Mumbai

Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million. Along with the neighbouring urban areas, including the cities of Navi Mumbai and Thane, it is one of the most populous urban regions in the world.

Shopping

Mumbai city is a shopaholic’s paradise. Tourists visiting Mumbai can spend lazy afternoon hours browsing through the display window of the various malls.The eminent shopping areas in Mumbai include downtown Mumbai, Colaba, Dadar, Bandra, Juhu and Linking Road, etc.

Mumbai abounds in shops and stores that sell anything and everything ranging from clothes, books and handicrafts to antique pieces. The exuberant city has shops and bazaars not only in its uptown areas but also in the pavements. The handicrafts emporiums and fresh consumables available in Crawford Market paint a vivid picture of the quintessential Indian marketplace. The affordable and trendy clothes and accessories sold in Colaba Causeway, Zaveri Bazaar, andFashion Street are frequented by college goers and teenagers looking to make a quick buy. The five star hotels also have their own plush stores selling designer wear.

One of the prime shopping areas in Mumbai includes the Colaba and Flora Fountain area in the epicenter of south Mumbai. Strategically located at an arm’s length from the Victoria Terminus and Church gate railway stations, pedestrians can pick up shoes, cotton clothes, kaftans, books and ethnic artifacts.

Dadar is another shopper’s paradise with thronging crowds looking to strike a quick bargain in the lively milieu and buy some pretty cotton apparels, saris and children’s clothes, etc.

The uncontested monarch of Mumbai’s suburbs,Bandra is one of the most posh areas of the city where the elite citizens and celebrities reside. With Khar by Linking Road in its vicinity, the flamboyant mega stores housing the major brands find place on both sides of the Bandra roads. However tourists will also find smaller shops in Bandra.

Restaurants:
The fast-paced life here, has given rise to hordes of “fast-food outlets” on almost every road, offering lip-smacking pav bhaji, bhel puri andkababs. There is no dearth, though of multi-culinary delicacies dished out in posh restaurants by expert chefs. Many hotels have in-house restaurants, which usually cater to different palettes. There are innumerable small-scale places offering South Indian Udipi fare, Gujarati thalis, ‘Indian” Chinese, typical North Indian Mughlai food and the current rage of Manglorean fish. Though rest assured, international cuisine is also found here, with choices ranging from Italian pasta to Thai curry and even Lebanese kababs! Epicures can be treated to special treats at the continuous “food festivals” (see the local dailies for up-to-date information) held here. Check with your host or hotel for best places to visit around your area.

How To Reach

Rail:
The Mumbai Suburban Railway, popularly known as Locals forms the backbone of the city’s transport system. It is operated by Central Railway and Western Railway. Mumbai’s suburban rail systems carried a total of 6.3 million passengers every day in 2007, which is more than half of the Indian Railways daily carrying capacity. Trains are overcrowded during peak hours, with nine-car trains of rated capacity 1,700 passengers, actually carrying around 4,500 passengers at peak hours. The Mumbai rail network is spread at an expanse of 319 route kilometres. 191 rakes (ratin-sets) of 9 car and 12 car composition are utilised to run a total of 2,226 train services in the city.
Bus:

Mumbai’s bus services carried over 5.5 million passengers per day in 2008. Public buses run by BEST cover almost all parts of the metropolis, as well as parts of Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar and Thane.The BEST operates a total of 4,608 buses with CCTV Camera installed, ferrying 4.5 million passengers daily over 390 routes. Its fleet consists of single-decker, double-decker, vestibule, low-floor, disabled-friendly, air-conditioned and Euro III compliant diesel and Compressed Natural Gas powered buses. Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses provide intercity transport and connect Mumbai with other major cities of Maharashtra and India. Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) also operates its Volvo buses in Mumbai, from Navi Mumbai to Bandra, Dindoshi and Borivali.
Buses are generally favoured for commuting short to medium distances, while train fares are more economical for longer distance commute.
Road:
Mumbai is served by National Highway 3, National Highway 4, National Highway 8, National Highway 17 and National Highway 222 of India’s National Highways system. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway was the first expressway built in India.Auto rickshaws are allowed to operate only in the suburban areas of Mumbai, while taxis are allowed to operate throughout Mumbai, but generally operate in South Mumbai. Taxis and rickshaws in Mumbai are required by law to run on compressed natural gas (CNG), and are a convenient, economical, and easily available means of transport.
Air:
The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (formerly Sahar International Airport) is the main aviation hub in the city and the second busiest airport in India in terms of passenger traffic. It handled 30.74 million passengers and 656,369 tonnes of cargo during FY 2011-12. An upgrade plan was initiated in 2006, targeted at increasing the capacity of the airport to handle up to 40 million passengers annually.
Sea:
Mumbai is served by two major ports, Mumbai Port Trust and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, which lies just across the creek in Navi Mumbai. Mumbai Port has one of the best natural harbours in the world, and has extensive wet and dry dock accommodation facilities.

Entertainment

Mumbai is the one of the earliest developed cities in India. This ‘city of dreams’ has everything you need to enjoy a splendid vacation. Mumbai is home to the Bollywood, or the Hindi Film Industry, and also hosts theatre performances, concerts, dance shows, art galleries and so much more. This is a city that attracts talented people and inspires them to turn their dreams into reality. With a flourishing film industry, Mumbai houses several production studios that are responsible for producing amazing films for the rest of the world. Mumbai, also known as the ‘city that never sleeps’, has a large number of pubs, bars, clubs and discotheques that are perfect hangout spots for all those ‘party goers’. If you want to experience the nightlife in Mumbai, then check out the various hot spots like ‘Soul Fry’, ‘Not Just Jazz By The Bay’ and ‘Olive’. Clubbers as well as music lovers can get their dose of high adrenaline at ‘Cool Chef Cafe’, ‘Mehboob Studios’, ‘Blue Frog’, ‘Polly Esther’s’, ‘Trilogy’ , ‘Bonobo’ and several other dance spots. Entertain yourself and relax at one of Mumbai’s coolest lounges called ‘Zenzi’. The interests of the Mumbaikars are not confined to just lively nightlife and partying. Art is another passion of the city. Some of the best art galleries in Mumbai include the ‘Project 88’, ‘Galerie Mirchandani & Steinruecke’, ‘Sakshi Gallery’ and ‘Chatterjee & Lal ‘, where well-known artists feature their splendid artworks. The ‘National Centre for the Performing Arts’ or ‘NCPA’ is a government-sponsored venue that features plays in English, Hindi, Marathi and also hosts various Indian classical music and dance performances. The ‘Shanmukhananda Auditorium’, which has a seating capacity of over 2700, is known to host music and dance programs of many popular artists. Entertainment in Mumbai is an experience like no other.

Art Galleries:
Mumbai, a city pulsating with life and vibrant with art, is not only the financial capital, but also the cultural and art hub of India. We know that India is a multi-lingual country of colors, vivacity and diverse cultures.

Auditoriums:
The city of Mumbai is dotted with a large number of auditoriums which promote the cultural activities of various organizations. Many great artists have performed in these auditoriums. In fact, some of them gained immense popularity through their outstanding series of performances in these auditoriums.

Bollywood:
Mumbai, the City of Dreams, houses the prime centre of Hindi Film Industry, better known as Bollywood. Acclaimed as one of the biggest film industries of the world, Bollywood produces over 1000 films every year.

Cinema Halls:
The city of Mumbai is home to Bollywood, the largest film industry in India. Cinemas have been the greatest source of entertainment for Indians, ever since the media got introduced here. Mumbai, which houses Bollywood, is the center of the Hindi Film Industry.

Discotheques:
Going to discotheques is one of the prime means of entertainment among the multifarious ways of entertaining oneself. Needless to say, discotheques are among the most sought after places for the youngsters. With a DJ playing the latest songs and a dance floor, a discotheque attracts lots of people who like to unwind themselves by dancing.

Hangouts:
Be it hanging out with friends or just fleeing the crowd for a silent getaway, there is no city quite like Mumbai with its vast variety of hangouts. There would be hardly anyone who doesn’t want to indulge in fun and become part of this maddening crowd.

Nightlife:
There is no dearth of nightclubs, pubs and bars in Mumbai. As it competes with the rest of the world in terms of being one of the most happening cities, it is doing its best by housing some elite hotels, internationally famous lounge bars and many other establishments which can push it up the ladder of international oomph.

Paragliding:
Envision being given wings to fly over the seas, mountains, hills with wings of your own like birds! Sounds wonderful right? This is a widespread heartfelt desire of almost every individual out there.

Pubs & Bars:
Regarded as the ‘city which never sleeps’, Mumbai has a very active nightlife. Mumbai’s growth as a tourist destination and business hub also played an important role in the mushrooming of numerous pubs and bars across the city.

Shopping Malls:
The mall culture in Mumbai has developed in the recent years, thanks to modernization which led to the emergence of malls throughout the globe. The concept of malls in India is recent, and most of the major ones are located in the prime cities, Mumbai being one of them. They have succeeded to attract a large crowd with attractions.