22 BEST ACTIVITIES IN MUMBAI
22 BEST ACTIVITIES IN MUMBAI
LEARN MORE ABOUT 22 BEST ACTIVITIES IN MUMBAI AND EXPLORE MORE THIS AMAZING TOWN AND HER
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22 BEST ACTIVITIES IN MUMBAI
There is something about Mumbai that gives you the impression that you are a part of a vast business. Mumbai is the most populated and prosperous city in India and has the greatest GDP of any city in South, West, or Central Asia. Mumbai is home to the most skyscrapers , billionaires and millionaires in all of India. Three travel authors provide their recommendations for intriguing things to do in Mumbai.
1- DRIVE ACROSS THE MUMBAI SEALINK
As much as I admire the grand Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Terminus (known before as the Victoria Terminus Station and now a UNESCO World Heritage site) the futuristic, multi-lane Sealink connecting Worli to Bandra makes me gasp with admiration.
This 6km-long engineering feat curves like a silvery scimitar over the Arabian Sea helping decongest the most popular roads in the city.
I cannot but chuckle with glee at the sight of the new India, created by Indians.
The Sealink is an explosion of freedom, a manifestation of ‘’can do’, a proclamation of well-earned wings and an architectural landmark in India to be proud of.
I just love the feeling… And this is exactly what is so special about Mumbai: vibrancy.
What we call Mumbai today was originally seven islands stitched together.
Reclaiming the land between them – an ambitious colonial project completed in 1845- transformed a handful of sleepy fishing villages into the biggest seaport on the Arabian Sea.
Travelling through India? Check out these amazing destinations in South India too.
2- EXPLORE SANJAY GANDHI NATIONAL PARK
Seeing wildlife might not be one of the things to do in Mumbai you might be expecting. Today, this huge conurbation is also home to a national park within its borders.
The Sanjay Gandhi National Park has a few wild leopards left – sighted very close to the ever-spreading suburbs recently.
The ancient Kanheri Caves carved out of sheer rock and dating back 2,400 years are also found within the park.
This city has been a very progressive one from the start, a place where ‘dreams come true’.
Yes, there is a big mafia-style sector.
Yes, there are big slums.
But even the well-organised slums are now conducting tours for visitors guided by resident students.
Enterprising?
You got it…
3- FOLLOW THE TRAIL OF THE DABBA-WALLAHS
Mumbai is the city of the dabba-wallahs (or tiffin-wallahs) an army of some 5,000 men who still deliver lunches to thousands of office workers in the city.
These men worked out a foolproof system of tagging which guarantees the delivery of each lunchbox to the right person (yes, I know, except in the film The Lunchbox).
You can easily identify the dabba-wallahs by their starched white shirts, the ubiquitous Nehru caps and the unbelievably big loads of tiffin boxes they carry on their heads to load on trains and then transport by bicycle to their customers.
The men are mainly from the same area around Pune and are distantly related.
4- SOAK UP THE GLAMOUR OF BOLLYWOOD
One of the classic things to do in Mumbai is to visit a Bollywood set.
Bollywood is the big earner of the region and ever present here.
Inescapable, alluring, filming crews can be seen on Juhu Beach, the Bondi of Bombay and everywhere really.
You might even be asked to be an extra if you hang out near the Leopold Café.
Always at cutting edge of things and starting with a solid economic base (the first Indian Stock Exchange is here), Mumbai was also a significant base for the Indian Independence movement.
It is also home to Asia’s oldest newspaper, Bombay Samachar a Gujarati language publication since 1822.
5- RUN IN THE MUMBAI MARATHON
The vibrant character of the place is also represented once a year, on the third Sunday of January by the Mumbai Marathon, the largest marathon in Asia as well as the largest mass participation-sporting event on the continent.
Runners are from all walks of life including Bollywood celebrities, sports personalities, business tycoons and amateur athletes.
Charities benefit from the funds raised.
12 THINGS TO DO IN MUMBAI IF IT’S YOUR FIRST VISIT
Christina Pfeiffer
Mumbai is a city that never sleeps. India’s most cosmopolitan city is alive with honking cars and jostling crowds.
From grand British architecture to vibrant street markets, there are plenty of things you can jam into 48 hours in the home of “Slumdog Millionaire”.
Here are more top tourist places in Mumbai.
6- VISIT CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI TERMINUS
This is the most iconic thing to see in Mumbai.
Victoria Terminus was built in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee and is a World Heritage-listed building that still functions as a railway station.
It’s also the place to spot Mumbai’s dabbawallahs, who have been delivering lunch tiffin boxes containing rotis, vegetables and rice for over 100 years by bicycle, train and foot.
It’s a feat of logistics, where 4500 semi-literates dabbawallahs collect and deliver 175,000 packages within hours, allowing Mumbaikers to eat a hot lunch while at work.
A colour-coded notation on the handle identifies its owner and destination.
7- EXPLORE ELEPHANTA CAVES
Mumbai has two UNESCO World Heritage sites: the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and the Elephanta Caves, which is a pleasant ferry ride departing from the Gate of India.
Dated between the 5th and 8th centuries, these caves were hewn from solid basalt rock and dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Later additions are Buddhist.
When the Portuguese took hold of the region in 1534, the temples were desecrated and vandalised by their passing armies.
Abandoned for centuries and left to decay, the caves were restored in 1970.
Ease your way into the chaos by hopping on a boat. The one-hour trip across Mumbai Harbour is a relaxing way to start the day but take note that Elephanta Island is closed on Mondays.
On the island, a long flight of steps leads to a stash of UNESCO World Heritage treasures displayed in a series of hill-top caves.
Etched into the walls are eighth-century carvings depicting the legends of Hindu god Shiva.
The highlight is a three-headed bust hewn from a single rock representing the three aspects of Shiva: creator, preserver and destroyer.
Boats sail from the Gateway of India (built to commemorate George V and Queen Mary’s visit in 1911) every half-hour from around 9 am to around 2 pm for a return fare of Rs120 ($2.40).
8- GO SHOPPING IN COLABA
After lunch, wander around Colaba Causeway and browse the narrow, busy street filled with shops and designer boutiques.
Colaba is one of the cool places in Mumbai to shop.
Clothes, shoes, leather bags and belts are much cheaper than in Australia.
A pair of shoes from a street stall should cost around $8 while a pair of dressy evening sandals from a boutique will set you back around $30.
Pop in for a coffee at Leopold’s Café, which was built in 1871 and has been a backpacker haunt for decades.
It’s now a tourist haunt but fortunately, prices are still reasonable. A
large iced coffee costs Rs50 ($1), club sandwich Rs100 ($2) and paneer tikka Rs143 ($3).
Ask the staff to point out the bullet holes from the 2008 terrorist attack.
9- VISIT THE BAR AT THE TAJ MAHAL PALACE
The Taj Mahal Palace is a historic hotel was built 21 years before the Gateway of India and was a favourite haunt for the maharajahs.
Linger over the signature cocktail at the Harbour Bar. It’s called “From the harbour since 1933”, after the fact that the bar first opened its doors to the gentlemen of Mumbai that year.
The bar became the city’s first licensed bar.
Also in the Taj Mahal Palace, Masala Kraft dishes up contemporary Indian cuisine.
The food is delicious and the chef employs healthy techniques such as using extra virgin oil.
10- RIDE A SILVER HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE
After dinner, hail one of the gaudily decorated silver horse carriages.
For approximately Rs200 ($4) you can ride around for 15 minutes in a carriage festooned with imitation flowers, balloons and flashing fairy lights.
11- HANG OUT AT CHOWPATTY BEACH
Get some fresh air at Chowpatty Beach, which is a short drive from the Gateway of India — Mumbai’s most recognised monument that was constructed to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to the city.
The area is lit up and night and you’ll find plenty of people wandering around, holding hands and gazing at the water until the wee hours of the morning.
Chowpatty Beach is full of people, day and night.
There’s always something happening and it’s one of the iconic places in Mumbai to visit.
12- VISIT THE MAHALAXMI RAILWAY STATION
Mumbai is a city with lovely architecture that was left behind as a legacy of the British rule.
Of the numerous Mumbai points of interest, this railway station may not be that well known.
Most visitors to Mumbai will pay a visit to Dhobi Ghat, the open-air laundromat where dhobis work in rows of concrete wash pens fitted with flogging stones.
It’s the world’s largest outdoor laundry and where Mumbai’s ‘dirties’ are scrubbed, dyed and hung out to dry. Bring your camera.
Next door is the Mahalaxmi railway station.
13- EXPLORE KALA GHODA
Stroll around Kala Ghoda, the art district of Mumbai’s British heritage district.
Of the many historical places in Mumbai to visit, the crescent-shaped precinct is one of the more interesting to explore.
It has Victorian Neo-Gothic, Indo Saracenic, Renaissance Revival and Edwardian Neo-Classical buildings that house art galleries, museums and cultural spaces.
After shopping for scarves and clothing at Fabindia, tuck into lunch at Café Moshe (moshes.in), which is located in the store.
14- WANDER AROUND BHULESHWAR BAZAAR
A walking tour of the bazaars in Bhuleshwar is a fascinating potpourri of colourful sights of Mumbai and a cacophony of sounds.
It’s the place to soak up the local life, from watching a paan (betel leaf) wallah making a betel leaf paan with areca nuts and slaked lime to local women haggling over the prices of saris.
You can pick up a sari here for Rs550 ($10).
15- SHOP AT LALBAUGH SPICE MARKET
They say that the way to understanding a city is through its markets and there’s none better than a spice market.
Mumbai’s Lalbaugh offers local sights such as women sorting piles of chillies, carts of grapes, large sacks of cashews and men making tasty nut mixes.
There are shops selling flower garlands and household products such as locally made soap.
16- VISIT SEWRI FORT
Completed by the British in 1780, Sewri Fort has a view of Mumbai’s eastern shoreline but the main attraction here is not the fort.
Between November and June, up to 20,000 lesser flamingos flock to the mangrove-lined mud flats nearby to lay their eggs.
17- RELAX IN A MODERN MUMBAI RESTAURANT
Until a few years ago, most upmarket dining spots in Mumbai could only be found within the city’s luxury hotels.
Recently, a number of cosmopolitan restaurants have popped up on the scene, such as. The Table, which has a jazz club-like ambience with black-and-white floors and green velvet armchairs.
The menu is a blend of cuisines from modern Italian (try the zucchini spaghetti) to French-American dishes like lobster sliders and quesadillas with green pea guacamole.
The Table’s small plates cost around Rs500 ($10); large plates are around Rs700 ($15).
THINGS TO DO IN MUMBAI AT THE BEACH!
With an estimated population of 21 million, Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra state, and one of the world’s most populous cities. Sightseeing is tiring and there’s no better way (well, not at this end of the city) than to unwind on Juhu Beach, relax with the locals and watch the stunning sunset.
Sprawling views of this vibrant city are overpowering from the scenic Marine Drive, a three-kilometre-long boulevard in south Mumbai.
Marine Drive is a C-shaped, six-lane road along the coast, with a natural bay that’s a part of the Arabian Sea, and links Nariman Point to Babulnath and Malabar Hill.
Referred to as the ‘Queen’s Necklace’, it absolutely sparkles at night!
Juhu Beach is approximately 30 kilometres north of the city centre.
Juhu is among the most affluent areas of the city and home to many Bollywood celebrities.
READ ALSO : 15 NIGHTTIME ACTIVITIES TO DO IN MUMBAI