Transportation from Airport to Taj Mahal Hotel

ChinaDoll

Hello IMs,

My travel in India will be on a shoestring(quite tight) in Feb, thus I would like to plan everything in the most economic way(doesn't mean poor quality:-).

Any idea about the easy and cheap transportation from Mumbai Airport to Tanj Mahal Hotel? I don't mind to take the auto-rickshaw as some can be tricky for the price. The reason I am going there is to find the guesthouse nearby, suggested by the friend.

Appreciate your help in advance as I notice quite a number of members here provide useful information.

SHIMLA

You'd better take a pre-paid taxi from the airport. This may not be economical, but will certainly be convenient and comfortable.

A faster and more economical; but rather cumbersome way(especially with luggage in tow) is to take an auto-rickshaw to Andheri suburban station, then a suburban(local) train to Churchgate station; and finally a taxi to the Taj hotel.

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ChinaDoll

Thanks a lot for such a quick reply.

Do you have the idea for the price difference? By pre-paid taxi? Or by auto-richshaw? If the difference is small, I guess the first option is obviously the best.

In such a happy day, no one would want to suffer the pain :-)

SHIMLA

I do not know the current fares; maybe someone from Mumbai will be able to answer this accurately.

My guess :
1. Direct Pre-paid taxi to Taj - Rs. 275/-

2. Auto-rickshaw to Andheri station - Rs. 40/-
Train from Andheri to Churchgate - Rs. 80/- (First Class)
Taxi from Churchgate to Taj - Rs. 30/-
Total cost for option 2. is Rs.150/-

LuAnnandJawahar

We've never gotten into town for less than 300 rs by prepaid. Last time they wanted Rs 800 from the prepaid booth inside the arrivals hall!!!!
We strongly advise the OP NOT to say they are going to the Taj Hotel--EVERYTHING will be more expensive as the assumption is, if you can afford to stay there..........
If you say you aren't staying there, they won't believe you.
Say "to India Gate" ....or better still, to Prossers (nobody will think you have any money if you are willing to stay at Prossers!)

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aadil

Take a bus #138 from the International Airport to Andheri station for Rs5. Or you could take a rickshaw from near the same bus stop for Rs30. Then take a train starting from Andheri station (Platform #2 or #6 or #7) to Churchgate station for Rs8. Then take a taxi from Churchgate station to the Taj Mahal Hotel for Rs15. Total cost Rs28. Now isn't that cheap!!!

The government run prepaid taxi from the airport to the Taj Mahal Hotel or the Colaba area is Rs350 only. The private prepaid taxi costs about Rs800. There is a simple way to find out where to go for the government run booth from inside the airport or outside as well at both the 2A and 2C terminals of the International airport. All the slabs of the prepaid fares are printed on the display board inside the counter of the government run prepaid taxi with a 25% increase in the fare for the airconditioned taxi called the "cool cab". There is no way you can be taken for a ride as you get a receipt which has the taxi number as well as the price you paid written on it. There is a small charge for luggage depending on the size of the bags at either Rs5 or Rs10 per small or big bag respectively. Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Aadil.

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ChinaDoll

Thank you guys, for such extensive and detailed information. I guess I am going to try the rickshaw way - could be more fun, otherwise why we do backpack? Can the safety be ensured by mixing with with lots of locals(well, as a single woman traveller)? I heard just be awared of pick-pockets.

Thank you again.

skinnylizard

It depends on what time you are getting there. If its during the day then you can take a prepaid taxi or you can take a regular taxi. You can also take an Auto rickshaw upuntil Bandra where rickshaws end plying. You then take a cab from there. A lot of people do this regularly so there wont be a problem. If you are coming late in the night or early in the morning then you should def consider a cab all the way.

If you take a cab which is going to charge by the fare metre please make sure that you go by the metre count and not by the figure the driver quotes. Look at the fare count and tally with a fare card the cabbie has. Also ensure that he does move the metre count down (its like a square lever to the left that is to be moved down)

Fares after midnte are i think 25% extra. The whole thing in my book from the airport to the Taj should cost you between 300-500 max.

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aadil

It is Rs350 maximum for the longest slab so there are no extra charges except for the luggage and a service charge of Rs5. keep the receipt with you till the end of your journey and do not give it to the driver even if he asks for it at the end of the journey. In the beginning he will take it to get it stamped from the traffic police counter to verify you are travelling in the taxi. If you do decide to take the rickshaw from the airport to Bandra then it will cost you about Rs65 to Rs70 for the trip in the daytime and a little more (10%) at night. And then the taxi should cost you approximately Rs150 in the daytime and a little extra (10%) at night. If you are travelling alone then there should be no problem travelling in the train from Andheri station too as it starts from there and do not take the ones coming from beyond Andheri as they are all full. If you are a girl then you have the added advantage of travelling in the ladies compartment which is marked with a woman painted on the side of the coach entrance and also marked with green stripes. There are usually two compartments for ladies in the nine coach trains that will start from Andheri to Churchgate station. No need to take a taxi from the airport if you are coming in the daytime. Much cheaper to get into the city this way. Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Aadil.

ChinaDoll

Thank you, I will stay in the way as you recommended with so many details. Normally, I don't encounter much problem when travelling abroad by myself. Maybe India can be a chanllenge:-)

aadil

I don't think there should be any challenge here!!! If you don't have problems in other places then you should not have any over here either!!! I am sure you will enjoy your trip here as much as you would enjoy it anywhere else too. I guess it is the attitude one has when travelling and that can make or break your trip. If you think that something wrong is going to happen then for sure it may happen that way!!! So think positive and things should be fine. Just keep your wits about you and ignore strangers who come up to you asking your name or which country you are from or asking for a photograph along with them (usually young guys who try to show off the pictures later to their friends like a trophy they've won at a competition). Do not encourage beggars or their children anywhere you go and do not give anybody your address or telephone number. Keep your money in a safe place and distribute it in two or three places so you don't lose it all at one go!!! And keep your passport with you at all times. Wear clothes according to the place you are visiting and if you are entering a place of worship like a temple or mosque or church then please do not wear shorts and sleeveless shirts. Carry a sarong for such situations to cover up in an instant!!! Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Aadil.

sudheer poppa

Chinadoll welcome to India.. I just need to add a word of caution about the train option. Trains are very very over crowded and with luggage, I would not recommend you that option even in non peak hours.

http://www.searchindia.com/search/mu...bai-train.html

An Indiamike thread where this has been discussed in depth!
from Bombay domestic airport into (maybe) fort area

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aadil

>>>> Another option I would consider is take a taxi/rickshaw/bus to Andheri station. There are many trains which START from Andheri and end at Churchgate. So if you can get into one of these trains, sit there and wait for 10-20 mins till the departure time! You can sit back and enjoy the greatest attraction of Mumbai - The suburban train (IMHO)..

Beach and other mumbai experts, you may need to qualify this as I have tried this only in early mornings (5-6am) and there can be some unknowns that I am not exposed to.



Hi Sudheer,

Reminds me of what you said sometime earlier in your post on IM and it is true. You yourself suggested the train from Andheri station and it starts from there so no problems about getting in the train and it can go either to Churchgate or CST depending on where you want to get off in Mumbai. The trains starting from Andheri leave from either Platform #2, #6 or #7. Especially for ladies there is the added advantage of travelling in the ladies compartment and that is situated in two different places on the train (the first coach and one in the seventh coach from the churchgate or CST end). These are also marked with a lady painted on the coach sides along with green stripes to indicate the ladies compartment and a special section for the first class as well in the seventh coach marked with blue stripes. Corresponding positions on the platforms are also marked in the same coloured stripes to indicate where the train stops for those coaches. There are trains leaving at least every 15 minutes or 30 minutes depending on the time of day but you could even try to get into the regular trains coming from Borivali or Virar as well if it is not in the peak hours of morning or evening. The last train leaves at 0035 from Andheri towards Churchgate and it is not the one that starts from Andheri but it should not be crowded so it is fine. The first trains start at around 0415 in the morning and are also not crowded. Hope this clears all doubts now!!!

Cheers,
Aadil.

sudheer poppa

Good Input Aadil... I myself forgot about the options with trains starting from Andheri.. What is interesting is I used that option two years back on my flight back from Shanghai, which was delayed and hence, I had to spend a day in Mumbai in transit!

aadil

Well, you linked us to the thread yourself and I saw your earlier post over there!!! Thanks for your links, pretty informative too.

Cheers,
Aadil.