Mumbai

Mumbai has a lot to offer, however the conventional “tourist” attractions are focused in South Mumbai.

Mumbai is a young metropolis by Indian standards, and most of the land that makes up the city did not exist until it was grabbed from the sea over three centuries ago. It is therefore a wonderful surprise to discover rock cut caverns inside city borders, such as the Elephanta, Kanheri, and Mahakali.

COLONIAL BUILDINGS

The British created a splendid city behind the walls of Fort St. George, which is located at the city’s southernmost point. This region has several excellent instances of Gothic revival, Neo-classical style, and Indo-Saracenic style. To get the most out of [South Mumbai], take a walk along the area’s vast avenues, which stretch from Churchgate to Colaba. In contrast to the rest of the city, these sections are all nicely organized and feature large and clean pavements. The Gateway of India, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus) structure, the Municipal Corporation and Police Headquarters, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sanghralaya are all notable landmarks in this neighborhood (formerly, the Prince Of Wales museum). The world-famous Taj Mahal hotel is situated just across from the Gateway of India. The buildings of Mumbai University and the High Court are also notable examples of colonial architecture in the city.

There are many additional contemporary buildings to see in this neighborhood. A great number of buildings in the Art Deco style can be seen along Marine Drive (which runs from Chowpatty Beach to the NCPA). In terms of the amount of Art Deco structures, Mumbai is second only to Miami. The Eros and Regal theatres are two well-known examples of this type.

MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES

Here are some of India’s most well-known museums and art galleries. They abound in South Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda neighborhood, notably at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (Prince of Wales Museum) and the National Gallery of Modern Art. Again, the most of them are found in South Mumbai. Also worth a visit is the Jehangir Art Gallery, which is located in Kala Ghoda and has rotating exhibitions by well-known painters. The plaza adjacent to the gallery hosts a variety of artist shows on a regular basis.

The Nehru Centre Art Gallery in Worli is located in the Nehru Complex in Worli and is devoted to both emerging and recognized artists. Within the complex is also a permanent exhibition called Discovery of India, which seeks to explore all facet of India’s artistic, intellectual, and philosophical accomplishments over the millennia. The exhibition spans 14 galleries and displays the country’s actual essence. On the opposite end of the complex, the Nehru Science Centre, which has a separate entrance on Mahalaxmi Race Course Road, features a permanent display of ‘interactive and entertaining’ scientific-related exhibits that illustrate science principles in a fun but informative manner.

BEACHES

Mumbai isn’t recognized for its beaches since the water is dirty! Mumbai features a few beaches, one of which is located in the city center. However, they aren’t all that terrific, and the ocean off Mumbai’s shore is filthy. The ones that are considerably better are in the Northwest Mumbai region. They are, however, an excellent site to witness how the people spend their Sunday nights, with a variety of food and game vendors.

Other beaches to visit are Girgaon Chowpaty (the cleanest) in South Mumbai, Juhu Beach in the western suburbs, and Aksa Beach in Malad. Although the currents may not seem to be powerful, many people drown each year, especially during the rainy season, therefore avoid going in the water (especially at Aksa Beach). A word of caution to women: Bombay beaches are not suitable for wearing swimwear, especially two-pieces.

ZOOS, PARKS AND GARDENS

Mumbai has a well-deserved reputation for being a concrete jungle, yet there are some pleasant patches of vegetation inside the metropolis. It is also one of the few cities in the world having an entire national park inside its limits. (Sanjay Gandhi National Park is another name for Borivali National Park.) You won’t come to Mumbai for them, but if you’re already here, they’re a wonderful way to get away from the hustle and bustle. It also contains the 2,400-year-old Kanheri Caves, which were carved out of granite rocks. Entrance fee: 30/30 for Indians/Foreigners

The municipal zoo (Veermata Jijabai Udyan) is located in Byculla and is a remarkably well-preserved colonial remnant. The animals may seem malnourished, but the sheer variety of trees on this verdant zoo is worth a visit.

Some municipal parks are well-kept and include historical elements. The “Hanging Gardens” atop Malabar Hill provide spectacular views of the Marine Drive. Opposite the Hanging Gardens is another park known as Kamla Nehru Park, which is famed for the eye-catching shoe-shaped building that has been featured in many Bollywood films.

Another hidden beauty in South Mumbai is the Mumbai Port Trust Garden. This is located on a little side street off the Colaba Causeway, about 2–3 kilometers south of the main part. Beautiful views of the harbour, the navy yards, and the sunset once again.

The Five Gardens are located in downtown Mumbai. It is mostly utilized by hikers in the mornings and is a shambles in the nights. However, the gardens wrap several old art deco homes.

MARKETS AND CROWDS

Mumbai is certainly worth seeing simply for the street markets, the hustle and bustle of the merchants, and the chaos of the throng. Bandra, Khar, and Andheri are all good options. If you traveled to Mumbai and did not visit the densely packed and busy marketplaces, you did not experience the true Mumbai.

Hawkers and street shoppers do not seek legal approval before setting up their booths in high-traffic areas. Everything from gadgets to fresh food may be found on train platforms, subways, and key roadways.

MODERN BUILDINGS AND MALLS

When the British withdrew, the desire to erase the vestiges of colonial authority was regrettably not matched by the desire to establish a new metropolis that matched the grandeur of the British-era structures. While the squalor of the Soviet period has happily been replaced by design with an eye toward aesthetics, the new malls, multiplexes, and office buildings that are springing up are indistinguishable from those seen everywhere else in the globe. Still, they’re worth a look, particularly if you’re interested in India’s success story. Skyscrapers of more than 60 storeys now dominate the skyline.

For a long time, Inorbit Mall was the only mall with a wide range of options for consumers. Palladium, which was established inside High Street Phoenix, shattered Inorbit Mall’s monopoly. The Palladium offers it everything, from cutting-edge interior design to worldwide brands. The new Infiniti Mall (Infinity 2) in Malad, which is one of the largest malls in the suburbs, also features many overseas brands. Two of Mumbai’s major malls are Nirmal Lifestyles Mall in Mulund and Metro Junction Mall in Kalyan. They are highly popular in the city and are located in the central suburbs.

Powai is a contemporary central Mumbai suburb with European influences. Powai, which is constructed around a beautiful lake, is home to the Indian Institute of Technology. The majority of the building is in the form of townships and is constructed privately. It has twenty first-rate restaurants, two huge convenience stores, a few coffee shops, and amusement spaces. Powai, which began as an upscale self-contained suburb, has now evolved into a business process outsourcing centre in Mumbai. The township represents both of these features; you’ll often see families shopping and twenty-somethings hanging out at tables close to one other.

Summer, Monsoon, and Winter are the three primary seasons of Mumbai (milder summer). Winter, between November and February, is the greatest time to visit. Humidity is also lower during the winter, when the weather is mild; the lowest temperature is 17 degrees Celsius and the highest is 30-31 degrees Celsius. Summer lasts from March through May, with temperatures ranging from the low to mid 30s (approximately 80-90°F). This time of year is hot and humid. The monsoon season lasts from June to September, when the city is inundated with torrential rainfall. During this season, the city is flooded two or three times, and regular life is disturbed. Because the city is near the coast, the climate is humid almost all year.

Mumbai is divided into two different districts: Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban, which comprise two independent revenue districts in Maharashtra. The city district area is also known as the Island City or South Mumbai. Mumbai has a total area of 603.4 km2 (233 sq mi). The island city covers 67.79 km2 (26 sq mi), while the suburban district covers 370 km2 (143 sq mi), totaling 437.71 km2 (169 sq mi) administered by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM). The other lands are within the authority of the Mumbai Port Trust, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the Borivali National Park, and are not under the jurisdiction of the MCGM.

Mumbai is located on India’s western coast, near the mouth of the Ulhas River, in the Konkan coastal area. It is located on Salsette Island (Sashti Island), which it shares with the Thane district in part. Mumbai is surrounded to the west by the Arabian Sea. Many areas of the city are slightly above sea level, with heights ranging from 10 meters (33 feet) to 15 meters (49 feet); the city has an average elevation of 14 meters (46 ft). Northern Mumbai (Salsette) is hilly, with the highest point in the city reaching 450 m (1,476 ft) in the Powai–Kanheri mountains at Salsette. The Sanjay Gandhi National Park (Borivali National Park) is situated in the Mumbai suburbs and the Thane district, and it has an area of 103.09 km2 (39.80 sq mi).

Aside from the Bhatsa Dam, the city receives water from six large lakes: Vihar, Lower Vaitarna, Upper Vaitarna, Tulsi, Tansa, and Powai. Tulsi Lake and Vihar Lake are situated inside the municipal boundaries in Borivili National Park. The water supply from Powai Lake, which is also inside municipal borders, is solely utilized for agricultural and industrial uses. The Dahisar River, Poinsar (or Poisar), and Ohiwara (or Oshiwara) rivers all originate inside the park, while the polluting Mithi River flows from Tulsi Lake and collects water from Vihar and Powai Lakes. The city’s shoreline is indented with various creeks and bays, spanning from Thane stream on the east to Madh Marve on the west. Salsette Island’s eastern shore is filled with huge mangrove swamps that are rich in wildlife, whilst the western side is primarily sandy and rocky.

Because of its closeness to the sea, the soil cover in the city area is largely sandy. The soil cover in the suburbs is mostly alluvial and loamy. The region’s underlying rock is made up of black Deccan basalt flows and its acidic and basic varieties from the late Cretaceous and early Eocene epochs. Because to the existence of 23 fault lines in the area, Mumbai is located in a seismically active zone. The location is classed as Seismic Zone III, which implies that an earthquake with a magnitude of up to 6.5 on the Richter scale is possible.

Mumbai is India’s biggest city (by population) and the country’s financial and commercial centre, accounting for 6.16 percent of total GDP. It is India’s economic center, accounting for 10% of factory employment, 25% of industrial production, 33% of income tax revenues, 60% of customs duty collections, 20% of national excise tax collections, 40% of India’s foreign trade, and 4,000 crore (US$590 million) in corporation taxes. Mumbai, like the rest of India, has seen economic booms since 1991, including the banking boom in the mid-1990s and the IT, export, services, and outsourcing boom in the 2000s. Although Mumbai was widely featured as India’s economic activity center in the 1990s, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region is now seeing a decrease in its contribution to India’s GDP.

Mumbai’s GDP is $278 billion as of October 2015.

and its per-capita (PPP) income was 486,000 (US$7,200) in 2009, over three times the national average. It has a nominal per capita income of 125,000 (US$1,900), ($2,094). Mumbai is home to several of India’s conglomerates (including Larsen & Toubro, State Bank of India (SBI), Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), Tata Group, Godrej and Reliance, and five Fortune Global 500 businesses). The existence of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), and financial sector authorities such as the Securities and Exchange Board of India makes this possible (SEBI).

Until the 1970s, Mumbai’s wealth was mostly due to textile mills and the harbor, but the local economy has since expanded to encompass banking, engineering, diamond-polishing, healthcare, and information technology. Finance, gems and jewelry, leather processing, IT and ITES, textiles, and entertainment are major contributors to the city’s economy. Mumbai’s biggest financial districts are Nariman Point and Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). Despite competition from Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune, Mumbai has established itself as a leader in the information technology sector. IT businesses may take use of good facilities like the Santacruz Electronic Export Processing Zone (SEEPZ) and the International Infotech Park (Navi Mumbai).

Employees from the state and federal governments make up a significant portion of the city’s employment. Mumbai also features a sizable unskilled and semi-skilled self-employed community, the majority of whom work as hawkers, cab drivers, mechanics, and other blue-collar jobs. The port and shipping industries are highly established, with Mumbai Port being one of India’s oldest and most important ports. Dharavi, in downtown Mumbai, is home to an expanding recycling sector that processes recyclable debris from other areas of the city; the region is believed to have 15,000 single-room facilities.

Mumbai is placed sixth among the top ten worldwide cities in terms of billionaires, 48th in the Worldwide Centres of Commerce Index 2008, seventh in Forbes magazine’s list of “Top Ten Cities for Billionaires” (April 2008), and first in terms of the average worth of those billionaires. Mumbai was named a “Alpha world city” by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group (GaWC) in 2008, ranking third among global cities. Mumbai is the world’s third most costly office market, and it was named one of the quickest cities in the nation for company launch in 2009.

LANDLINES

Mumbai’s area code is “22” (prefix “+91” if dialing from outside India). Phone numbers are typically eight digits long, however a seven digit number may be provided on occasion. That is most likely an outdated listing. They switched from seven to eight digits a few years ago when they permitted commercial service providers to provide telephone service. Simply prefix the number with a “2” and it should work well.

PAY PHONES

Phone booths may be located around the city. Despite the fact that they are coin-operated, they are frequently staffed. (The phones are usually linked to a roadside business.) You must keep inserting 1 coins into the slot to prolong the conversation time, so have a change of 1 coins on hand. Usually, the person in charge of the booth will have them. You may call internationally or inside the country if you discover a booth labeled STD/ISD. Fees will be assessed based on the amount of time spent, and a timer will be set to keep track of your progress. When you conclude your call, you pay. It is often difficult to locate one that is open early in the morning or late at night.

MOBILE PHONES

The city has strong mobile phone service. There are several service providers that provide a broad range of plans. MTNL, Vodafone, Loop Mobile, Airtel, Dolphin, Reliance, and Tata Indicom are among them. It could be a good idea to obtain a mobile phone and utilize one of those prepaid plans to stay connected while in town.

All mobile phone numbers are ten digits long and start with a “9,” “8,” or “7.” For mobile numbers, do not use the city prefix. If you can’t reach a mobile number, try adding a “0” before dialing it.

Due to security concerns, you will be required to present official identity in order to acquire a SIM card.