Mumbai is India's financial and entertainment capital, home to Bollywood (the world's largest film industry by volume) and a skyline that mixes Victorian Gothic colonial buildings with some of the most expensive real estate on earth, all wrapped around a coastline of fishing villages that predate the city's founding by centuries.
Colonial Mumbai
The Gateway of India, an arch built to commemorate a 1911 royal visit, faces the Arabian Sea beside the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, and remains the city's most recognisable landmark, ferries to Elephanta Island's ancient rock-cut cave temples depart from the jetty just behind it.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, a UNESCO-listed Victorian Gothic railway station still handling three million commuters daily, is one of the most extraordinary working buildings in the world, arrive outside rush hour to appreciate the architecture without being swept up in the crowd.
Bollywood and Street Food
Film City, on the northern outskirts, offers studio tours giving a glimpse into Bollywood's staggering production volume, hundreds of films a year, shot across sprawling sets that range from village streets to palace interiors, often several films at once.
Mumbai's street food scene, particularly vada pav (a spiced potato fritter sandwich) and pav bhaji, is central to the city's identity, Mohammed Ali Road's food stalls, especially during Ramadan evenings, offer one of the most memorable eating experiences anywhere in India.
Recommended Stay · Mumbai · Colaba
Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
A landmark hotel from 1903 directly beside the Gateway of India, with harbour views and a history deeply woven into the city's modern identity.
