Enjoy a vacation in vibrant tourist attraction in Mumbai

Exclusive Mumbai travel guide offer you Insider Picks on Where to Stay, Eat & Play in Mumbai. Plan a visit to the animated city of Mumbai and get around the Mumbai Tourist destinations with élan. Get ready to be mesmerized by the vibrant Marine Drive caressing the seashore from Nariman Point to the foot of the Malabar Hill, get enamored by Chowpatty beach and ramin lost in crowd of Crawford market.

Mumbai is the financial capital of India and with around 21 millions of inhabitants is the second largest city of the country after Kolkata. It is even bigger than New Delhi and Chennai. Mumbai is the capital of the state Maharashtra. Located on the west coast of the Arabian Sea the city has more than 50 percent of India’s cargo go through it’s harbour, making it the busiest and largest harbour city of the Indian subcontinent.

Mumbai is the most European of the Indian cities, which makes this city interesting. Next to English colonial constructions are new Indian skyscrapers. The city has the largest commercial district in the country and while you will see western movie theaters next to them are several temples, churches and mosques. It also is home to the largest slums of India and begging Artist troops.

From the beginning of the industrialization during the last century until today, cotton trade and the textile industry remain the most important industries in India. For almost two centuries, Mumbai was ruled by Islamic Gujarat. Mumbai was occupied in 1534 by the Portuguese and then in 1661 came under Great Britain rule -as a dowry of princess Katharina of Portugal in her marriage with Karl II of England. Shortly afterwards, the city was relinquished to the British East India Company and was their centre of administration during 1708-1773.

Mumbai became later the most important interconnecting harbour of the imperial England, attained through the railway construction, and consequently during 1853 won access to the large hinterland. In 1862, large land reclamation measures were undertaken that made seven marshy islands into a large island. These are still connected through bridges with the mainland. In the low-lying northern parts that are sparsely inhabited, salt is gained on large areas through seawater evaporation. Further to the south, the population density increases quickly.

The city is the economic center of India and harbors the largest film industry of the world, Bollywood. It is a culture center with universities, theaters, museums and art galleries. The name Mumbai is used nominally since years by the local population and is attributed to the regional Hindu Goddess Mumbadevi. During 1995, the government of Maharashtra, renamed the city to Mumbai. Today, Mumbai is a pulsating, vital city, always ready to adopt new ideas and life forms. Nevertheless, traditional traditions that witness a rich past is found next to today’s new buildings and city features.

Sights in Mumbai

Gateway of India

The most famous symbol of Mumbai, the gateway of India was built in 1924 in the city area Colaba by George Wittet (1878-1926). He was the designer and builder of many of the noblest buildings in the city. The 13-foot-high gateway of India was opened during December 1924.

The area became known as India’s own, honey-colored Arc de Triomphe, erected in the memory of the visit of King George V. (1865-1936) and his wife Maria of Teck (1867-1953). It was originally seen as a solemn landing point for passengers arriving on steamships.

The area around the gateway is very popular for evening walks. In the vicinity of the Gateway of India, lies the stern-looking statue of Shivaji, the Marathi war hero, who in the second half of the 17th century stubbornly pursued the emperor of the Mughal empire Aurangzeb during his last years. The extreme right-wingers party Shiv Sena has chosen Shivaji as its national symbol (the prototype of a "son of the clod"), which explains, why the statue is decorated often with a ringed-flower garland.

Victoria terminus Railway station

The Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus (until 1996 Victoria terminus) is a railway station in Mumbai. It is among the largest and busiest railway stations of the world and has belonged since 2004 to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.

The British architect Frederick William Stevens was commissioned during 1878to design a railway station building as a western terminal for long-distance traffic. During his studies in England he was inpsired by London's St Pancras station and as a result the Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus resembles the English railway station. Since Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus was completed in 1888, it is counted as the largest and most important building of British India. During 1920 it was expanded to also service suburb traffic.

The building is in the style of the Victorian neo-gothic. The platforms are approximately 120 feet long. Over the head entrance, around 300 feet high, is an octagonal cupola that is carried by a rib construction. The building is richly decorated with stone sculptures and relief. On the cupola sits the sculpture of Lady of Progress. Each day more than 1000 trains and about 3 million passengers go through this railway station. It was named first after the British queen Victoria. Since 1996, it has carried the name of the Hindu Marathi prince Shivaji (Chhatrapati, "patron").

Elephanta Caves

The caves temples of Elephanta of 7th century A.D. lie opposite the harbour of Mumbai on an island in the bay of Mumbai. During 1987 the caves of Elephanta were listed by UNESCO as one of its World cultural heritage sites. They contain a row of works of art connected with the Shiva cult.

It was named originally Gharapuri, "city of the Ghara-priests", which was renamed by the Portuguese in the 16th century after the stone elephant that they found in the harbour. Visitors can see the elephant in the Victoria gardens in Mumbai. The unique cave temples are the main attraction of the island. The powerful Trimurti (three-faced) Shiva sculpture of the temple forms an extraordinary example of Hindu art of sculptures. This three-sided, 10-foot-high sculpture of Trimurti characterize Shiva as the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer. On the entrance of one of the caves there is a portrait of Nataraj that is Shiva as a cosmic dancer. Further, there is a sculpture of Shiva in the form of an Ardhanarishvara, half man and half woman. In one of the cave entrances visitors can see on the stone slab Shiva and Parvati on the mountain Kailash with demon Ravana. This sculpture shows Ravana lifting the mountain. Ravana’s bended back shows an enormous exertion.

The ferry journey from the gateway of India in Mumbai to the island lasts about an hour. The tour with the guide on the island takes approximately half an hour.

Taj Mahal Palace & Tower

Taj Mahal Palace & Tower is a luxury hotel in the Indian city Mumbai. It lies in the city area Colaba near the gateway of India and belongs to company Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces making it one of world’s leading hotels.

The hotel was opened during December 1903 by order of Parsi industrialist Jamshed ji Tata, one of the most influential entrepreneurs of his time. The plans were sketched by the British architect W. A. Chambers based on the first designs of the Indian architects Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya and D. N. Mirza. The building ground lies directly on the eastern coastline. During the years the hotel was accommodated by legends and famous personalities such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull, Prince Charles, The Beatles, and Bill Clinton. This stylistic building is a mixture of different medieval forms from Gujarat, Victorian gothic influences as well as Arabic and Islamic forms (for example the arches of the ground floors arcades).

Haji Ali Dargah

Haji Ali Dargah is a mosque and a Dargah (shrine of the Sufism) and situated on a small island in front of the coast of the city area Worli. The building was erected in 1431 on request of the Muslim holy and Afghan mystic Haji Ali, who renounced his worldly possession and dedicated himself to the meditation. The monument with its white minarets and Mughal cupolas is connected with the mainland through a narrow, cemented causeway.

Other sights in Mumbai for Liesure and Recreation

Not far from the Churchgate station lies the "Netaji Subash Chandra Marg", also well known under the label "Marine Drive". The local inhabitants designate it as “Queen’s Necklace”. It involves at the same time Mumbai’s sea promenade, which was built in the 1920's on the elevated land, consists of an eight lanes city motorway and a broadly laid out promenade. Marine Drive is also known for its multistorey buildings. Another popular place in Mumbai is “Chowpatty Beach”. It is very famous among the local inhabitants, especially for its roadside local cuisine. Chowpatty Beach is also center of political demonstrations. Mahatma Gandhi often spoke here. 30 kilometers to the north of the city center lies "Juhu Beach". Visitors will also find here numerous hotels, mansions of rich people, apartment houses and shops.

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