Things to Do in Mumbai: Heritage, Sea Faces, Street Food & Island Caves

See the Gateway of India and Colaba

The Gateway of India, an Indo-Saracenic arch completed in 1924, faces the harbour opposite the Taj Mahal Palace hotel of 1903. Around it, Colaba has the Causeway market for street shopping, old cafés and colonial buildings.

Best time

Early morning or evening

Good for

Everyone

See Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus), completed in 1888, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the finest Victorian Gothic buildings in the world, still a busy railway station. A small heritage gallery offers guided tours on some days. It is lit up beautifully in the evening.

Time needed

45 minutes

Walk past the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco ensembles

Around the Oval Maidan, the Bombay High Court, the University of Mumbai with its Rajabai Clock Tower, and a row of Art Deco apartment buildings face each other across the ground. Together they form a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed in 2018. Heritage walks explain the styles.

Best time

Late afternoon

Good for

Architecture lovers

Explore Kala Ghoda

Kala Ghoda is Mumbai's arts district, with the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (the former Prince of Wales Museum), the Jehangir Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Modern Art, and bookshops and cafés. The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival in February fills the streets with installations and events.

Time needed

Half a day

Good to know

Museums close on Mondays

Take a ferry to the Elephanta Caves

Ferries from the Gateway of India take about an hour to Elephanta Island, where rock-cut caves from around the 5th to 7th centuries hold magnificent Shiva sculptures, including the three-headed Sadashiva (Trimurti). The caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are closed on Mondays. Ferries do not run in rough monsoon weather.

Time needed

Half a day

Good to know

Closed on Mondays

Walk Marine Drive at sunset

Marine Drive curves for about 3.5 km along the bay from Nariman Point to Girgaum Chowpatty. At night its streetlights form the Queen's Necklace. Sit on the sea wall at sunset with the city, and end at Chowpatty beach for bhel puri and kulfi.

Best time

Sunset and evening

Visit Haji Ali Dargah

Haji Ali Dargah, a white mosque and tomb on an islet off Worli, is reached by a causeway that floods at high tide. It is visited by people of all faiths. Check the tide times before you go.

Good to know

Visit at low tide

See Bandra's sea face

In Bandra, Bandstand promenade and Bandra Fort look out over the Bandra–Worli Sea Link. The suburb's old Catholic villages, such as Ranwar, have colourful houses and street art, and Mount Mary Basilica sits on the hill. Hill Road and Linking Road are shopping streets.

Visit Siddhivinayak and Mahalaxmi temples

Siddhivinayak Temple in Prabhadevi, dedicated to Ganesha, is one of Mumbai's busiest temples, especially on Tuesdays. The Mahalaxmi Temple, near the sea at Breach Candy, is dedicated to the city's patron goddess.

See Banganga Tank

Banganga, a temple tank in Walkeshwar surrounded by old temples, steps and houses, is a pocket of calm in the city. The Banganga Festival of classical music is held here in winter.

Best time

Morning

See Dhobi Ghat and Crawford Market

Dhobi Ghat at Mahalaxmi is a huge open-air laundry, best seen from the bridge above. Crawford Market (Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Mandai), with its Victorian building and fruit, spice and dry fruit stalls, and the lanes of Bhuleshwar and Chor Bazaar nearby, show old Mumbai's trading life.

Celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi, in August or September, is Mumbai's biggest festival, with huge Ganesha idols in public pandals such as Lalbaugcha Raja and immersion processions to the sea on the last day. Crowds are immense.

Best time

August or September

See the Kanheri Caves

Sanjay Gandhi National Park, a large forest inside the city limits in Borivali, contains the Kanheri Caves, a group of more than 100 Buddhist caves carved between about the 1st century BCE and 10th century CE. The park also has trails and a lion and tiger safari.

Time needed

Half a day

Good for

Families, history lovers

Eat Mumbai street food

Try vada pav, pav bhaji, bhel puri, pani puri and kheema pav, as well as bun maska and chai at old Irani cafés. Mohammed Ali Road is famous for evening food during Ramzan. Seafood restaurants serve Malvani and Konkani fish curries and Bombay duck.

Good for

Food lovers

Ride a local train

Mumbai's suburban trains carry millions every day. Riding one outside rush hour, in the first-class or ladies' compartment if you prefer, is a quick way to feel the city's pulse.

Good to know

Avoid peak hours

See the Global Vipassana Pagoda

The Global Vipassana Pagoda at Gorai, on Mumbai's northern edge, is a huge golden meditation dome modelled on Myanmar's Shwedagon Pagoda. Its hall, built without pillars, can seat thousands of meditators. Ferries and roads reach it from Borivali.

Time needed

2 hours

What are the best things to do in Mumbai?

See the Gateway of India and CSMT, take a ferry to the Elephanta Caves, walk Marine Drive, explore Kala Ghoda, visit Haji Ali and Siddhivinayak, see Banganga and Bandra, visit the Kanheri Caves and eat street food.

What are the best things to do in Mumbai at night?

Walk Marine Drive, eat at Chowpatty, see CSMT lit up, visit Bandra's cafés and bars, and in Ramzan, the food stalls of Mohammed Ali Road.

How many days are enough for Mumbai?

Three days.

When are the Elephanta Caves closed?

On Mondays, and ferries may not run in rough monsoon weather.

What is the best time to visit Mumbai?

November to February, when it is cooler and drier. The monsoon from June to September is dramatic but brings heavy rain and flooding.