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Air: All major airlines fly to Mumbai. Bombay is India's International gateway with the busiest domestic network in India. The Sahar International Airport is 30km north of the city's center. The domestic terminal at Santa Cruz is at the distance of 25km from downtown Mumbai. These terminals are well connected with taxis and shuttle services.
Rail:Reaching Mumbai by train is quite easy. Mumbai is well connected with railways, with the city being headquarters to two railway zones - Central and Western. Victoria Terminal now renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal is the main railway station of Mumbai. Bombay Central, Churchgate, Dadar and Kurla are the other prominent railway stations.
Road: If you plan your tour by road, Mumbai is well connected with all the major tourist spots across India. Most of the long distance buses leave from the State Transport Terminal situated opposite Mumbai's Central Railway Station. However, we won't suggest you to take on this journey if you have a language problem, since there is hardly any information in English. Not knowing Hindi or Marathi can make your travel arduous and not to mention the road fatigue.
ABOUT MUMBAI
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Mumbai is the bubblegum glamour of Bollywood cinema, shopping malls full of designer labels, cricket on the Oval Maidan, promenading families eating bhelpuri on the beach at Chowpatty, red double-decker buses queuing in grinding traffic jams and the infamous cages of the red-light district. This pungent drama is played out against a Victorian townscape more reminiscent of a prosperous 19th-century English industrial city than anything you'd expect to find on the edge of the Arabian Sea. It's a city with vibrant streetlife, India's best nightlife, and a wealth of bazaars.Mumbai is the bubblegum glamour of Bollywood cinema, shopping malls full of designer labels, cricket on the Oval |
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Maidan, promenading families eating bhelpuri on the beach at Chowpatty, red double-decker buses queuing in grinding traffic jams and the infamous cages of the red-light district.
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This pungent drama is played out against a Victorian townscape more reminiscent of a prosperous 19th-century English industrial city than anything you'd expect to find on the edge of the Arabian Sea. It's a city with vibrant streetlife, India's best nightlife, and a wealth of bazaars.
The seven islands that now form Mumbai were first home to the Koli fisherfolk, whose shanties still occupy parts of the city shoreline today. The islands were ruled by a succession of Hindu dynasties, invaded by Muslims in the 14th century and then ceded to Portugal by the Sultan of Gujarat in 1534. The Portuguese did little to develop them before the major island of the group was included in Catherine of Braganza's dowry when she married England's Charles II in 1661. The British Government took possession of all seven islands in 1665 but leased them three years later to the East India Company for a meagre annual rent of GBS10.00.
Bombay soon developed as a trading port thanks to its fine harbour and the number of merchants who were attracted from other parts of India by the British promise of religious freedom and land grants. Migrants included sizeable communities of Muslim Gujaratis, south Indian Hindus fleeing Portuguese persecution in Goa, and Zoroastrian Parsis fleeing persecution by Muslims in Persia. Their arrival, and that of later immigrant groups, laid the basis for Bombay's celebrated multicultural society. Within 20 years, the presidency of the East India Company was transferred to Bombay from Surat, and the town soon became the trading headquarters for the whole west coast of India.
Bombay's fort was built in the 1720s, and soon after land-reclamation projects began the century-long process of joining the seven islands into a single mass. Although Bombay grew steadily during the 18th century, it remained isolated from the surrounding territory until the British defeated the Marathas and annexed substantial portions of Western India in 1818. Growth was spurred by the arrival of steam ships and the construction of the first railway in Asia from Bombay to Thane in 1853. Cotton mills were built in the city the following year, and the American Civil War - which temporarily dried up Britain's supply of cotton - sparked Bombay's cotton boom. The fort walls were dismantled in 1864 and the city embarked on a major building spree as it sought to construct a civic townscape to match its new-found wealth and status. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the massive expansion of Bombay's docks cemented the city's future as India's primary port.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
It is said that Mumbai has three seasons: hot, humid and very humid. The period between October and February is the most pleasant. During this time, the city enjoys a balmy season of blue skies and a cool breeze. From March, the temperature gradually rises and the humidity reaches saturation point. It is very hot just before the monsoon rains break in mid-June. The rains last until September. They come as a welcome relief to Bombayites but when the drainage system fails, everyone encounters difficulties getting around town. After the initial few days of flooded roads, however, Bombayites take the downpours and regular drenching in their stride. In September, the humidity and temperature begin to fall.
If you are wondering about which is the best season to visit Mumbai, then the answer is that one can visit Mumbai any time of the year and the city will never disappoint. The activity goes on 365 days a year and the city never comes standstill. But there are certain periods when the excitement of Mumbai touches a feverish pitch especially during the months of October and November when Ganesh Chaturthi, a Hindu festival, is celebrated for 11 days. This festival in Mumbai brings with it lots of joy and fun as processions are taken out. In fact, during this time, the entire state reels in celebration.
HOW TO GET HERE
Air: All major airlines fly to Mumbai. Bombay is India's International gateway with the busiest domestic network in India. The Sahar International Airport is 30km north of the city's center. The domestic terminal at Santa Cruz is at the distance of 25km from downtown Mumbai. These terminals are well connected with taxis and shuttle services.
Rail:Reaching Mumbai by train is quite easy. Mumbai is well connected with railways, with the city being headquarters to two railway zones - Central and Western. Victoria Terminal now renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal is the main railway station of Mumbai. Bombay Central, Churchgate, Dadar and Kurla are the other prominent railway stations.
Road: If you plan your tour by road, Mumbai is well connected with all the major tourist spots across India. Most of the long distance buses leave from the State Transport Terminal situated opposite Mumbai's Central Railway Station. However, we won't suggest you to take on this journey if you have a language problem, since there is hardly any information in English. Not knowing Hindi or Marathi can make your travel arduous and not to mention the road fatigue.
MUMBAI FAST FACTS
- Temperature: Summer: 23°C - 35°C, Winter: 19°C - 29 °C
- Mumbai District Area: 440 sq km
- Altitude: 8 metres above sea level
- Rainfall: 50 to 200 cm. average yearly
- Language: Hindi, Marathi, English
- Mumbai STD Code (Area Code): 022
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