With its tall victorian buildings and narrow roads satiated with traffic, Mumbai shows attributes of a white dove as well as a black crow of the nest that is India. One look and you know that the city has seen hundreds of years of multi-cultural, multi-lingual Indian chutney!
Not a Frequent Visitor?
If you are visiting for the first time (or one of the first few!), there are a plentiful places to see in Mumbai that are worth visiting as long as you have the appetite to walk and explore. Apart from the typical Gateway of India, Haji Ali, Elephanta Caves, etc. the city has a lot to see and much more to enjoy. Some of the less popular ones - the Worli Fort, Mumbai Zoo and the Chota Kashmir Park are equally interesting and picturesque to visit.
For those looking out to get a taste of the glamour and allure of the home of Bollywood, the ultimate places to bump into stars of the big and small screens would be Film City in Goregaon or Pali Village Cafe in Bandra. Also drop by at the exclusive lounges that host these celebs on a regular basis - Vetro at The Oberoi, Insomnia at the Taj Mahal Palace in Colaba, Aer at the Four Seasons or Olive Bar & Kitchen.
While looking for opportunities to have a slice of the Bollywood delight can be extremely taxing, you could sink into the evening sitting on the rocks on the Marine Drive beaches. Yes there will be a billion people whizzing, screaming and yapping away behind you, but the sea will take you to another world where the only sound you will hear is the gigantic sea waves hitting against the rocks. An experience is surreal and makes you want to sit there.. forever!
Don’t Know When to Visit?
There are multiple reasons why one should know when to visit Mumbai, as this is not a city to take for granted! The climate is smugly defined as “tropical” by those who visit for a few days and assume that the weather in Mumbai remains gorgeous yearlong, but the sky loves to play dirty with the city.
While the months of Jan & Feb are the coolest in the year with dry days, March to May are months with rapidly increasing humidity and rising temperatures (hitting max 33-34°C). May marks the hottest month of the year and June marks the beginning of the monsoons which are infamous for bringing life to a standstill in Mumbai, with their peak in July & August. Rainfalls disappear from Mumbai by mid-Sept with a comparatively warm Sept, Oct & November. Mid-November to December see a pleasant weather with the average temperature touching 18°C.
What’s in Store Around?
Mumbai offers a host of brief getaways around itself such as hill stations such as Lonavala, Matheran & Aamby Valley as well as Alibagh (or Alibaug) for its pristine untouched natural beauty. If you’re in the mood for a drive and are not in the mood for the same old Mumbai to Goa or Pune road trips, you could consider a drive from Mumbai to Shirdi or Mumbai to Bangalore. Even though these are longer drives, there is a lot to do on the way and can be the destinations are both equally interesting to visit. And if you manage to visit the city in the month of January, a quick train from Mumbai to Ahmedabad would land you in the midst of the most colourful festivals - the International Kite Festival which is perhaps the most breathtaking scenery that a traveler can experience!
