Mumbai travel blog — The fullest Mumbai travel guide for first-timers

December 9, 2022

Cinema city is a popular tourist attraction and Indian film tours always take place daily for locals and tourists. Here they will show you all the famous Bollywood studios and filming locations. You even get a chance to watch some of the movies for free!

Where to go & what to do in Varanasi? — 15+ places to visit & best things to do in Varanasi
What to buy in India? — 29+ best gifts from India & best things to buy in India
Leh Ladakh bike trip itinerary — How to spend 6 days in Ladakh by motorbike?
Leh Ladakh bike trip blog — Ladakh bike trip guide & tips for first-timers
Ladakh trip cost per person from Delhi — How much does Ladakh trip by bike cost?

Mumbai Chor Bazaar flea market (#how to visit mumbai)

Keep it short because I have a separate article about this market here for anyone who wants to read: If you’ve heard of the flea market in Hue Street (Hanoi), Chor Bazaar is an Indian version. They say that “If you lose something in Mumbai, go to Chor Bazaar and you will find it”.

In addition to selling stolen goods, Chor Bazaar is also an interesting and famous market in Mumbai.

Bhendi Bazaar

Close to Chor Bazaar, including many streets, each sell one separate item. Overall, I’m not impressed with it.

MS Ali Road

Mumbai’s street food district, come here to experience Mumbai’s street food paradise and Indian cuisine. Actually, on google, many blogs say it is Mohd Ali, but when I went to see Mohd Ali was very long and almost nothing, maybe because the names are similar, they got it wrong (sometimes they didn’t go but just kept writing).

Juhu Beach

Mumbai is a coastal city, but the sea in Mumbai is not beautiful. Juhu is probably the most “beautiful” beach in India then with its long and… black sand. Sea water is turbid… But it can be said that this is the place where most Bollywood stars choose to settle down as well as major movie studios are located in this area.

After you’ve circled the Bollywood you can relax a bit on Juhu beach. It is a rather small long white sand beach but also worthy of being a place to relax, soak your feet and walk around.

But this is also a destination that gathers a lot of people at the end of the day, people come here to watch the sunset and eat a lot.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya

Address: 159-161, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400023, India
Hours: 10:15AM–6PM

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, originally named Prince of Wales Museum of Western India is one of the heritage buildings of Mumbai city with extremely unique and splendid architecture. Built in 1905 by the Prince of Wales and completed in 1922. Now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, this heritage building is one of the most prominent museums in India.

This museum is set in the middle of a large green garden, the walls are built of stone and decorated with beautiful trellis. It is a mixture of many different architectural styles such as Indian, Mughal and British. Inside, the museum currently holds nearly 50,000 artifacts that are extremely sophisticated masterpieces related to the history of India. When you come here, you can understand more about the glorious past that made a beautiful country like India.

There is a great natural history area that displays a wide variety of extinct animal taxa. You will discover a lot of cool things! | how to visit mumbai

Fashion Street

Next is a destination not to be missed, especially for those who love shopping – Fashion Street. This is a place where you can find a lot of fashion items of many famous brands at reasonable prices and extremely savory street food.

Fashion Street attracts a lot of domestic and foreign tourists to visit and shop, especially students because the price is quite cheap but the quality is excellent. This famous market has up to 150 large and small shops selling all fashion items from clothes, accessories, jewelry, etc., giving visitors the freedom to choose and own the best items they desire.

Enjoy the nightlife in Worli

If you want to add Mumbai (Bombay) travel experience for yourself, experience the nightlife.

Mumbai’s nightlife is “very infamous” and there are plenty of glitzy bars to choose from in the city. In India, the “open” bar scene is still in its infancy. So walking around finally found a place with a wonderful view to see the Mumbai skyline.

One of the interesting experiences when coming to Mumbai is experiencing the vibrant nightlife at famous bars. Or you can also choose for yourself the cafes to enjoy delicious drinks and admire the street view.

Aer at Four Seasons in Worli is the perfect place to sip cocktails at sunset and watch the city come to life under the twinkling lights. “Happy hour” prices for cocktails from 5-8pm and the entrance fee after 8pm on weekends but the price is well worth this dreamy setting.

High Tea at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel

If you love afternoon tea as much as I do, that’s easy to say! Imagine yourself sipping a cup of tea and 1 cake in a romantic and luxurious setting! If you’re not going to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel at night, it’s worth visiting for afternoon tea as well.

Although this place also offers traditional cakes but in buffet style, you can eat as much as you want, just eat what you like.

There are many savory dishes and brightly colored cakes with many shapes and sizes. The smell of baked goods will make you swoon when you can serve them with lashings of cream and jam.

You can enjoy a hot sandwich that just came out of the oven, the price is around 1800 INR including tax.

If you like sweets, you should try it, if not, you can skip it. | mumbai travel blog

Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Address: 6WH9+G7F, Western Express Hwy, Borivali East, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400066, India
Hours: 9AM–6PM/Monday: Closed

Sanjay Gandhi National Park covers an area of 104km2, possesses a rich flora and fauna, including 800 species of flowering plants, 284 species of birds, 5,000 species of insects, 36 species of mammals, 50 species of reptiles and 150 species marine life. Especially here you also have the opportunity to see endangered animals and caves that are about 2,400 years old. In particular, this is also considered a breeding and conservation area for many species of endangered animals such as Atlas moth – the largest moth in the world, Karvi flowering tree blooms every 7 years…

Sanjay Gandhi National Park is one of the most visited city national parks in Asia, attracting more than 2 million visitors each year. Coming to this park, you will admire a beautiful scenery, an extremely rich ecosystem and some unique wonders of great historical significance.

In the park, there are 2 lakes, Vihar Lake and Tulsi Lake, these are two lakes that provide part of the domestic water source for the whole city of Mumbai. It is also for that reason that this national park is considered as the lung of Mumbai. In addition, inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park there are Kanheri caves dating back 2,400 years, which is also an archaeological area being preserved.

Jehangir Art Gallery

Address: 161B, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001, India
Hours: 11AM–7PM

For art lovers, Jehangir Art Gallery is one of the most attractive spots in Mumbai that you should not miss. This is the premier gallery for contemporary Indian art. This gallery has two large rooms displaying many unique works of art by famous artists from all over the world. In particular, when you come here, you have the opportunity to participate in various art exhibitions that bring interesting experiences about Indian art.

Elephanta Caves

Address: Gharapuri, Maharashtra 400094, India

This is an extremely large cave complex dating back centuries with many ancient temples, unique statues of Hindu gods and breathtaking scenery full of mysterious. Previously, this place was called Gharapuri, but when Portuguese explorers discovered a large rock shaped like an elephant, they named this cave Elephanta.

After walking around to admire the unique beauty of the cave, do not forget to visit a small museum located next to the ticketing area to better understand the history of Elephanta’s formation and structure. In particular, on clear cloudy days, you can take the last train to come to this complex to watch the beautiful sunset falling on the roofs of the city.

At Elephanta cave, there are many exquisitely carved architectures in the cave, and they appeared here from the 5th to 8th centuries. Coming here, visitors will admire many masterpieces. The most unique and famous is the 5m high three-faced statue of Marhesmurty in the niche.

What gift should I buy in Mumbai?

Fashion clothing: You can visit Mahatma Gandhi street, where there are many stalls and shops selling a variety of different clothing items and this street is also known as the fashion street. Come here to buy clothing, you can bargain before buying, but you should not bargain too low, it will create a bad impression on the seller. Or if you do not like to buy ready-made clothes, this street also has many famous tailors, you can ask them to sew according to your favorite design.

Jewelry: The Central Cottage Industries Emporium (Address: Chowringhee, 7 Jawaharlal Nehru Rd New Market Area, Esplanade, Kolkata, West Bengal 700013, India/Hours: 10:30AM–7:30PM) located between Apollo Bunder and Regal Roads are the ideal shopping place in Mumbai. Here, visitors can freely shop for a lot of different jewelry items such as: Necklaces, bracelets, rings .. made from many different materials such as: Gold, silver, diamonds,… depending on your style.

Wooden furniture: If you want to buy wooden items to take home as a gift, the Chor Bazaar near Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy Rd is the best suggestion for you. There are many items for sale here, but the most famous is still the furniture made of wood.

Crafts: Zaveri Bazaar in Abdul Rahman neighborhood is a place where you can find a lot of crafts and souvenirs in Mumbai to bring back as gifts for your loved ones and family.

Leather goods: You can go to Dhaboo market in Dhaboo neighborhood.

Indian Tea: Here there are teas with their own unique flavor and good for health. You can find Indian tea anywhere in this country.

Saffron: Safflower of India has the highest and most stable quality today. Therefore, they have their own unique flavor and color and are very healthy.

What & where to eat? (#mumbai tourist guide)

The cuisine of Mumbai as well as much of India will feature curries and the most popular meat is chicken because Indians are mostly Hindus and Islam, so they don’t eat pork or beef.

Be brace for Indian cuisine. As a person who loves to explore, I am also a bit greasy with Indian food because it does not suit my taste. Going to the North is easier to eat, while Mumbai cuisine is tend to be salty, difficult to eat.

Chaat

The most famous street food in Mumbai. Chaat consists of ingredients such as deep-fried noodles, potatoes, onions, coriander, chili, and a spice blend of chaat masala.

Pav Bhaji

If you want to discover Mumbai cuisine, you must definitely try Pav Bhaji, the most popular street food in Mumbai. The dish is quite simple, just pieces of bread spread with butter, baked until golden, fragrant, then dipped with unique sauces at the shops to create the most complete flavor. The sauce for Pav Bhaji is mainly made from mashed potatoes, diced tomatoes, chili, coriander, lemon, etc.

Ragda Pattice

Ragda Pattice is an attractive dish you should not miss. With a simple recipe, the dish is a combination of stewed beans and mashed potatoes, and spices to create an attractive dish. Because the dish is quite famous and is the most loved dish in Mumbai so it is sold everywhere, you can walk on the streets of Mumbai and you will easily come across many stalls selling this Ragda Pattice.

Bhel Puri

If you have the opportunity to travel to Mumbai, you must definitely enjoy Bhel Puri, a quite popular snack in Mumbai city and used as an appetizer in every daily meal of the people here. The dish at first glance looks like fried rice, but when you enjoy it, you will see a completely different taste. People use some simple and familiar ingredients such as: Sponge rice, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, red peppers, etc. to be cleaned, processed and cooked. When enjoying, you will feel the pungent, rich flavor, you will surely love it. That is why this Bhel Puri has become delicious food that sold a lot in all the streets of Mumbai.

Pani Puri

Not only a favorite dish in India, but Pani Puri is also considered a delicious and famous dish in Mumbai. With a simple recipe, use hollow balls to deep fry, then stuff peas, mashed potatoes inside to create more attractive flavor. When enjoying, you will use it with sweet and sour dipping sauce to make the dish more flavorful.

Frankie

The dish has a fairly long origin, since 1960, people have known to use roti bread mixed with eggs and to form a delicious crust. Inside the crust is a variety of fillings consisting of many different ingredients, but the most popular are still chicken, lamb, mutton… and vegetables and spices. When enjoying, you will easily feel the delicious, fatty and extremely attractive flavor.

Vada Pav

The dish is likened to the vegetarian burger of India. Vada pav dish consists of crispy potato dumplings, sandwiched with green chili and garlic chili sauce.

Leopold Cafe

Address: Police Station, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Colaba Causeway, near Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001, India
Hours: 7:30AM–12AM

Leopold cafe can be considered as the “obsession” of those who travel to India who like the excitement. This is a bustling, lively cafe filled with movie posters and kegs of beer!

You may have to wait in line for an empty table, but it’s really worth it! The waitstaff was very nice and the butter chicken was great.

Sanjay Singh Sandwichwalla

This delightful vegetarian sandwich is the quintessential Mumbai street food. It is made from a mixture of ingredients such as beets, boiled potatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions, chaat masala and mint chutney sandwiched between slices of white bread spread with butter and grilled in metal tongs over charcoal. The toast is drizzled with tomato sauce and served with some chili sauce before being cut into bite-sized pieces.

You can find sandwiches like this all over the city but in the fort area one of the most famous stall is the Sanjay Singh Sandwichwala. He has been selling bread near the corner of Kaikhushru Dubash Marg and Mahatma Gandhi Road in Kala Ghoda for almost 25 years.

Trishna

Mumbai is surrounded by the Arabian Sea so it’s no surprise to find great seafood here. Trishna is the city’s most popular seafood restaurant known for its particularly delicious dish – garlic butter crab.

Trishna is located in the Kala Ghoda arts district of Fort, South Mumbai.

Where to stay?

It should be noted that Mumbai is not a tourist city, so their hotel service is not too good, if you want to be good and professional, you have to stay in expensive hotels, in general, the rest is not clean, comfortable very much.

I also recommend that you should stay at a hotel of 3 stars or up, cheap hotels should be ignored, in cheap destinations may be clean and good service but not in Mumbai. And most importantly, read the star review of the hotel you like, above 7.5 points is acceptable, but below that rate you must read the review to see why people criticize it.

Below we recommend more best budget, mid-range and upscale hotels with good ratings and reviews you can refer to.

Trident Hotel Bandra Kurla (Agoda, Booking)
Goldfinch Hotel Mumbai (Agoda, Booking)
The Taj Mahal Tower Mumbai (Agoda, Booking)
Grand Hyatt Mumbai Hotel and Residences (Agoda, Booking)
Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach (Agoda, Booking)
ITC Maratha, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Mumbai (Agoda, Booking)
The Fern – Goregaon (Agoda, Booking)
Taj Lands End (Agoda, Booking)

Check out more top and best hotels in Mumbai on Agoda.com or Booking.com

Trip cost

Mumbai in general and India in particular, in general, the travel cost is not too expensive, street food is very cheap, if you are afraid of stomachache, then going to the restaurant is a bit high price, but still ok.

Traveling by metro is also very cheap, a few rupees for a trip, while Uber will be more expensive than usual about 80-150 rupees/ride, the farther it is, the more expensive it is. Mainly the cost of food, if you eat on a budget, on the sidewalk, on average, 100~200 rupees/meal. In restaurants, 450~650 rupees/meal.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, from and to Mumbai you can refer to

Read more India guide here.