About Mumbai

Country: India | State: Maharashtra

Ideal Trip Duration: 2-3 Days

Nearest City to Mumbai: Mumbai

Best Time to Visit Mumbai: October to March

Peak Season: December to January

At a distance of 149 km from Pune, 535 km from Ahmedabad, 551 km from Panjim, 993 km from Bangalore, and 717 km from Hyderabad, Mumbai, the entertainment capital and India's financial powerhouse, is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India and the 9th most populous in the world with an estimated population of 18.4 million. In 2009, Mumbai was named an alpha world city. It is the wealthiest city in India with the highest number of billionaires and is also one of the must include places in Maharashtra tour packages.

Mumbai is more affectionately known as the city of dreams. The city is a collection of 7 islands and was named after the goddess Mumbadevi. Being an ancient city, sightseeing in Mumbai as part of Mumbai tour packages is an absolute delight. The history of this metropolis is said to date back to the Stone Age. It has been a part of many major empires including the Maurya, Chalukya, and Rashtrakuta as well as Marathas. Being a port city it flourished as a trade route and subsequently came under Portuguese rule. In 1678 AD, it became the headquarters of the British East India Company and soon became a major international hub for trade, especially in cotton. It became the capital of the Bombay Presidency under British rule and played an important role in the 'Quit India Movement', and 'The Royal Indian Navy Mutiny'.

Gateway of India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus), Elephanta Caves, Kanheri Caves, Haji Ali Darga, Siddivinayaka Temple, Juhu Beach, Marve Beach, Marine Drive, Chowpatty, Film City, Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya, Babulnath Temple, and Mount Mary Church are some of the popular places to visit in Mumbai. Mumbai is also famous for fashionable clothes and imitation jewellery.

Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is the nearest airport which is about 21 km from Mumbai City and is well connected by flights with major international destinations like Dubai, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, USA, Europe and domestic destinations including Hyderabad, Bangalore,Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur, Kochi, Trivandrum, Kolkata & Goa. Mumbai is the headquarters for the Western & Central Railways sectors of Indian Railways. The Victoria Terminus and Bombay Central Station, the two main railway stations in Mumbai, are well connected by trains with all the major towns and cities in India, including Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore.

The best time to visit Mumbai is between September and March as the rains have finished playing havoc with the city's drainage system and the humidity levels are at their lowest.

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Other Info
Internet Availability: Very Good
STD Code: 022
Languages Spoken: Marathi, Hindi and English
Major Festivals: Elephanta Festival, Banganga Festival, Ganesh Chaturdi, Kala Ghoda Festival and Navratri Festival
Notes/Tips:
None

How to Reach Mumbai

By Air

Nearest Airport: Mumbai - Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (21 Kms)

By Train

Nearest Train Station: Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (0 Kms)
Mumbai Central Railway Station (4.5 Kms)

By Bus

Nearest Bus Station: Mumbai Central Bus Station (4 Kms)
Pune Asiad Bus Terminus (9 Kms)

Top 10 Places to Visit in Mumbai

Heritage

#1 of 34 Places to Visit in Mumbai

At a distance of 4 km from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Gateway of India is a national heritage monument located at the waterfront in Apollo Bunder area in South Mumbai, facing Arabian Sea. It is considered to be the most famous monument in Mumbai and also one of the main tourist places visited as part of Mumbai Darshan.

The Gateway of India was erected to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary at Apollo Bunder, when they visited India in 1911. Built in Indo-Saracenic style, the foundation stone for the Gateway of India was laid on 31st March 1911. The final design of George Wittet was sanctioned in 1914 and the construction of the monument was completed in 1924. The Gateway was later the ceremonial entrance to India for Viceroys and the new Governors of Bombay.

The architecture of the Gateway is a combination of Hindu and Muslim architectural styles; the arch is of Muslim style while the decorations are of Hindu style. The gateway is built from yellow .....

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Heritage

#2 of 34 Places to Visit in Mumbai

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus, is the most important train station & historical landmark situated in Dadabhai Naoroji Road in Mumbai. Declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on 2nd July 2004, it is one of the famous places of heritage in Maharashtra, and also one of the top tourist places in Mumbai.

The Terminus is the 2nd World Heritage Site of the Indian Railways after the Mountain Railways (of Shimla, Darjeeling & Ooty) which was inscribed in 1988, and the first functional administrative building to be put on the World Heritage list. Headquarters of the Central Railways, this station links Mumbai to the rest of India. It is one of the must include places in Mumbai tour packages.

Designed by Frederick William Stevens, a British architect, Victoria Terminus .....

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Pilgrimage

#3 of 34 Places to Visit in Mumbai

At a distance of 10 km from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Sri Siddhivinayak Temple is a famous Hindu Temple located at Prabhadevi locality of Mumbai. It is one of the richest pilgrimage in Maharashtra, and also one of the popular places to visit in Mumbai.

Siddhivinayak Temple is dedicated to Lord Ganesh and is among the must include places in Mumbai Darshan Packages. The temple was originally built by Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil on 19 November 1801 AD. The temple then was a small structure housing the black stone idol of Sri Siddhivinayak, which is 2 feet 6 inches high and 2 feet wide. The outstanding feature of this idol is the tilt of the trunk to the right side. The idol has four hands (Chaturbhuj), which contains a lotus in the upper right, a small axe in the upper left, holy beads in .....

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Heritage

#4 of 34 Places to Visit in Mumbai

At a distance of 17 km from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Elephanta Caves are a network of sculpted caves located on Elephanta Island or Gharapuri in Mumbai Harbour. The Caves, listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site, is Mumbai's oldest historic site and also one of the best Mumbai tourist places.

Among the prime places to visit as part of Mumbai Packages, the identity of the creators of Elephant Caves is disputed. It is believed that the Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas were behind the creation of the caves and sculptures. The island was ruled by the Chalukyas and later by the Gujarat sultanate. It was later handed over by the Gujarat Sultan to the Portuguese in 1534 AD.

The caves are known for beautiful Hindu temples and sculptures. The Elephanta Caves were named by the Portuguese after they saw a statue of an elephant on the island. The statue .....

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Beach

#5 of 34 Places to Visit in Mumbai

At a distance of 20 km from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Juhu Beach is situated in the western suburb of Mumbai. Juhu Beach is one of the largest and most popular beaches in Mumbai.

Juhu Beach is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea and it stretches for 6 km long up to Versova. To the north of this beach is Gandhi Gram, where Mahatma Gandhi lived in his days as a lawyer. The southern end of the beach is marked by a number of luxury hotels. The beach is one of the busiest beach in Mumbai and also one of the popular picnic spots in Mumbai.

Several centuries back, when Mumbai was actually seven islands, Juhu was part of one of the islands that now forms the city. Lined by the Arabian Sea, Juhu is home to one of the country's finest theatres, Prithvi Theatre, along with being home to various Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Dharmendra, Hritik Roshan, etc. The beach is among the most popular sites in the city for the annual Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations .....

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Nature

#6 of 34 Places to Visit in Mumbai

At a distance of 5 km from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Marine Drive is a 3 km long beautiful road in southern Mumbai of Maharashtra. This is one of the most visited places in Mumbai city and also one of the top tourist places in Mumbai.

It is a C-shaped six-lane road along the coastline of Arabian Sea, forming a natural bay. This road links Nariman Point to Babulnath, and is situated at the foot of Malabar Hill. Officially, it is named as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road. Marine Drive is also referred to as 'Queen's necklace', because the street lights make the road look like a string of pearls and create an illusion of a necklace, when viewed at night from any elevated point along the pathway of the drive.

Promenade is the main attraction of Marine Drive. The view of the sunset over the Arabian Sea from Marine drive is magnificent. The palm trees along the promenade make it more attractive. To the north of the Marine Drive is the Chowpatty Beach, which is famous among .....

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Pilgrimage

#7 of 34 Places to Visit in Mumbai

At a distance of 5 km from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Station, Sri Babulnath Temple is an ancient temple situated on a small hillock at the end of the Marine Drive near Girgaum Chowpatty in Mumbai. It is one of oldest temples in Mumbai and also one of the popular pilgrimage places to visit in Mumbai.

Sri Babulnath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The main Shivlinga and idols in the temple were originally consecrated in the 12th century by the Hindu king Raja Bhimdev of the region. Over a period of time, the temple was buried and lost. The idols were discovered (unearthed) in 18th century. When rediscovered, 5 original idols were dug out, which were that of the main Shiva Linga, Ganesh, Hanuman, Parvati and one more. Out of this, the first four are in the temple. The fifth one was immersed in the sea because it was broken when it was dug out in the 18th century.

The temple was patronised by Hindu merchants and Gujarati community in 1780 CE. A bigger temple was built .....

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Miscellaneous

#8 of 34 Places to Visit in Mumbai

At a distance of 18 km from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, officially called Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link, is a cable bridge linking Bandra in the Western Suburbs of Mumbai with Worli in South Mumbai. This is one of the famous picnic spots in Mumbai.

Bandra - Worli Sea Link is an eight-lane bridge which has pre-stressed concrete-steel viaducts on either side. The bridge is a part of the proposed Western Freeway that links the Western Suburbs to Nariman Point in Mumbai's main business district. The 16 billion bridge was commissioned by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation and built by the Hindustan Construction Company. The first four of the eight lanes of the bridge were opened to the public on 30th June 2009. All eight lanes were opened on 24th March 2010.

The sea-link reduces travel time between Bandra and Worli during peak hours. Whole journey of 8 km, which earlier used to take 45 to 60 minutes, can now be completed in just 7 to 10 .....

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Museum

#9 of 34 Places to Visit in Mumbai

At a distance of 1.5 km from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and 1 km from Gateway of India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum, is one of the premier art and history museum situated on the southern tip of Mumbai on the Crescent Site near Gateway of India. The Museum is one of the most significant museums in India and also one of the best Mumbai places to visit.

The Prince of Wales Museum was built in order to honor and commemorate the visit of King George V to India. Although the idea for a museum was initiated in 1904, the foundation stone was laid down by the Prince of Wales in 1905. The Museum was designed by a prominent architect, George Wittet and was erected on this site in 1915. Initially the museum was used as a military hospital and a 'Children's Welfare Center' during the First World War. In 1922, it was transformed into Prince of Wales Museum and was renamed after the founder of Maratha Empire, Shivaji in 1990s.

The .....

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Pilgrimage

#10 of 34 Places to Visit in Mumbai

At a distance of 6 km from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Haji Ali Dargah is a renowned Islamic shrine nestled on a small island close to the sea shore of Worli in Mumbai. This is one of the most popular religious places in Mumbai and also one of the major Mumbai places to visit.

Haji Ali Dargah was constructed in 1431 CE, in the memory of a Muslim saint Sayyed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, who hailed from Bukhara, in present-day Uzbekistan. He came to India to spread Islam and eventually settled in Mumbai. Before death, he expressed his wish that he wanted his shroud to be immersed in water rather than being buried underground. His followers obeyed the wish and constructed a tomb at the spot where his shroud rested after floating in the sea.

Although the original dargah is more than 600 years old, its present structure was built between 1960 and 1964. An exquisite example of Indo-Islamic architecture, Haji Ali Dargah complex sprawls over an area of 5000 sq. m and consists .....

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Top 3 Mumbai Packages