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Mumbai

TRAVEL GUIDE

Mumbai

TRAVEL GUIDE

Mumbai, sometimes called the Maximum City, after Suketa Mehta’s 2004 nonfiction book of the same name, encapsulates the dynamism and chaos of modern India better than any other city. In this sprawling, muscular place by the sea that you'll find everything from succulent street food to haute cuisine, bargain-basement bazaars to haute couture, humbling poverty to staggering wealth, sacred temples to hedonistic nightclubs. Mumbai is in many ways the New York City of India, and the many of the locals carry the same kind of chip on their shoulders—despite the madness, they wouldn’t trade it for any other place on Earth.

Mumbai is a city of extremes, where slum-dwelling strivers making dollars a day serve Bollywood stars and industrial billionaires. It's a 24-hour city stocked wi... Read More

Mumbai, sometimes called the Maximum City, after Suketa Mehta’s 2004 nonfiction book of the same name, encapsulates the dynamism and chaos of modern India better than any other city. In this sprawling, muscular place by the sea that you'll find everything from succulent street food to haute cuisine, bargain-basement bazaars to haute couture, humbling poverty to staggering wealth, sacred temples to hedonistic nightclubs. Mumbai is in many ways the New York City of India, and the many of the locals carry the same kind of chip on their shoulders—despite the madness, they wouldn’t trade it for any other place on Earth.

Mumbai is a city of extremes, where slum-dwelling strivers making dollars a day serve Bollywood stars and industrial billionaires. It's a 24-hour city stocked with some of the best late-night street food in the world, as well as fine-dining restaurants of renowned chefs. It's a cosmopolitan city of people from all over India that's nonetheless home to strident parochialism. It's a city of dreams for millions of Indians that, at the same time, affords so few any measure of comfort. And it's a beautiful city of silver towers when viewed by twilight from the Bandra-Worli Sea Link bridge over the Arabian Sea, but that sight quickly turns into a maze of winding, dirty streets and alleys when viewed up close.

Sensory overload is the name of the game on the island formerly known as Bombay (and yes, most locals still call it by its previous moniker). The first thing that hits you when you arrive at the airport is the smell—spicy, fishy, and, to be honest, often not altogether pleasant. Next comes a crazed cab ride through the seemingly lawless streets (should your driver run a red light or, just as likely, drive on the wrong side of the road, try to remain calm). Then a traffic jam in the midst of a veritable symphony of honking, in which barefoot children, often holding infants, and tragically disfigured men and women knock at your window, begging for change. Persevere through, though; embrace and try to understand the natural hazards of the developing world, and you'll find yourself in the middle of a beautiful, often inspiring city.

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Neighborhoods

Although they may never receive top billing on a brochure, an argument can certainly be made that the cave temples at Ajanta and Ellora, which
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Unlike most other cities, the center of Mumbai has few historical sites, though it does include Mahalaxmi, home of the city's racetrack. Densely
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Mumbai's main hot spot is full of bars, restaurants, and a long stretch of street stalls with everything from clothing to black-market DVDs
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Colaba may have the Causeway, but the commercial hub of Mumbai is centered on the bustling bazaars near Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. CST—also
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Long, rectangular parks—known as maidans —split Marine Drive starting at the Fort neighborhood, each one filled from end to end with countless
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Hotels

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Language

Hindi, English

Nearby Airports

BOM, PNQ, IXU

Electrical Outlets

230v/50 cycles; electrical plugs have two round prongs or three round prongs that form a triangle

Currency

Indian rupee

Local Weather

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Historic Weather: Powered by Dark Sky
Weather info provided is using averaged daily data within the given month of the previous year.

Language

Hindi, English

Electrical Outlets

230v/50 cycles; electrical plugs have two round prongs or three round prongs that form a triangle

Currency

Indian rupee

Nearby Airports

BOM, PNQ, IXU

Local Weather

{{monthAverage.f_high}}° {{monthAverage.c_high}}° {{monthAverage.f_low}}° {{monthAverage.c_low}}°
{{monthAverage.month}}
Historic Weather: Powered by Dark Sky
Weather info provided is using averaged daily data within the given month of the previous year.

High Season: December to March Every year, Mumbaikars wait for the one-month period between mid-January and mid-February when the weather turns...Read More

Discover the best neighborhoods in Mumbai with curated recommendations from our editors.

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Local Weather

{{monthAverage.f_high}}° {{monthAverage.c_high}}° {{monthAverage.f_low}}° {{monthAverage.c_low}}°
{{monthAverage.month}}
Historic Weather: Powered by Dark Sky
Weather info provided is using averaged daily data within the given month of the previous year.

High Season: December to March Every year, Mumbaikars wait for the one-month period between mid-January and mid-February when the weather turns...Read More

Discover the best neighborhoods in Mumbai with curated recommendations from our editors.

Explore All

Local Weather

{{monthAverage.f_high}}° {{monthAverage.c_high}}° {{monthAverage.f_low}}° {{monthAverage.c_low}}°
{{monthAverage.month}}
Historic Weather: Powered by Dark Sky
Weather info provided is using averaged daily data within the given month of the previous year.

High Season: December to March Every year, Mumbaikars wait for the one-month period between mid-January and mid-February when the weather turns...Read More

Discover the best neighborhoods in Mumbai with curated recommendations from our editors.

Explore All

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Fodor's Essential India: with Delhi, Rajasthan, Mumbai & Kerala
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