.

**Night:**Mumbai is one of the best cities in India for dancing the night away. Top off your first evening with a guided pub crawl or a visit to one of the many nightclubs in town; the Lower Parel area is particularly good for partying and features a handful of clubs housed in converted old mill buildings.

Day 2: Caves, Colonial Buildings, and Beach Time

**Morning:**Head straight to the Gateway of India in South Mumbai’s Colaba neighborhood first thing in the morning to catch a ferry to Elephanta Island in Mumbai Harbour. The island is known for its rock-hewn cave temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, most of which date to around the seventh century AD.

**Afternoon:**Head back to shore in the afternoon and choose one of Colaba’s many appealing restaurants for lunch. Afterward, stroll up through the Fort area of Mumbai to check out the historic buildings in the area, including the Raj-era Bombay High Court and the spectacular Indo-Saracenic railway station Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.

**Night:**Start your last evening in Mumbai with a stroll down the coastal promenade of Marine Drive, making your way up to Chowpatty Beach at the northern end of the road. Spend your final evening at the beach here, a popular sunset and evening hangout spot for Indian families and an excellent place to sample local street foods.

No visit to Mumbai is complete without spending a couple of hours and dropping a few rupees browsing the cornucopia of sights, sounds, and wares in the city’s markets and bazaars. Here are some of the best markets in Mumbai.

Colaba Causeway

Colaba Causeway, also known as Fashion Street, offers the city’s best street shopping experience, with bargains to be had on clothes, accessories, shoes, electronics, and souvenirs of all types. The area is also home to some of Mumbai’s best cafés and restaurants, perfect for refueling after a shopping spree.

Chor Bazaar (Thieves Market)

You’ll find just about anything under the sun for sale in the busy Chor Bazaar in Mumbai’s Muslim District, and if you’re looking for antiques or vintage items, this is your best bet. Bring your bargaining skills and you can walk away with some great deals.

Crawford Market

Head to Crawford Market to savor the flavors of Mumbai’s fresh fruits and vegetables in a festive atmosphere. The best produce market in Mumbai, Crawford also offers items like kitchenware, imported cheeses, and handmade chocolates.

Zaveri Bazaar

Located in the Bhuleshwar neighborhood in South Mumbai, this market teems with glittering gold and gemstones, both loose or inlaid into rings, bracelets, and necklaces. Even if you’re not planning to buy, it’s a fun market for window shopping.

Mangaldas Market

If you’re looking to update your wardrobe, plan a trip to Mangaldas Market, home to hundreds of tailors and textile vendors—it’s one of the largest textile markets in all of Asia. It’s a particularly good place to pick up silk fabric. 

Sassoon Dock

Mumbai’s first wet dock and its only wholesale fish market open to the public, Sassoon Dock bustles with activity in the early morning hours as fishermen throw their catch into large baskets while mongers call out prices.

Mumbai is a colorful hodgepodge of glimmering cosmopolitanism, regal colonial architecture, and ancient tradition. It’s also huge, so if you have just one day in the city, you’re best off concentrating on one area. Fortunately, many of the top attractions are clustered in the southern parts of town. Here’s how to make the most of one day in Mumbai.

Morning: The Road to Colonial Colaba

Start your day off at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and arguably the most dazzling building in the city. This huge railway station features a magnificent blend of neo-Gothic, Mughal, and Indian design elements known as Indo-Saracenic architecture. From here make your way to the Bombay High Court, which is fronted by a massive cricket ground, perhaps stopping at the open-air shops at Fashion Street along the way. Continue south to Colaba, the city's main tourist hub, to peruse rows of market stalls and stop for lunch at one of the many good and affordable spots in the area.

Afternoon: Elephanta Caves

After lunch, make your way to Colaba’s Gateway of India. This triple-arched monument, built in the 1920s, is reminiscent of a Mughal take on the Arc de Triomphe and looks out over Mumbai Harbour. From here, regular ferries depart for the Elephanta Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of rock-hewn temple caves, the oldest of which date back to the seventh century. Here you'll find Buddhist shrines and Hindu temples alike; one of the Hindu caves houses a gargantuan statue of Lord Shiva in his 3-faced form.

Night: Marine Drive and Chowpatty Beach

After heading back to the mainland, make your way up to Marine Drive, a 2-mile-long road that flanks the Arabian Sea. The area is known for its lovely art deco buildings and is a popular spot for Mumbaikars out on an evening stroll, owing largely to its pleasant, pedestrian-friendly promenade and sunset views. From here you can continue all the way up to Chowpatty Beach, another popular evening spot among local families. The beach is a great spot to try out local treats, with food stalls and roving vendors selling everything from traditional ice cream known as kulfi to the puffed-rice snack bhel puri. Make a dinner of it, or try the cuisine of the Konkan coast in one of the restaurants along the seafront.

Mumbai's culinary scene features bold flavors and influences from around India and the world, so whether you're dining at a fine restaurant or eating from a street vendor, you'll never be at a loss for tasty bites. Here are a few foods and activities you won't want to miss.

Must-Try Dishes

While Mumbai's restaurant scene has grown dramatically, the most authentic picture of the food scene comes from the streets. You'll find vada pav, nicknamed the poor man's burger, on just about every street corner in the city—a deep-fried potato fritter stuffed inside a bun and topped with a variety of chutneys and fried chilies, it's a favorite. Pav bhaji, another regional dish, is eaten by dipping buttered grilled bread into a spicy vegetable curry, while pani puri, eaten whole in one bite, offers a burst of flavor thanks to the hollow fried crisp's stuffing of chickpeas, potatoes, spices, tamarind chutney, and a spicy chili water. If you're hungry for a snack on the beaches of Mumbai, order some bhel puri, a puffed rice mixed with vegetables and tamarind sauce.

Must-Do Experiences

• Take a day or night street food tour of the city to make sure you're getting the best bites in what can be an overwhelming environment of stalls and flavors

• Follow a professional chef to Mumbai's hidden gems on a food tour

• Equip yourself with the skills to prepare favorite Indian dishes at home on a cooking class tour that includes a visit to a local market

• Head to Chowpatty Beach in the evening for some of the best street food offerings in the city

While most people associate Mumbai with glitz and Bollywood, India’s beloved city by the sea also has a thriving art scene, with local galleries and an annual celebration of all things art, the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. The city also is home to some of the finest museums in all of India. Here are a few favorites.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya

Formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, this museum houses a collection of art and artifacts from across the Indian Subcontinent, some dating back to the Indus Valley Civilization. The museum also hosts regular educational programs and lectures for kids and adults alike.

Jehangir Art Gallery

For contemporary Indian art, the Jehangir Art Gallery is not to be missed. This large gallery was established in 1952 and has since become the most celebrated center for contemporary art in all of India, boasting six exhibition halls, a photography gallery, and a regular schedule of cultural and educational events.

Mani Bhavan Gandhi Museum

Situated in a old house once occupied by the Mahatma himself, the Mani Bhavan Gandhi Museum is full of memorabilia from Gandhi’s life, from old photos and letters to one of his famous spinning wheels. The museum includes a number of multimedia exhibits, as well as a large library that is free to use.

National Gallery of Modern Art

The National Gallery of Modern Art Mumbai opened in 1996 and quickly established itself as one of the foremost modern art museums in the country. Here you'll find a huge selection of modern art from across India along with a regular calendar of events ranging from lectures to book launches.