2022
Hello Local Guides around the Globe,
Namaste from Mumbai India.
Through this post I want to share my recent experience on touring the Mumbai City.
However I am living in this “city of dreams” from last six years, yet I experienced and got to know something new. Last Friday my elder brother has visited Mumbai along with two of his friends. I decided to accompany them in Mumbai city tour. Due to Ganesha Festival there was lots of crowd and chaos even in midnight. First we went to Lalbaugcha Raja (Lord Ganesha Temple) to get the blessings. Thereafter we reached Colaba, the southernmost part of Mumbai city which is also called as “White city” because of the British architecture in this place.
We booked a Mumbai Darshan Tour Bus (City sightseeing tour guide bus). Though the bus was not luxury but it was comfortable. The rate of bus is Rs. 250 (4 USD) for Non Air conditioned and Rs. 600 (9 USD) for Air Conditioned bus.
[Beware:- You may encounter several agents / brokers nearby Gateway of India and Hotel Taj, be double sure before giving any money to them for booking.]
Mumbai Darshan city tour started by picking up tourists from Gateway Of India at around 9:00 AM. The bus then headed to the various tourist spots. Our guide will showed us some of the places from a distance while we visited the other tourist attractions. The accompanying guide was good trained and could speak Hindi, Marathi, and English. We were offered this programme / list of places for the City Tour. I will explain about the places in short and things to do in Mumbai.
Gateway of India - Our tour started from here which is a "symbolic monument" that represents the city of Mumbai. It is an arch monument built during British Raj from 1915 to 1924. The monument was erected to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary at Apollo Bunder on their visit to India in 1911. This monument is having a great significance in Indian History. The last British troops to leave India following the country's independence, the First Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, passed through the Gateway on their way out in a ceremony on February 28, 1948, signalling the end of British rule. We enjoyed here a lot and proceeded for the next destination.
Jehangir Art Gallery- A great and must visit place for artists situated at Kala Ghoda. Established in 1952, Jehangir Art Gallery is more than a prime art exhibition space. It has been made the impact on development of contemporary Indian art. Gallery hosts exhibitions by painters, sculptors, printmakers, craftsmen, ceramicists, photographers and weavers. The entry is free for all. Gallery has provided a platform for aspiring artists, who have always availed the opportunities provided by the gallery to interact with the art fraternity at various levels.
Rajabai Clock Tower– This soaring, 250-foot high clock tower combines Gothic, wonderful blend of the Venetian and early French-style architectures. Doesn't it look like Big Ben. This tower basically hosts the Mumbai University’s library within its premises. If you are on a tour to Mumbai, do not miss a visit to this place. The tower was built in 9 years between 1869 and 1878 and cost was nearby 2 lakh rupees at that time. The majestic tower holds a big clock which can be viewed from a distance. The clock plays melodic tunes at fixed intervals. Earlier 16 tunes were played in during british era like "Rule Britannia", "God Save the King". However, only one tune is played now, once in every 15 minutes. The Rajabai tower is named after the mother of its founder. Earlier, tourists were allowed to see the tower from the inside. But few suicide attempts were done from this tower. Since then the entry inside the tower has been restricted for tourists. Tourists can take photos from the road outside.
Mantralaya - It is the administrative headquarters of the state government of Maharashtra in South Mumbai, built in 1955. It is a seven storeyed building which was earlier known as Sachivalaya.
Hotel Oberoi- The Oberoi, a 5 tar deluxe hotel situated on the exclusive Marine Drive, with unparalleled views of the ocean and the Queen's Necklace.
Air India Building - The Air India Building is a 23-storey commercial tower on Marine Drive in Nariman Point. The building served as the corporate headquarters for the Indian national airline, Air India, up to 2013.
Wankhede Stadium – The most famous cricket stadium of India.
Nariman Point – Located at the southern tip of Mumbai’s peninsula, of Marine Drive, Nariman Point offers breathtaking views of the Arabian Sea, making it one of Mumbai’s major tourist attractions. Nariman Point is celebrated as one of the poshest and premium business hubs in Mumbai; strewn with skyscrapers, it gives the impression of New York’s Manhattan; therefore, it often designated as the ‘Manhattan of Mumbai.’ This is also a shopping destination in Mumbai, with the presence of various domestic and international brands. Nariman Point is known to have a lively nightlife, with a chain of lounges, pubs, and restaurants found in the area, accompanied by a breathtaking view of the ‘Queen’s Necklace.
Taraporewala Acqurium – Taraporewala Aquarium is India's oldest aquarium and one of the city's main attractions. It is home to an impressive variety of marine and freshwater fish, including some coral fish that are native to the Lakshadweep Islands. A separate section houses multiple specimens of preserved fish and some rare varieties of seashells. The most popular attractions of the aquarium are moray eels, turtles, sharks, starfishes, and stingrays.
Girgaon Chowpatty - It is one of the most famous beach, located in the heart of the city. Watching the glorious sunsets from this beach is a sight worth seeing. People of all age-groups come here to enjoy the scenic beauty offered by the beach. Tourists who visit Mumbai make it a point to visit this beach to experience the peaceful and serene atmosphere. One can find monkeys dancing, snake-charmers who entertain the crowds with their antics. Fortune-tellers also capture the attention. Many tourists who come here are interested to experience camel and horse rides. Also it is a perfect place to perform Yoga 'Asanas' and to go for jogs. The merry-go-rounds, ferry wheels, beebee gun shooting galleries on the beach are fun opportunities for the children to spend a great time.
Jain Temple - Mumbai’s Famous Jain Temple located at Walkeshwar Teen Batti area, Malabar Hill. It was built in 1904 and a holy place for Jain Community. They do not offer flowers to their God/Goddess in any of their there jain temple as there may be small insect that might be present inside flowers/petals they offer and might get killed. It is famous for its carving work and beautiful architectures, colors, Paintings etc. I would have loved to have seen inside but unfortunately we were not appropriately dressed. Footwear is to be removed before entering temple. Also women should wear dress modestly. (No shorts, low cut tops). From the outside it looked a maze of beautiful architectural styles with the most colourful of statues and ornaments.
Kamla Nehru Park, Boot House, Hanging Garden - Kamla Nehru Park, situated on the top of Malabar Hill in South Mumbai, is primarily Children’s Park, where families bring their children for some fun. The biggest attraction is the Old Lady Shoe, where children below 12 years of age, can climb up the shoe and have fun. The park provides excellent view of the beach, namely Girgaon Chowpatty, popular for selfies by the youngsters. The entry is free. This was a nice stretching point and a great time to relax a bit while we were on a city tour. Always nice to view nature's contributions when touring the city and all the concrete and such, it is a refreshing break. It was pretty hot the day we stopped there, we needed a rest in the shade. Shoe adds a nice whimsical touch. Interesting animal shaped hedges and topiaries all around the park. The bird’s eye view of Marine Drive and Chowpatty.
Tower of Silence – It’s not a tourist attraction but only a crematorium of Parsi people. Our Guide informs us that a non Parsi cannot enter here. The last rituals of the Parsis after their death are performed here and their body is then kept on the Tower for the scavengers to feed on. Since the Parsi rituals are complex and long, which can go upto 4 days, their are cottages built inside for the families to live. The place is huge and in the lap of nature. One cannot believe that outside the boundary, there is busy & noisy city out there. We were fortunate that it we had to see this from outside only and not inside.
Antilia - Most Extravagant House In The World - world's most expensive residential property (valued $1-2 billion) - Antilia is a private home in South Mumbai, India. It is owned by Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries and has a staff of 600 to maintain the residence 24 hours a day for a family of 5 Members. It has 27 floors with extra-high ceilings which is actually around 40 floor building. Out of 27 floors, 4 floors are reserved for car Parking, for 200 cars at a time. Beside parking space there is Helipad space for 3 Helicopters on the roof of Antilia. It is equipped with many amenities a mega-temple, a host of guest suites, lounges, a salon, an ice-cream parlour and a private movie theatre to accommodate 50 people and it has its own snow world that keeps the house cool even when it is burning hot outside. The interior of the home is designed such as to save the energy and the hanging gardens absorb sunlight that keeps the house fresh and cool. It has also a lap pool with lounge chairs shaded by trees and Jacuzzi that take in views of the city skyline. The family doesn't need to outside for anything. However the entry is restricted, yet the view of this magnificent beauty is breathtaking.
Due to 20,000 character limit, rest part is in first comment below. please check.
Note :- there are many tour and travel services which provide the city tour. Out of which I will recommend for MTDC. Maharashtra Tourism and Development Corporation has introduced air-conditioned buses to facilitate the visitors to enjoy a comfortable city tour. These buses offer a memorable ride to the visitors by providing an excellent view of various prominent landmarks. They have two pick up points- CST and Dadar. Their service starts at 9: 00 AM (Confirm timings with MTDC) and ends at 6:00 PM, on all Saturdays and Sundays. Their bookings can be easily done via the MTDC official website for a convenient Mumbai Darshan.
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Haji Ali Dargah - Haji Ali Dargah is one of the most popular religious places in Mumbai, visited by people of all religions alike. It is one of India’s most famous and prestigious landmarks situated about 500 meters from the Mumbai shoreline in the middle of the Arabian Sea. The accessibility to the Dargah is very much dependent on the tides as the causeway is not bound by railings. Therefore, it is accessible only during low tide. This walk on the causeway, with the sea on both sides, is one of the highlights of a trip to the shrine. The Dargah is a renowned pilgrimage site among the Muslims. Non-Muslims are also allowed to visit the Dargah. The white-coloured structure attracts visitors in large numbers. About 10 – 15 thousand people visit the Dargah daily. Local stalls outside the Dargah will give you the opportunity to indulge in some delicious local cuisine and local specialties such as Kebabs, Chaat, Ice-cream, Mughlai Biryani, Hyderabadi and even American fast-food.
Nehru Planetorium - The Planetarium strives to infuse and spread the knowledge about Astronomy and Science through prodigious lectures, discussions and events, ensuring an enriching experience, both in learning and entertainment. If space and science intrigues you, Nehru Planetarium is a place to visit during your stay in Mumbai, and of course, it is a great place to take your kids along. The unique pineapple shaped architecture of the Planetarium itself captivates the attention of its visitors. There are Sky shows and some unique planetarium projectors. Besides the sky shows, there are special arrangements for visitors to watch celestial phenomena through telegraphs that are installed outside the Planetarium and to capture the eclipses, meteor showers and other events of heavenly bodies. A walk in the premises of the Nehru Centre is itself a kind of an experience as there you would find more than 1000 varieties of plants, including many rare species.
Nehru Science Centre - The Nehru science center is located in Worli and is India’s largest science center. It has a magnificent collection of plant, shrubs and more than 500 hands on science exhibit. It has a variety of science exhibits ranging from the lazy see-saw to planetary Motion. It is visited by over 700,000 people every year. It is one of the first science national parks in the world. The center also has a library which is open to public on all weekdays. It has over 10,000 books on various disciplines. There is also 3D special shows screened here. The show ticket cost rupees 50 per person and is an immersive experience for the visitor. One can see and understand complex principals and working of any model or theory. We had an enjoyable time when we visited the largest interactive science centre in India. The park area has lovely archaic models of a railway engine, a tram car, an aircraft and other fascinating artefacts. The main building contains many attractive and interactive exhibits based on scientific principles. Every floor/section has a different theme; like "Sound and Hearing", "Light and Sight", "Climate Change", "Prehistoric Life", "Mirrors", etc. There is a cafeteria in the premises of the Science Centre where we had our lunch. Café is wonderful with limited Menu on a reasonable price.
Image courtesy : Google
Bandra-Worli Sea Link Bridge - Its Gigantic, It's Majestic, It is an engineering marvel and an architectural wonder too. The first of its kind in India (first bridge to be constructed in open-sea conditions), 5.6-km-long, eight-lane, approximately Rs 1,600-crore Sea Link is a cable-stayed bridge with pre-stressed concrete-steel viaducts was opened on 24 March 2010. The construction is a miracle on the Arabian Sea that has an imposing presence on the Western horizon of Mumbai. One can imagine the strength and might of the bridge given the fact that it weighs nearly 50,000 African elephants and the length of steel wires used in the project is equivalent to the circumference of the Earth. Each cable can take a weight of 900 tons. And it has made the difference: the distance which earlier took nearly 45 minutes - from Bandra till Worli if one uses the old road - now takes just eight minutes. We have seen some glimpse of this bridge in few Bollywood movies. It is not accessible to pedestrians, and was not designed for them, Two-wheeled cycles and three-wheeled vehicles are prohibited as well. The bridge becomes even more spectacular at night when the lights are all lit up and you see a complete new look of the place. It is an absolute perfect place to capture some lovely moments with their friends and family while you are on a drive with them. The breeze blowing from the sea creates a more calming effect during your travel. We had to pay extra 10 rupees per head as toll tax to cross the bridge.
Worli Sea Face - Its a good promenade and a please to walk on the sea face with friends and family !! During monsoon n high tide it becomes mesmerising.One can spend a good time sitting chatting n walking there. I have already done a meetup here check this post.
Band Stand Promenade – Banstand or the Bandstand Promenade is Mumbai’s famous Lovers Point for every age couples with a beautiful Promenade, located in Bandra West which is one of the beautiful sea face location, one should not miss if looking for so called secret couples place to get cosy. It is not very clean. This is also the very famous location for Old churches of Bandra and Saint Father Agnel Ashram. Opposite to this Old building is Hotel Taj of Bandra And Rocky sea is the Old Bandra Fort which hardly has those rocky fort stones on Hilly area. We were there for about an hour and there was a gush of wind blowing from the Arabian Sea. It was great spot to savour the nature.
Filmstar Bunglows – We were lucky enough to see some famous filmstars and business tycoons bunglows on our way, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Lata Mandeshkar, Birla, Bajaj, Akshaye Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Rekha etc.
Juhu Beach- At Juhu beach we did alight the tour bus, booked a cab and headed towards my home. It was a very nice and memorable experience.
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