The immense Gateway of India is a great place to begin exploring Mumbai. The city is small but offers a slice of tourism that no other city in the world could replicate, and there are some great Mumbai tours to help you experience it all!
There is so much to see, do and experience in Mumbai. Walk along Marine Drive, stop by Mumbai University, play cricket with the local kids at Oval Maidan (ground), explore the busy CBD, make a wager at Mahalaxmi Racecourse or stop for some serious laundry-business at Dhobhi Ghaat (public laundry system). Most of the old colleges, museums, and government buildings around South Mumbai still retain the 'Raj' stamp of architecture. If you want to stay close to a particular landmark, our map of Mumbai page shows you hotels in Mumbai you can book with us. Enjoying a local tour in Mumbai is a great way to see all the major attractions.
Mumbai is everything you would expect an important Indian city to be. It has all the markings of a great metropolis, offering great food, great places to stay, lifestyle, fashion, fiesta, la di da of international repute, and every single Chinese reproduction of the same genuine designer gear! The markets are very busy, very crowded, and almost stifling at times. Be sure you wander around with a local who knows how to strike a good deal. The best part is that almost any Mumbaiite will be happy to stop and help, if you ever need assistance.
Mumbai is the capital of the State of Maharashtra, located on the west coast of the country, and is one of the fastest growing, richest and most developed cities in India. However, there are many other great places to check out around India. After taking in Mumbai, you can head down the amazing coastline to Goa via Pune, and then continue further south to picturesque Kerala. Or from Mumbai you could head north to colourful Jaipur, and then on to magnificent Delhi and Agra.
Earlier known as Bombay, Mumbai got its name from Mumba Devi, a local deity of the area. Originally a group of seven islands, comprising of Mahim, Colaba, Mazgaon, Worli, Girgaum, Parel and Dongri, the city was formed when large areas of swamps were reclaimed to make space for its ever-growing population. The Portuguese coined the name Bom Baim or ‘Good Bay’ for its large natural harbour, today one of the busiest ports in the country and which accounts for around 40% of India’s maritime trade.
Mumbai is hip and happening, bold and brash, competitive and chic - catering to the rich, the not so rich, and the slum dwellers who live in abject poverty, often alongside huge industrial parks, railway lines and other suburb hubs. Mumbai is also the home of middle class working public, whose kids are the average kids of the media-influenced world, each with a mobile device to cling to, and if dictum permits, they actually remember to have a live conversation! Then there is the huge section of rural migrants to Mumbai, who form the labour workforce of everyday life.
For tourists from overseas, these folk sometimes present unwelcome comments, oglers and in crowds, shameless groping! Women, kids and men must be aware of this behaviour and be ready to move around smartly, avoiding unnecessary risks to safety or health. The Police are well trained, speak English well, and will be glad to assist in case you face any threat. Private Hospitals are run efficiently, with specialist care provided for on a need-based priority. Rental cars are available easily from several junctions in the city, or through the concierge of your Mumbai hotel.
Trains form the lifeline of the average working class community, linking all suburbs around the City Centre. The CBD has now been de-centralised to accommodate more technological parks, business estates and industrial centres. The heart of suburbia in Mumbai is in its never-say-die attitude. Nothing can strike this fervent city, not the political drama, not the freak torrential floods and certainly not cowardly acts of terrorism!
Welcome to the city that does not sleep. You will always find someone walking by as you look out of your window. Just when the last store in Mumbai closes for the night, another one prepares to open up to serve an early breakfast to night-shift workers! Trains and buses are frequent, while cabs and ricks (auto-rickshaws) are available at every single corner. Even if you are thousands of miles away from home, you will probably be befriended by the spirit of the people that call Mumbai home. By then, you will also quite surely have understood why Mumbai will always be Mumbai.
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