MUMBAI in 2 days

smartor192

I will be in Mumbai for only two full days.
I need sugestions where to go, what to see and recommended sites.

I will be comming from Goa, so no beach, I am looking for city living, famous sites and hot spots.

spicetrekker

Gateway of India, Walk around Colaba, Elephanta (though that will take out large part of the day), Museum, See old buildings around Fort Area such as CST station, GPO etc. Can see some places of worships - Afghan Church, Haji Ali Dargah, Babulnath Temple, Baanganga...

ananda2193

You said no beaches but Chowpatty beach at night is interesting.Banganga Tank is a nice area with temples and dharamsalas. The above mentioned places are good also.

smartor192

Thanks for all that information. I saw on Tv this place close to the port where every day worshipers go to make theri offerings. is that near a port and yes I will take all of your recomendations. I guess we would aslo like to see a bit of the daily lives and how the craziness of the city is close to my NYC.

sanket

You cannot stay in Mumbai for 2 days and not experience the local trains in action.
For witnessing the crazy life of
Mumbaikars I would recommend u go to Churchgate station or CST station at around 5.30pm on a weekday, take a platform ticket, sit at the platform bench and watch thousands of people in action....
If you wanna take a ride though try Churchgate to Mumbai Central and back in the afternoons to avoid trouble.

Places of interest. (downtown 'south' mumbai- Western)

Near Churchgate - Colaba(for shopping), Gatewayof India, Marine Drive, Shivaji Museum, University of Mumbai, Mumbai High Court, St.Xaviers college

Near Marine Lines - Taraporewala Aquarium, Metro Junction

Near Grant Road - Kamala Nehru Park (Hanging Gardens), Kemps Corner (shopping)

Near Bombay Central - Haji Ali Dargah (probably the one you saw on TV), Mahalakshmi Temple, Heera Panna (shopping)

Near Mahalaxmi - Nehru Planetarium, Mahalaxmi Race Course.

Another crazy thing to do would be to take the early morning harbour line train to Dockyard Road station and take a cab to Ferry Wharf to watch some amazing wholesale fish selling action.

kristinm

If you're staying in Colaba start one morning with a walk right down the Causeway to where the fishing boats are docked at the wharves. Its an interesting walk once you are out of the main tourist strip.

Banganja tank is wonderful, and quite near the Jain temple which is stunning...

Have you thought of spending one day taking a tour with a driver - we did and went to Banganja, Jain temple, dhobi ghats, Victoria terminus, Ghandi museum, lunch at Fort (Parsi restaurant yum), Malabar hill, through the red light district & markets - we went back another day for actual shopping at Chor Bazaar.. he then dropped us at Chowpatty for the evening promenade and people watching (fabulous, and gorgeous sunset).. ananda is right, it is interesting and you can see this.. http://www.indiamike.com/photopost/s...0/ppuser/18940

Well worth the 1200 odd rupees we paid, we would never have seen all that in a day or even 3 or 4 days without a car and driver who knew where he was going! I don't want to start up another thread all about this driver as he has a large thread devoted to praising him, but he is very good!.

Excellent driver in Mumbai - recommendation here is the driver thread

aadil

Mumbai is a nice city to explore on your own and there's no need for a guide as such. If you want to meet backpackers then the Colaba area is full of them and there are many places like the Leopold's Cafe and Mondegar Cafe where you will find a lot of the travellers enjoying some fantastic breakfast early in the morning or some beers at lunch or dinner. You might just be lucky to be asked if you wish to act as an extra in a Bollywood movie too!!!

If you are on your own, just visit the Gateway of India and you will also get a nice view from the top if you go to any of the higher floors of the Taj Mahal Hotel. If you want to visit the Elephanta island for the famous caves then take a boat from the Gateway and it will take you about an hour to get there. The tickets can be bought in front of the Gateway from one of the booths selling them. There is a free guide inside the caves complex from morning to afternoon (just inquire with the security guard for his/her whereabouts). After you get back from the islands you can carry on walking towards the Regal Theatre and see the Museum as well as the other places for art like the National Gallery of Modern Art and the Jehangir Art Gallery for some interesting art exhibitions. Then carry on towards the other side of the University of Mumbai buildings and see the Rajabai Clock Tower, Library and Convocation Hall. Also see the High Court of Mumbai buildings. Then if you look across there will be a game of cricket going on in one of the famous playing grounds (maidans) called the Oval Maidan. Across the street is the Eros theatre and opposite that is the Churchgate railway station and in front of that is the Western Railway Headquarters as well as the Tourism office. You can then walk down to the Marine Drive promenade and take a long walk towards Chowpatty beach for a snack of Bhelpuri, Pav Bhaji and also some Indian ice cream called Kulfi and another sweet dish called Rabdi. There are some other nice places to see in between like the Flora Fountain and Hutatma Chowk (Martyr's Square) and the St. Thomas' Cathedral, which is very beautiful with a lot of nice sculptures inside it. Nearby is the Bombay Stock Exchange building and also the Jewish David Elaiyahoo Synagogue and the David Sassoon Library as well as the Elphinstone College buildings opposite it. The Town Hall building with the Horniman Circle and gardens is also worth seeing behind the cathedral. Visit the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai city - the CST station building besides the other site in Mumbai which is at the Elephanta Caves on the island by the same name. There is the General Post Office building which is also worth seeing and a small part of the original Fort Wall next to the St. George's Hospital. You can visit Mani Bhavan (the house in which Mahatma Gandhi lived in Mumbai) which is now a museum devoted to his work and life as the father of the nation. Nearby is the F. D. Alpaiwalla Museum which has a lot of Iranian artifacts housed in the Khareghat Colony Hall and if you climb the steps leading up to the Parsi Towers of Silence and Hanging Gardens from the outside, then you will be able to get a good view of the Queen's Necklace from above. On the way down, you can visit a very elaborately carved Jain temple and then come down towards the Governor of Maharashtra's bungalow before reaching Chowpatty beach. You may carry on towards the Mahalakshmi temple and the Haji Ali shrine in the middle of the sea followed by a trip to see the Dhobi Ghat which is from the bridge over Mahalakshmi station.

If you are interested in shopping, then depending on what you want to shop for there are many specific markets like Zaveri Bazaar for gold and silver jewellery, Mangaldas Market for clothes, Chor Bazaar for antiques (and not so old stuff too!!!), Bandra Linking Road for lots of designer shops. Lots of other shopping arcades and malls have recently opened up in many areas so you can just walk into one for a quick look and buy whatever catches your fancy. There is a small shop called Avante just opposite the Regal Cinema at Colaba where you will get the best bargains in handicrafts, souvenirs, etc at very reasonable and cheap prices. Also nearby on the Phirozshah Mehta Road, there is a shop called Bombay Store which has a lot of handicrafts and good Indian teas as well for sale in attractive packaging which is another excellent gift idea.

Cheers,
Aadil.

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kristinm

I agree - it is lovely to explore on your own, it was just that with limited time, being driven around in a car by someone who knows where to go means you see a lot more, and if you get a guide who will take you to places off the beaten track a bit it is good value (also comfy and air conditioned!).

But we spent another 5 days wandering the streets by ourselves - we loved Mumbai! We did find we could only manage 2 or 3 things a day though using taxis and trains and so on... getting lost etc.

zoltan

In addition to the above:
- VT (Victoria Terminus)
- Dhobi Ghats near Mahalaxmi station
- the city centre

I honestly think that with only 2 days, you're only going to start scratching the surfact of this city.

There is a huge amount of things to see/do/experience and you won't even start to do that in 48 hours.

I've been there 4 (5 ?)times in the past 8 years and there is always something else that takes my interest and occupies my time.

Cheers
Zoltan

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