Things to do in Mumbai
Local cafes, heritage streets and one legendary rooftop to close it out.
This is a trip for people who want to eat where the neighbourhood eats, walk streets that reward the curious, and spend money on one or two things that genuinely earn it. You'll move between Bandra's lanes, Matunga's Tamil quarter and the colonial south of the city, with the best of each area rather than the famous version of it.
Day 1: Bandra West, lane by lane
A day that earns its dinner: start with coffee in the gaoths, work through street art and mangroves, then let Pali Bhavan do the rest.
- 9:30 AM
Mokai Cafe
Japanese-leaning café at Pali Naka; a taro matcha and the chicken katsu sando to start.
Map - 10:15 AM
Bandra West villages + street art
Wander the East Indian gaothans, Indo-Portuguese cottages and Bollywood Art Project murals on Chapel Road, the soul of Bandra that most visitors miss.
Map - 12:30 PM
Kari Apla
Coastal cooking from Konkan to Kerala on Khar Pali Road; get the Madurai mutton cutlets and banana leaf kingfish.
Map - 2:15 PM
Carter Road Promenade
Sea-facing promenade running north to Khar Danda, with the mangroves on the shore side.
Map - 4:30 PM
Pali Bazaar
Browse Pali Bazaar's market lanes, the neighbourhood street market for clothes, produce and everyday Bandra life.
Map - 7:30 PM
Pali Bhavan
Wood-panelled room steps from Pali Naka for regional Indian plates; share kebabs, a slow curry and the dal.
Map
Day 2: Matunga, the Tamil quarter
South Indian breakfast at a genuine institution, a spice-and-flower bazaar, and an evening on the edge of Shivaji Park.
- 9:30 AM
Ram Ashraya
South Indian breakfast institution: idli, medu vada and filter coffee, expect a queue but it moves fast.
Map - 10:30 AM
Matunga Market
Matunga Market is a dense, aromatic Tamil-quarter bazaar, browse fresh flowers, spices and street snacks like a local.
Map - 12:30 PM
Prakash Shakahari Upahar Kendra
Dadar's old Maharashtrian snack house; order sabudana vada, misal and a glass of piyush.
Map - 2:00 PM
Shivaji Park
Walk the rain-tree path round the maidan where Tendulkar trained, and watch the club nets at work.
Map - 7:30 PM
Tanatan Shivaji Park
Sit-down modern Indian dinner near the park's south edge after a day of light tiffin food.
Map
Day 3: Fort, Kala Ghoda and Colaba
Heritage architecture, a Parsi lunch that hasn't changed in a century, harbour-front strolling and a rooftop cocktail to close.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:30 AM
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
Indo-Saracenic museum opened in 1922; spend longest with the miniature paintings and Gandhara sculpture.
Map - 12:30 PM
Britannia & Co.
Since-1923 Parsi institution with bentwood chairs, get the chicken pulao with zereshk and the dhansak; a true Mumbai ritual.
Map - 2:30 PM
Gateway Of India Mumbai
The 1924 basalt arch on the harbour; watch the boats and walk past the Taj Mahal Palace facade.
Map - 7:30 PM
Mahesh Lunch Home
Mangalorean seafood in Fort; get butter garlic crab or tawa fried surmai with neer dosa.
Map - 9:30 PM
Dome
InterContinental rooftop over Marine Drive; time a cocktail for the Queen's Necklace lighting up along the bay.
Map
Where to stay
Le Sutra Art Hotel
An art-filled boutique hotel in Bandra West, right in the middle of Day 1, at a price that doesn't punish you for it.
The Gordon House Hotel
Small Battery Street hotel a short walk from the Gateway and Colaba Causeway, a handy base for Day 3.
Make Mumbai your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Dharavi: a few days ahead
- Prithvi Theatre: a few days ahead
- Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre: a few days ahead
- Discover Sailing India: a few days ahead
- Bombay Presidency Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Willingdon Sports Club: weeks ahead
Skip these
- Do not swim at Juhu Beach. It is a sunset promenade and street food strip, not a swimming beach.
- Avoid Colaba Causeway export and gem scams and anyone steering you to a shop on commission.
- Buy Elephanta ferry tickets only at the official counter behind the Gateway.
- Confirm the per crab price before it is cooked at seafood restaurants.
The full Mumbai travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around