This towering archway of yellow basalt was built by the British to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to India in 1911 – it provided a ceremonial entranceway for the royals immediately after stepping onto dry land. The original was actually made out of papier-mâché – the stone version wasn’t completed until 1927. In 1948, the last British troops to leave Indian soil exited through the Gateway.

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Address:

Colaba

CST is the city’s main transport hub and the busiest train station in Asia, with around three million people passing every day. It was recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage site for its unique Indo-Saracenic architecture. The ornate exterior is a jungle in stone, with a life-sized pair of lions guarding the doors to the admin offices, and peacocks, monkeys, owls and chameleons peering down on commuters.

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Opening hours:

4.30am-1am

Address:

Nagar Chowk

One of the most spectacularly designed and well-maintained cinema halls in the city, Liberty’s interiors alone are worth the ticket price. It opened its doors in 1947, when India became free from British rule, and has screened some of Hindi cinema’s milestone movies over the decades.

Phone:

+91 22 2203-1196

Opening hours:

Varies

Address:

Chitralaya Exhibitors India, Liberty Building, 41/42 Marine Lines

The Churchgate area is so named because of this church, built in 1718 near one of the gates of Bombay Fort. It was the first Anglican church in Mumbai, and contains memorials to British colonists, many of whom seemed to have died from malaria before they reached 30. The church was recently restored, winning the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award in 2004.

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Opening hours:

10am-5.30pm daily; services 7am & 8.45am Sun

Address:

Veer Nariman Road, near Horniman Circle

If you should get lost searching for Mumbadevi Temple, look out for the long lines of flower-holding devotees snaking their way through the lanes. Mumbadevi is the patron goddess of the Kilo fisherfolk, the city’s aboriginal inhabitants. Many temples have wishing wells, but this one has wishing woodwork: devotees believe that the goddess will grant wishes if they embed a silver coin in the temple railings.

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Opening hours:

5am-noon, 4pm-8pm daily

Address:

Mumbadevi Road, near Zaveri Bazaar

The triple-bayed entrance to the cave doesn’t look impressive but inside everyone from Andre Malraux to Auguste Rodin has been struck dumb by the sheer spectacle of Sadashiva (‘Eternal Shiva’), a full-relief bust about 20ft high, showing three faces of Lord Shiva. The temple sprawls across about 60,000sq ft, with ornate pillars and exquisitely carved sculptures.

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Except for during the monsoon rains (June-Oct), boats depart every 30mins from the Gateway of India 9am-2.30pm (50mins). The last ferry leaves Elephanta at around 3pm.

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Elephanta Island

Mani Bhavan was the home of Mahatma Gandhi from 1917 to 1934, and the base for his civil disobedience movement that helped topple the British Empire in India. The museum contains many of his photographs, personal belongings and copies of letters to figures such as Roosevelt, Churchill and Hitler.

Phone:

+91 22 2380-5864

Opening hours:

9.30am-6pm daily

Address:

19 Laburnum Road, off Ramabai Marg

Undoubtedly South Mumbai’s finest hotel bar (accessible to the public), this bar/grill occupies the Intercontinental’s eighth-floor rooftop terrace, overlooking the fabulous arc of the seafront promenade. Walls are white, the tiled floor is white and the abundant sofas, armchairs are wrapped in white cotton, and a raised platform holds the aqua-blue swimming pool. Take a seat before 6.30pm for the glorious sunset.

Phone:

+91 22 6639-9999

Opening hours:

6pm-12.30am daily

Address:

Intercontinental, 135 Marine Drive

An old-timer (it opened in 1973) with a huge fan-base, Delhi Darbar is nothing much to look at: it dispenses with atmosphere in favour of cooking fumes. This doesn’t matter though – it’s the food that has been bringing diners back all these years. They specialize in Punjabi and Mughlai cuisine, with some truly excellent kebabs, curries and biryanis.

Phone:

+91 22 2202-0235/5656

Opening hours:

11.30am-12.30am daily

Address:

Holland House, Colaba Causeway, Colaba

Most Ayurvedic centres don’t boast air-conditioning or a nice colour palette, and even in Bandra few places can claim a fountain in the front yard. But this is Ayush, a top-flight centre with individually tailored meditation and yoga classes.

Phone:

+91 22 2649-0556

Opening hours:

9am-7pm daily

Address:

450B, 14th Road, Khar

 

 

 

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Source: Expedia