Mumbai was the first destination on my India trip in early 2024. I had been quite nervous about this trip, and my first day strolling around my hotel in the historical centre of Mumbai (Churchgate, Kala Ghoda, Fort) was a relief - a rich legacy of architecture greeted me, not surprising as Mumbai has a UNESCO World Heritage Site called "Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble". Though many parts of the city were not terribly easy to walk in, I did walk a great deal there, from the south tip of Colaba up north to the Four Seasons. Mumbai continually surprised me and often delighted me.
Photo List (Total 540 Photos)
Click bolded headers below to view, or click "just the best" for quick tour
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Churchgate (46 photos) - This area in central Mumbai hugs the west coast of the peninsula. The gallery starts at Marine Drive, a popular walking area along the ocean that offers superlative views of the city, and which has a lovely vibe especially in the evening for sunset - lots of people sitting on the wall along the ocean, just chatting and drinking tea. I walked here every day on this visit. This gallery includes lots of Art Deco buildings, which line Marine Drive but which are found throughout the central area. It also includes photos around my hotel.
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Central Mumbai (164 photos) - This area includes everything from the Oval Maidan to the Gateway of India is here, including many of Mumbai's major cultural attractions. The gallery starts at the Maidan, goes through some of the buildings at the University of Mumbai and other Victoria colonial structures, just east of the oval. I also attended many different outdoor venues for the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, including the main festival site just as it opened. Just south of the festival are three of the city's biggest cultural institutions: the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly the Prince of Wales Museum), the Jehangir Art Gallery, and the National Gallery of Modern Art. It continues southward to the crowded and somehow disappointing Gateway of India.
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Fort and Area (91 photos) - The area is basically everything north of Veer Nariman Road, in a neighbourhood called the Fort but extending well beyond that. It includes the Cross Maidan Garden, Hutatma Chowk and the Flora Fountain, St. Thomas Cathedral, and the lovely buildings around Horniman Circle. It continues north through a commercial area called the Bora Bazaar, then on to the Chhatrapati Shihvaji Maharaj Terminus (or CSMT, the main train station), and City Hall immediately beside.
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Colaba (48 photos) - This area, on the southern tip of Mumbai's peninsula, is an odd mix of very high end buildings with some very poor areas. I went down here and ate at a lovely hotel restaurant, then wandered around. The highlight of the visit was the Sassoon Docks. I had read about this area, which features a large number of murals on the buildings in the docks area. I somehow expected it to be at least somewhat touristy, but what I found was an industrial area with run down buildings, albeit with murals. It was quite interesting and picturesque.
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Kalbadevi (64 photos) - This area to the north of the central city has older architecture, narrow streets busy with commercial activity, and markets. I walked through it twice, and these photos are presented with the second day first. Then I walked from the water into the neighbourhood, especially along Jagannath Shankar Seth Road, and ended up at the Crawford Market. On my walkaround, I started at the Market and wandered from there. I thought this area was quite beautiful considered on its own terms, with lots of lovely old buildings in disrepair, and very lively.
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North (127 photos) - I spent a day traversing the north of the city This area was quite mixed, I found almost all the streets to be unpleasantly like expressways, quite a bit of it was ugly, but it was never dull. I saw lots of stuff: the Haji Ali Dargah, a mosque out in the ocean. I walked through Mumbai's billionaire's row (on Altamount Road) and was singularly unimpressed with the surroundings (a few high end towers in St. James Town, is what it felt like). I walked the Malabar Hill and visited the Hanging Gardens, and got views of the city. Passed by the Gurgaon Chowpatty (a lovely name for a beach), visited Mani Bhavan, the Gandhi residence that is now a museum. I tried for a fancy lunch at a restaurant that was closed, passed by the large and interesting open-air laundry called the Dobi Ghat, visited the Four Seasons Hotel twice, took a monorail, and took one of Mumbai's trains. It was a crazily varied day that brought tons of pleasure.
