Mumbai - Post Report Question and Answers
What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?
There are too many to count. Art Walk Thursdays, Vintage Garden/Peace Haven pop up markets, Soundrise Sunday morning concerts. Get on Instagram and start following pages – Instagram is the way most of us find out about events. - Apr 2024
Hampi and Shimla were two fun places that I'd never heard of. - Jul 2023
Explore the food options. There are so many great restaurants. You can also buy a lot of great things. If you want to design your own clothing, go to Mangaldas Market (a fabric market in Crawford Market area). You can get amazing fabric for a very good price and have anything made. - May 2023
if you can manage it, find a local friend and go bar hopping. - Aug 2021
Baganga in Malarbar Hill is a nice, interesting spot. It looks completely different from the rest of Mumbai and offers something very cultural. - Nov 2020
Mumbai itself isn’t much of a tourist city. We like going to the mall and the movies a lot. Very high-end but relatively inexpensive. Eating out is also fun, as there are loads of great, affordable restaurants. Kidzania is fun for kids. - Aug 2019
A huge highlight here are the omnipresent festivals, which blocks the streets often for hours or days. Ganpati (for the elephant god Ganesh) in September is the largest one in Mumbai. Holi, Diwali, Eid, Dasera, Navatri are also big. In much of the city there are huge weddings every weekend in the spring. Mumbai is not very tourist-friendly, and many of its interesting sites are hidden and you won't see them until you're right there. On our list are Banganga Tank (an old 'lake' surrounded by temples), the Bombay Paranjpole (a very dense urban dairy with hundreds of beautiful cows in a small courtyard surrounded by hi-rises). Juhu Beach is not very clean but always fascinating. Sanjay Gandhi National Park has some good hiking trails if you book ahead of time, and go during the week. The Fort neighborhood in South Bombay has tens of km of dense winding streets, built by the British and containing much of Mumbai's history. On Elephanta island, There are several sets of old Buddhist caves which are overrun with people, but still very neat. Several companies run walking tours through the dozens and dozens of neighborhoods, including the dense and fascinating slums, where about half of Mumbai lives. There are some nice hiking trails in Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Most of them require you to make a reservation with the park's Nature Center, which is easy but very few people do. It's a great way to get away from Mumbai's crowds for a few hours, and can be really beautiful during monsoon. Beyond Mumbai, you can get to most of the rest of India within two to three hours on inexpensive flights. Camels and palaces in the deserts of Rajasthan. Lions, birding, and salt flats in Gujarat. Beaches in Goa and further south. Rhinos and tigers in Assam. Trekking near Darjeeling. Festivals in Kolkata. And beyond that, India is a great base from which to explore Asia: Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore, Jordan, and Dubai are within four to six hours. - Mar 2019
Not much to do in Mumbai. Commute is so hard that although there are events, spending 2+ hours in an Uber for a 1 hour event is not worth it. - May 2018
For some quiet go to Lonavala, a mountain region a couple hours outside the city. - Jun 2017
South Bombay is a hidden gem in terms of history, culture, etc. Just go for a drive outside the city and enjoy the amazing culture. - Aug 2015
There are tons of things to do. If you're bored, you're not trying. - Nov 2014
The "hill stations" are nice. Just a few hours outside the city you can get up a bit at elevation and have cooler temperatures and little places to stay to be out of the madness for the weekend. - Mar 2014
India offers tremendous travel opportunities; facilities for tourists range from bad to outright horrible, however. - Feb 2014
I would suggest getting the coup card through Brown Paper Bag (http://bpbweekend.com). It goes on sale a few times a year and gives you discounts at a dozen popular restaurants as well as at Nature's Basket, the main foreign supermarket here. If you sign up for the newsletter you'll also hear what's happening around town. - Feb 2014
It's mostly a place to live, good food. Lots of travel outside the city to towns in India and Asia. - Aug 2013
South Mumbai: Elephanta Island, The Gateway, tea at the Taj, shopping. Eating at Indigo Deli, Moshe's, etc. Suburbs: shopping for fruits and veggies at Pali Naka, going to the mall (I know, I know, but it can be a relief not to have to jostle for space while shopping), Sunday brunch, sunset at Jogger's park, The farmers' market. - May 2013
Visit Buddhist cave-temples at Sanjay Gandhi National Park; visit Mumbai's two decent museums; visit the (so-so) planetarium; eat at any of a wide selection of excellent restaurants; go to a bazaar or street market; Elephanta Island; tour Dharavi, one of Asia's largest slums; visit a hill station; drive a couple hours east to go hiking; take yoga classes; learn to play the tabla; travel around India. - Feb 2013
Sanjay Gandhi National Park is a nice break from the city. Phoenix Mills mall is a little slice of America. There are western, and even luxury, stores as well as a good movie theater. Many of the restaurants around town offer good affordable food. When you want to really indulge, some of the luxury hotels offer an extravagant brunch. - Dec 2010
Golf is cheap and close by. Sailing club is cheap. - Nov 2008
Some good restaurants and country-club type places. A few good dance and music clubs. But expect zero interaction with locals there. Also, Mumbai functions on an extremelly late-night schedule (dinner at 9 or 10, out late, in to work no earlier than 10 AM). Your Western work schedule will not be in sync. Even weeknight events start at 10:30. - Aug 2008
Hindu Festivals- Ganesh Festival in October is a must. - Jul 2008
