As my quest to discover Mumbai is still in progress, I went there again. I have always felt that it might be fun to live there but for travelling, it is not that exciting. I have heard about Mumbai lifestyle, nightlife, rain and Mumbai locals but never got the flavor of it.

I have been there five times and I am going to sum up my experiences in this post.

In short Mumbai can be covered in 3 days. There are 2 places that can be chosen to stay:Juhu an Colaba. I had chosen Colaba once.

Before we start, here are few things to remember:

1. Mumbai is crowded. It’s very difficult find a quiet place.
2. Mumbai doesn’t sleep and its nightlife is to die for.
3. The place is quite expensive.

Gateway of India: Our first destination was the major tourist attraction, Gateway of India which was built to honor the landing of King-Emperor George V and Queen-Empress Mary at Apollo Bunder on their visit to India in 1911. The beautiful architecture stands as an opening gate to the Arabic Ocean. I would suggest visiting this place early in the morning to avoid queue and crowd. There is no entry fee or time restrictions.

You’ll find Hotel Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai just opposite to Gateway of India. It is the most lavish hotel among the 4 Taj Hotels in Mumbai.

Elephanta Cave: This place is famous for rock-cut stone sculptures from 5^th to 7^th centuries AD. These caves are situated at Elephanta Island which can be reached by ferry. Tickets can be bought from the counter in front of Gateway of India. I would suggest to book the ferry tickets before entering Gateway of India because the ferries leave from there. It takes almost one hour to reach. There is a toy train from ferry point to a place 5minutes away from the stairs that lead to the caves. Ferry Luxury Ticket: Rs.200/-, Toy Train: Rs.10/-, Island Entry: Rs.10/-, Cave Entry: Rs.40/-. Visiting Hours: 9.30am-5.30pm. It is closed on Monday.

Leopold Café, situated at Colaba, is one of the oldest Irani Cafes in city. It was founded in 1871. It is one of the survivors of 26/11 attack and the bullet marks are still there.

Colaba Causeway is one of the best place to shop jewelries and clothes at the cheapest price.

Marine Drive: The best place to be at in the evening is Marine Drive. The glittering city from the other side of the sea (known as “Queens Necklace”) welcomes you.

Taraporewala Aquarium: Tarporewala Aquarium is situated at one end of Marine Drive. For kids and sea-animal enthusiasts, it is a good place to visit. Entry fee: Rs.60/-. Visiting Hours: 10.30am-8pm. It is closed on Monday.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station: I wanted to visit this place only because the way it was shown in Bollywood movies. I wasn’t disappointed to be honest. It is one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Kala Ghoda: Kala Ghoda is a centre of Art in Mumbai. Most of the walls tell story about arts and crafts. It is situated 4 kilometers away from Colaba and 2 kilometers away from Marine Drive. Annual Kala Ghoda art festival is a famous art fair in the country that you may want to attend.

You can always take a break and visit Bake House Cafe, a fancy café for decent food. Thanks, Sukarna Mandal for taking me there.

Hanging Gardens: It is a good place for family and kids. Other than that, I did not find it fascinating (might be because of the time we went there). It was scorching hot during winter afternoons.

Haji Ali Dargah: Situated at the islet that is 500 meters away from the coast, Haji Ali Dargah opens it doors to all.

If you re visiting this place, do not miss Sitafal cream from Haji Ali Juice Centre. You’ll thank me later. Price: Rs. 300/- (Approx).

Bandra–Worli Sea Link: If you are travelling towards Juhu, you’ll experience the cable bridge over ocean connecting Worli with Bandra.

Basilica Of Our Lady of The Mount: This Roman-Catholic church is 100 years old and is one of the significant churches in the city. It is located at Bandra.

Juhu Beach: Juhu is the most famous beach in Mumbai. You can spend a nice evening in the seashore. I would request you to be a little environment conscious and not to throw dirt here and there.

While you are in the Bandra-Juhu area, do not miss out the Bollywood and cricket celebrity Houses. You can ask any cab/auto driver and they can take you there.

Though I haven’t visited the below mentioned places but I would definitely recommend these: Shri Siddhi Vinayak Ganpati Mandir, Mahalakshmi Temple, The Mumbai Film-city Tours and Global Vipassana Pagoda.

I have observed that most us have at least one friend in Mumbai who is the host whenever we go there. I had to book a hotel once out of four times of my stay there.

As I booked hotel 2days before the journey, Oyo was my savior. I booked Supreme Hotel Cuffe Parade that was 2 kilometers away from Gateway of India. During the time of booking, I mentioned we were 3 adults and 1 kid. They gave us 1 Classic (2X) Room at Rs.3897/- per night with complimentary breakfast. Our stay was nice and room was clean.

We booked OLA Rental and booked it for 8 hours. It was the most convenient way for us. Apart from that I have traveled in Kali-Peeli, Mumbai Locals and autos.

That’s me in front of Elephanta Cave.