Mumbai Tourism And Travel Guide

Mumbai, the Indian icon of commercialism and cinema, is the capital city of the state of Maharashtra. Named as the alpha world city in 2008, Mumbai has emerged as one of the most economically viable cities of the world.

Mumbai lies off the beautiful Konkan coast on the western side of India and boasts of an enchanting deep natural harbour and the high mountain ranges of the country – the Sahyadri or the Western Ghats. With a recorded origin dating back to the Stone Ages and later to an active participation in India’s freedom struggle, to becoming the most populous and commercial metros of the modern times, the city of Mumbai has come a very long way. Mumbai beckons to a tourist with its wild beautiful nature, heritage forts and monuments and its most interesting first’s – the concept of dabbawallahs since 1890 and Dharavi, considered one of the world’s largest slums!

If you would like to visit Mumbai, our travel and tourism guide should help you plan a great trip.

Mumbai has a great access from any part of the country and beyond. The ideal way to reach the city would probably be by flight.

By Air:

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport has domestic flights from most major cities within the country and international flights to many countries round the world. There are sufficient transport facilities to reach your destination from the airports.

By Rail:

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal and Mumbai Central Railway stations have several trains lugging in from across India. There are a number of smaller rail stations too that serve as major and local thoroughfare.

By Road:

You could drive to Mumbai from the neighbouring states, but other than that there are plenty of intercity buses from major metros across the country.

By Ship:

Mumbai is a port for cruise trips on the Arabian sea on the waters from Singapore, Maldives, Dubai and Oman.

Getting Around:

Mumbai is a very busy city and there is no paucity of travel options. Try the local buses, suburban trains, ferries across the creeks, auto rickshaws, taxis and Ola/Ubers.

Mumbai’s tropical climates have hot summers and heavy monsoons. The perfect season would start by October and taper off by March, with the onset of summer.

Summer (April – June):

Summer months are hot and humid and not very ideal for tourism. But there are plenty of places around Mumbai that are ideal summer vacation spots, like the beaches and hill stations of Lonavala and Matheran.

Monsoon (July – September):

Monsoon rains do come down rather heavy in Mumbai. These are lean tourist months where travelling and sightseeing becomes bothersome due to the incessant rains.

Winter (October – March):

Winter is the most perfect time to visit the city. Go sightseeing or bird watching, trekking or boating up the river. Winter is warm and pleasant and provides for a hassle free tourist time.

Trekking:

Some of the most magnificent peaks of the Western Ghats are in Maharashtra. Go on a wild trekking trip up the tallest peaks and find more surprises in store – ancient forts built by the Marathas, the English and the Portuguese, that take you back in time.

Water Birds and Mangroves:

If bird watching is your passion, you’d find plenty of wetlands, creeks, mangroves and beaches in and around Mumbai where you could spot flamingos, gulls, racket tailed drongos and paradise flycatchers.

Wildlife:

Check out the Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (50 km) at Vasai which is a great hiking trail and looks lush and enchanting during the monsoon. Or visit Sanjay Gandhi National Park where you can sail across the lake, go on a lion or tiger safari, chug along on the toy train, visit the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi or explore the Kanheri Caves.

Cascades:

One of the most beautiful shows put on by nature is a cascade surging down a mountainside. Some of Maharashtra’s most scenic waterfalls like the Pandavkada, Bhivpuri, Randha and Umbrella Falls are must visits.

Seasides:

Drive away a little from the familiar beaches of Mumbai to the more isolated beaches like the Madh Island beach with its 17th century Portuguese fort, the Marve beach with a Portuguese church and the beautiful Manori beach with its cashew groves and rocks where one could settle on, watching the waves.

Igatpuri:

Igatpuri is a little hill station of the Western Ghats. Igatpuri (130 km from Mumbai) is a favourite tourist destination where you could visit the Amruteshwara and Ghantadevi temples, trek to Tringalvadi Fort, watch the Five Waterfalls or spend hours in serenity at the Dhamma giri meditation centre.

Mumbai rises up to every occasion to make a memorable fete and a carnival, be it the traditional Ganesh Chaturthi, Sankranthi, Gudi Padva or Navratri. There are also film festivals or food festivals, art, music or dance festivals that make the city the hub of celebration oftentimes.

When you visit Mumbai, some of the festivals you could call at are the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (February) a grand multicultural carnival that draws people from around the world, NCPA music, film and dance festivals, Banganga Festival (January) at Malabar Hills and the Elephanta festival of Art and Culture (June) at Gharapuri or Elephanta Islands.