where to fly in to?

strawberry

i havent booked flights yet and was planning in to mumbai (from uk) and out of delhi as planning to travel in between.
but having read mumbai is the most expensive city in india i am wondering whether to perhaps fly in somewhere else as on a tight budget.
was hoping for some advice or experiences of the different main airports in india from all you im'ers to help me decide.
xx

Darmabum

I'll be flying into Mumbai too, for the first time, after four trips of landing in Delhi and one in Calcutta. I believe that at the airports there are still train booking booths that will allow an incoming airline passenger to buy a ticket out of town that day. Sometimes incoming flights land at ridiculous hours of the day or night and if you do plan to get out of Mumbai that day, you may have to wait in the airport for some time. I'm planning to buy my ticket to Varanasi as soon as I arrive, and 35 hours later, be there. Good luck. Scott

aadil

Strawberry: There are lots of options if you are on a tight budget too!!! The Salvation Army's Redshield Hostel charges only Rs135 for a day in a bunk bed dormitory or maybe around 350 for a single room. Also there is the YWCA at a nearby location just opposite the Museum which charges similar rates. Well worth it in the Colaba area. Hope this helps. I am sure you will enjoy Mumbai as much as any other city in India. And hope to see you at the IM meeting in Mumbai on the 11th of February!!!

Darmabum: If you can, please book your tickets on the internet for the train journey as it will be next to impossible to get tickets at the last minute even if you want it on the Foreign traveller's quota. There is a counter at the Mumbai airport but it is only open for a limited time during the day. And it does not do FTQ tickets so you will have to go to either CST or Churchgate to do the tickets on the FTQ. The ticket counters are usually open only from 8am to 8pm on all days except Sundays when they are open for a shorter time till 6pm.

Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Aadil.

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strawberry

thanks Aadil, they sound like perfect options as then i could meet some travellers straight away.
how do i book online for those?
and in regards to your train advice, my idea (perhaps now not plausible) was to pretty much decide where i want to go on a day to day basis and book a train ticket on the day, leaving a few hours later. is that out of the question do you think?

aadil

Hi there,

It may be possible to get train tickets at the last minute on only the Foreign Tourist's Quota but I would suggest you decide once you get to a place and then decide for which day you would want to leave that place and then book the tickets right away or as soon as possible. Sometimes the trains are not running on all days and sometimes they may run out of the FTQ so you may not always be lucky, you see!!! Most destinations may have only one train per day so it is not like the UK where you may have a train every few hours or so for each destination. Almost all places will have a separate counter for the FTQ so you need not stand in queue with the others for the normal reservations. But if they are also available you can always get in queue there too. Just find out from the Enquiry counter where they will tell you which train you can take and if there are seats available or not. Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Aadil.

Darmabum

Nice to get some up to date advice regarding trains, aadil. Thank you. Unfortunately I've got an airline ticket - a special fare from a flight attendant friend of mine - that requires me to fly standby, all the way - LA/Atlanta, Atlanta/Paris, Paris/Mumbai. In short, I'm not sure when I'll arrive in Mumbai, so prebooking seems out of the question. Maybe take my chances at the train kiosk in the airport, then, it seems, head into Mumbai and book there.

aadil

Strawberry: Sorry I forgot about the hostel booking query. The email address is as given below:

YWCA: ywcaic@bom8.vsnl.net.in

The address: YWCA Hostel and International Center, 18, Madame Cama Road, Fort, Mumbai 400001.

Telephone Numbers: 091-022-22025053 / 22020445 / 22020598.

Checkout time: 12 noon. Tea/coffee, breakfast and dinner included in the price. Rs524 minimum to Rs1800 maximum.


Salvation Army Red Shield Hostel: Red Shield House, 30, Mereweather Road, Colaba, Mumbai - 400039.

Telephone Number: 091-022-22841824. Reservations only during 08:00 to 20:00 hours IST. Checkout time: 10:00 hours. Rs150 for dormitory and Rs400 to 500 for double room including breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Aadil.

aadil

Hi Scott,

If it is an Air France or Northwest or Delta airlines flight then it will be coming in at night when the booking window is closed. So you will probably be buying the tickets only at the FTQ window at Churchgate or CST. I also fly only subject to load so I fully understand your problem!!! Glad to be of any help.

Cheers,
Aadil.

strawberry

seems another thank you is in order aadil
that's very helpful.
i will email them both, will definitely be nice to have the peace of mind that i can go somewhere and sleep when i get in at about midnight, and for that reason looks like ymca is best bet as salvation army reservations only until 8pm.
not quite sure how i'd have managed to feel as confident and well planned as i do if i didnt have this great site to read pretty much every day.

aadil

Glad to be of any help. Sorry, but you can email only the YWCA and not the Salvation Army but you could call and confirm the booking from the UK during the times mentioned for the reservations. I doubt if you will get beds if you just land up there in either of the places. You will definitely need to prebook to get a bed in your name. If you have any problems with them just let me know.

I could however receive you at the airport if I am working that night at the airport!!!

Cheers,
Aadil.