Things to do in Mumbai, splurging
Bandra boutiques, South Indian breakfasts, and the best seats in the room each night.
This is Mumbai for people who want the real neighbourhood texture and the serious dinner reservation in the same day. You will move between Bandra's design-forward west, the Tamil quarter's old-school food culture, and Colaba's heritage waterfront, spending freely where it counts. No filler, no tourist loops: just the places locals actually rate.
Day 1: Bandra West: coffee to cocktails
A day that drifts from a matcha café at Pali Naka through Bandra's market lanes and the Carter Road promenade to a Spanish dinner, then cocktails across the Sea Link in Worli Village.
- 9:30 AM
Mokai Cafe
Japanese-leaning café at Pali Naka; order a taro or blueberry matcha and the chicken katsu sando.
Map - 12:30 PM
Pali Bhavan
Wood-panelled Pali Naka dining room for regional Indian plates; share kebabs, a slow curry and the dal.
Map - 2:30 PM
Pali Bazaar
Pali Naka's market lanes for fruit, flower and fish stalls, a quick look at everyday Bandra after lunch.
Map - 4:30 PM
Carter Road Promenade
Sea-facing walk running north to Khar Danda; go toward sunset with the mangroves on the shore side.
Map - 7:30 PM
La Loca Maria
Spanish cooking from a Toledo-born chef; share the charred octopus and the lobster paella.
Map - 9:30 PM
Slink & Bardot
Worli Village bungalow bar for French-leaning small plates and cocktails; a short cab over the Sea Link, shut Mondays.
Map
Day 2: Matunga, Shivaji Park, destination dinner
South Indian breakfast in Matunga, a flower and spice market, Maharashtrian snacks in Dadar, an afternoon on the great maidan, and dinner 48 floors up.
- 9:30 AM
Ram Ashraya
Queue up for filter coffee, idli and pineapple sheera; this is ground zero for South Indian breakfast in Mumbai.
Map - 10:30 AM
Matunga Market
Flower garlands, banana leaves and South Indian spice shops around Matunga station, right after breakfast.
Map - 12:30 PM
Prakash Shakahari Upahar Kendra
Dadar's old Maharashtrian snack house; order sabudana vada, misal and a glass of piyush.
Map - 2:15 PM
Shivaji Park
Shivaji Park, Mumbai's great democratic oval; stroll the promenade, watch cricket on the maidan, and decompress before the big dinner.
Map - 7:30 PM
Bastian - At The Top
Seafood dinner on the 48th floor of Kohinoor Square; book a window table and order the crab.
Map
Day 3: Colaba: art, seafood, and last drinks
A museum morning, a seafood lunch in Kala Ghoda, the Gateway in the afternoon, and a long dinner with cocktails at Americano.
- 9:30 AM
Kala Ghoda Cafe
Whitewashed Rope Walk Lane café; coffee and the rasta omelette sandwich before the museum.
Map - 10:30 AM
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
Opened in 1922 under a Golconda-style dome; take the audio guide and linger in the miniature paintings.
Map - 12:30 PM
- 2:30 PM
Gateway Of India Mumbai
The 1924 yellow basalt arch on Apollo Bunder; walk the harbour edge past the Taj Mahal Palace facade.
Map - 7:30 PM
Americano
California-Italian dinner with house-made vermouths at the bar; book weeks ahead and get the corn ribs.
Map
Where to stay
InterContinental Marine Drive-Mumbai by IHG
Marine Drive address puts you minutes from Colaba and a straight shot north to Matunga, with the kind of room and lobby that suits this pace of trip.
The St. Regis Mumbai
Lower Parel base keeps you well-connected to both Bandra and Colaba, and the St. Regis name means service and design that match the splurge brief throughout.
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