Things to do in Mumbai (Bombay)
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Cream Centre
An excellent ice-cream parlour in a bright, slick interior. Oh, and real food, too: a pure-veg hodgepodge of Indian, Mexican and Middle Eastern.
reviewed
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Gateway of India
The bold basalt Gateway of India arch faces out to Mumbai Harbour at the tip of Apollo Bunder. Derived from the Islamic styles of 16th-century Gujarat, it was built to commemorate the 1911 royal visit of King George V. It was completed in 1924: ironically, the gateway's British architects used it just 24 years later to parade off their last British regiment, as India marched towards independence.
These days, the gateway is a favourite gathering spot for locals and a top spot for people-watching. Giant-balloon sellers, photographers, beggars and touts rub shoulders with Indian and foreign tourists, creating all the hubbub of a bazaar. Boats depart from the gateway's wharfs…
reviewed
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Colaba
The unofficial headquarters of Mumbai's tourist scene, Colaba sprawls down the city's southernmost peninsula. It's a bustling district packed with street stalls, markets, bars and budget to midrange lodgings. Colaba Causeway (Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg) bisects the promontory and is the traffic-filled artery connecting Colaba's jumble of side streets and gently crumbling mansions.
Sassoon Dock, south of the main tourist action, is a scene of intense and pungent activity at dawn (around 05:00) when colourfully clad Koli fisherwomen sort the catch unloaded from fishing boats at the quay. The fish drying in the sun are bombil, the fish used in the dish Bombay duck. Photography…
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Chowpatty Beach
Chowpatty is still a favourite spot for anyone out to enjoy what passes for fresh air. Get the full experience by strolling through the many beachside stalls for some bhelpuri or a head massage. The water is not the cleanest but the beach is litter-free, patrolled by lifeguards and lit up at night. Visiting Chowpatty in the evening is an essential part of any trip to Mumbai.
The highlight of the year at Chowpatty is Ganesh Chaturthi (August/September), when huge crowds gather to watch images of the elephant-headed god of good fortune, Ganesh, paraded through the city streets and immersed in the sea.
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Basilico
A très sleek, Euro-style bistro, Basilico whips up creative fresh pastas, salads and couscous that will make you melt. Vegies will flat out die – from either the wholesome green salad (mixed lettuce, corn, asparagus and sprouts with feta, lime and olive-oil dressing; Rs225) or the homemade mushroom and goat-cheese canelloni (Rs340). The coup de grâce? It’s also a bakery. The Bandra branch ([tel] 67039999, open noon to midnight) is on St John Rd, next to HDFC, Pali Naka.
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Elephanta Island
In the middle of Mumbai Harbour, 9km northeast of the Gateway of India, the rock-cut temples on Elephanta Island are a Unesco World Heritage Site and worth crossing the waters for. Home to a labyrinth of cave-temples carved into the basalt rock of the island, the artwork represents some of the most impressive temple carving in all of India. The main Shiva-dedicated temple is an intriguing latticework of courtyards, halls, pillars and shrines, with the magnum opus a 6m-tall statue of Sadhashiva – depicting a three-faced Shiva as the destroyer, creator and preserver of the universe. The enormous central bust of Shiva, its eyes closed in eternal contemplation, may be the…
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Swati Snacks
This bustling old-timer has been revamped as a modern cafeteria for discerning grown-ups (all stainless steel and smooth wood). Try the delicious bhelpuri, panki chatni (savoury pancake steamed in a banana leaf) and homemade ice cream in delectable flavour combinations like rose-coconut-pineapple. Don't leave Mumbai without snacking here.
reviewed
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Goa Portuguesa
A visit to this restaurant, which specialises in fiery Portuguese-inspired dishes, is almost as good as making the trip to Goa. Next door, its partner business, Culture Curry, offers all kinds of curries from around India. Guitar-strumming musicians and singers wander between the two connected spaces.
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Fabindia
Founded as a means to get traditional fabric artisans’ wares to market, Fabindia has all the vibrant colours of the country in its cotton and silk fashions, materials and homewares, all in a modern-meets-traditional Indian shop. The Santa Cruz outpost is also good.
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Bluefrog
The most exciting thing to happen to Mumbai’s music scene in a long time, Bluefrog is a concert space, production studio, restaurant and one of Mumbai’s most happening spaces. It hosts exceptional local and international acts, and has cool booth seating.
reviewed
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Delhi Darbar
Excellent Mughlai, tandoori and Middle Eastern.
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Café Coffee Day
Coffee pub.
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Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus)
Imposing, exuberant and overflowing with people, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus) is the city's most extravagant Gothic building, the beating heart of its railway network, and an aphorism for colonial India. Historian Christopher London uttered 'the Victoria Terminus is to the British Raj, what the Taj Mahal is to the Mughal Empire.'
It's a meringue of Victorian, Hindu and Islamic styles whipped into an imposing, Daliesque structure of buttresses, domes, turrets, spires and stained-glass windows. Be sure to get close to the jungle-themed façade, particularly around the reservation office: it's adorned with peacocks, gargoyles, cheeky monkeys and lions.…
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Hotel Ram Ashray
We wouldn’t send you to Matunga – on the Central line, no less – if this weren’t something special. Tucked away in a Tamil enclave near King’s Circle (a stone’s throw from the station’s east exit), Ram Ashray is popular with southern families for its spectacular dosas, idli (round steamed rice cakes) and upma (semolina cooked with onions, spices and coconut). You won’t taste a better coconut chutney anywhere (sorry, Chennai).
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Leopold’s Café
Love it or hate it, most tourists end up at this Mumbai travellers’ institution at one time or another. Around since 1871, Leopold’s has wobbly ceiling fans, open-plan seating and a rambunctious atmosphere conducive to swapping tales with random strangers. Although there’s a huge menu, the lazy evening beers are the real draw.
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Khyber
Khyber serves up Punjabi and other North Indian dishes in moody, burnt-orange, Afghan- inspired interiors to a who’s who of Mumbai’s elite. The food is some of the city’s best, with the meat-centric menu wandering from kebabs and biryanis to its pièce de résistance, raan (a whole leg of slow-cooked lamb).
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Bade Miya
As Mumbai as traffic jams, this street-stall-on-steroids buzzes nightly with punters from all walks of Mumbai life lining up for spicy, fresh grilled treats. Grab a chicken tikka roll to go, or sample the boti kebab (lamb kebab) or paneer masala (unfermented-cheese and tomato curry) on the footpath.
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New Kulfi Centre
Serves the best kulfi (firm-textured ice cream flavoured, often with pistachio) you’ll have anywhere, which means it’s the best-tasting thing in the entire world. When you order, the kulfi is placed on a betel-nut leaf and then weighed on an ancient scale – which makes it even better.
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Indigo Delicatessen
Indigo’s less expensive sister is just as elegant as the original, with good jazz on, warm but sleek decor and massive wooden tables. It has breakfast any time (Rs145 to Rs265), casual meals and desserts, teas, wines (Rs360 to Rs710 per glass) and a selection of breads and imported cheeses.
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Peshwari
Make this Indian northwest frontier restaurant, conveniently located just outside the international airport, your first or last stop in Mumbai. You will not regret forking out for the sublime leg of spring lamb and amazing dhal Bukhara (a thick black dhal cooked for over a day.)
reviewed
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Shrujan
Selling the intricate embroidery work of women in 114 villages in Kutch, Gujarat, the nonprofit Shrujan aims to help women earn a livelihood while preserving the spectacular embroidery traditions of the area. The sophisticated clothing, wall hangings and purses make great gifts.
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Chor Bazaar
If you're after Raj-era bric-a-brac, head to Chor Bazaar; the main area of activity is Mutton St, where you'll find a row of shops specialising in antiques (many ingenious reproductions, so beware) and miscellaneous junk.
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Cooperage Football Ground
The Cooperage Football Ground is home to the Mumbai Football Association and hosts national-league and local soccer matches between October and February. Tickets are available at the gate.
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Crawford Market
Also known as Mahatma Jyobita Phule, Crawford Market is the largest municipal market in Mumbai. From the outside it looks more like a medieval fortress than a place to buy household goods.
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Tea Centre
A great place to try out some of India's premium teas, as well as sample some excellent light meals and snacks, this is a serene, colonial-meets-contemporary place with severe AC.
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