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Mumbai
Mumbai
मुंबई, formerly called Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of
Maharashtra. Mumbai, the most populous city in India, is one of the
most populous cities in the world, with a population of
approximately 14 million. Along with the neighbouring urban areas,
which includes cities of Navi Mumbai and Thane, it is one of the
most populous urban regions in the world. Mumbai lies on the west
coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. As of 2009, Mumbai
was named an Alpha world city.
The seven islands that came to constitute Bombay were home to
communities of fishing colonies. For centuries, the islands came
under the control of successive kingdoms and indigenous empires
before being ceded to Portuguese settlers and subsequently to the
British East India Company. During the mid-18th century, Bombay
emerged as a significant trading town. Economic and educational
development characterised the city during the 19th century. It
became a strong base for the Indian independence movement during the
early 20th century. When India became independent in 1947, the city
was incorporated into Bombay State. In 1960, following the Samyukta
Maharashtra movement, a new state of Maharashtra was created with
Bombay as the capital. It was renamed Mumbai in 1995.
Mumbai is located at 18°58′30″N 72°49′33″E / 18.9750°N 72.8258°E
/ 18.9750; 72.8258 in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai
consists of two distinct regions: Mumbai City district and Mumbai
Suburban District, which form two separate revenue districts of
Maharashtra. The city region is also commonly referred to as the
Island City. The total area of Mumbai is 603.4 km2 (233 sq mi),[98]
, with the area of 437.71 km2 (169 sq mi), the Island City spanning
67.79 km2 (26 sq mi) and the suburban district spanning 370 km2 (143
sq mi), coming under the administration of Brihanmumbai Municipal
Corporation(BMC) while remaining area belongs to Defence, Mumbai
Port Trust, Atomic Energy Commision and Borivali National Park,
which are out of the jurisdiction of the BMC.
Mumbai has a tropical climate, specifically a tropical wet and dry
climate under the Kφppen climate classification, with seven months
of dryness and peak of rains in July. The cold season from December
to February is followed by the summer season from March to June. The
period from June to about the end of September constitutes the
south-west monsoon season, and October and November form the
post-monsoon season.
Mumbai is India's largest city and is considered the financial
capital of the country as it generates 5% of the total GDP. It
serves as an economic hub of India, contributing 10% of factory
employment, 25% of industrial output, 33% of income tax collections,
60% of customs duty collections, 20% of central excise tax
collections, 40% of India's foreign trade and Rs. 40 billion (US$
860 million) in corporate taxes. Mumbai's GDP is Rs 200,483 crore
(US$ 43.1 billion), and its per-capita income is Rs. 128,000 (US$
2,750), which is almost three times the national average.
Mumbai's culture is a blend of traditional festivals, food, music,
and theatres. The city offers a cosmopolitan and diverse lifestyle
with a variety of food, entertainment and night life, available in a
form and abundance comparable to that in other world capitals.
Mumbai's history as a major trading centre has led to a diverse
range of cultures, religions and cuisines coexisting in the city.
This unique blend of cultures is due to the migration of people from
all over India since the British period.
How to go Mumbai?
By plane
Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (IATA: BOM)
is India's busiest airport and one of the main international
gateways to the country.
The airport consists of two terminals : International Terminal
(Terminal 2, Sahar) and a Domestic Terminal (Terminal 1, Santacruz).
Both terminals use the same airspace but are four km apart. There is
a free shuttle bus connecting them.
The Domestic Terminal is further divided into Terminals 1A and 1B.
Terminal 1A serves Air India and Kingfisher Airlines. Terminal 1B
serves the various private airlines, such as Jet Airways, Simplify
Deccan, SpiceJet, etc.
The International Terminal is divided into Terminal 2C (Air India
and its partner airlines) and Terminal 2A (which serves most of the
other international airlines). Terminal 2B is nonoperational at
present. Terminal 2C is considerably better than the others. The
domestic terminals are undergoing a long overdue upgrade. Terminal
1B now meets international standards and work is going on at
Terminal 1A.
Overall, the airport is a bit of a fleapit and immigration is quite
slow, although it has improved considerably over the last 2-3 years.
A common scam locals play on tourists is when your taxi cab pulls up
to the airport, a man will get your luggage out of the trunk, put it
in a cart, push it for you towards the terminal and along the way
will ask you for a Rs. 500 baggage fee. This is a lie, there is no
baggage fee, and you should tell them no thank you and you kindly
take the cart and push it yourself.
Paid parking is available at the airport. The charges are Rs. 60 per
four hour block for cars. Longer term parking is available in a
"premium" area, but it is hideously expensive, amounting to Rs. 600
per day.
Note that there are no ATM terminals in the international arrival
area. In order to take a taxi from the airport to your hotel, you
will need to bring cash and exchange it for rupees at one of the
many moneychangers near the exit. There are prepaid taxi dispatch
desks nearby, but they accept only cash, and only rupees.
The airport is 28 km from downtown. Take a prepaid coupon taxi to
minimize hassle. Never pay more than Rs. 450-600 for a prepaid taxi.
This amount should get you all the way to the southernmost point of
Colaba, the main tourist district. While it is possible to take
metered taxis to your eventual destination, it is always a safer bet
to take the prepaid taxis, in order to avoid being taken to your
destination via a longer route, thus increasing the meter reading!
While it is not mandatory to pay extra charges for your luggage, a
tip of Rs. 50-100 shall always be appreciated.
There are many prepaid taxi offices all in a row as you are exiting
the airport, if one offers a very high rate, just walk to the next
window and so forth until you find one with a good rate. Go to the
taxi office and purchase a coupon to take to the driver. The coupon
will have the taxi registration number written on it. Make sure that
you get into that very taxi. Do not accept a lift from someone
claiming to be a taxi driver as they may charge much higher prices
designed to target tourists. The charges will depend on the general
area you need to get to and will include all tolls to be paid. Most
premium hotels will organize their own cars which is a much better
alternative.
While most drivers should not have any problem delivering you to
major hotels and intersections, do not assume your driver will be
familiar with lesser known hotels etc.. Before departing, make sure
you have secured full address of your destination. By taking this
extra step, you should avoid any delays.
You can also take a bus/taxi to Vile Parle Station and take a local
train from there. Travel 1st class to avoid hassle. Do not try this
during the morning rush. It's a good option in the evening, since
it's off-peak direction then.
If you are flying from Europe it is generally cheaper to fly from
London, and there are many flights daily.
By boat
Numerous travel organizations now offer cruises to Singapore,
Malaysia, Dubai, etc. Though the cruise industry is still
developing, Mumbai can be reached by such cruises.
Mumbai has one of the best natural harbours in the world, handling
50% of the country's passenger traffic and much of India's cargo. It
is also an important base for the Indian Navy. Ferries from Ferry
Wharf allow cheap access to islands and beaches in the area.
By train
Railways in India
The first commercial railway service began on 16th April 1853 at
3:35PM on its first run between VT (now the Chattrapati Shivaji
Terminus) and Thane.
Trains arrive in Mumbai from all over India. The two major lines and
one minor line serve different parts of the country. The Central
line serves Southern India, Eastern India, and parts of North India.
The key stations are Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria
Terminus, known just as VT), Dadar Terminus, and Kurla Terminus. The
Western line connects to the Western states of Gujarat, Rajasthan,
and some parts of North India. The main termini are Mumbai Central
and Bandra. The Konkan Railway (which is a separately
administered and newly built line) travels through the picturesque Konkan coast of Maharastra and is a good way to travel to Goa and
mangalore(Which is called the coastal pardise of India). The main
reservation offices are at Churchgate, Mumbai Central, and Bandra on
the Western line and CST and Dadar on Central line. There are
special ticket windows and quotas for foreign tourists. For bookings
and tariffs on
train tickets to anywhere in India from Mumbai, you
can visit the Indian railways website.
By car
National highway numbers 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 17, and the Mumbai-Pune
expressway radiate from the city providing links to all parts of the
country. The road conditions are generally better than in the rest
of India.
Distances from Mumbai to various cities:
* Ahmedabad (550 km)
* Mangalore (713km)
* Chennai (1109km)
* Bangalore (998 km)
* Cochin (1384 km)
* Goa (593 km)
* Hyderabad (711 km)
* New Delhi (1407 km)
* Pune (160 km)
By bus
Mumbai is well served by buses from destinations inside India.
* The MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation), (Mumbai
Central: +91 22 2307 4272/+91 22 2307 6622, Parel:+91 22 2422 9905
Dadar: +91 22 2413 6835) commonly known as ST, operates services to
Mumbai from various cities in Maharashtra. Mumbai Central is the
most important Terminus in the city. All major cities in Maharashtra
and nearby states are connected through Mumbai Central Terminus. The
other important ST depots are at Parel, Nehru Nagar-Kurla, and
Borivali. You can get buses for all over Maharashtra from these
depots. But from Mumbai Central you would get buses any time as well
as other State Transport buses.
* There also exist numerous private bus operators who operate a
large number of services from/to Mumbai from most major cities like
Udaipur, Ajmer, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Indore, Nashik,
Aurangabad, Hyderabad, Belgaum, Hubli, Bangalore, Mangalore, Trichur
and Goa. For Pune, buses depart every 10 minutes. Crawford Market,
Dadar T.T, Sion, Chembur and Borivili are the main starting points.
Some of the reliable private operators are - National, Sharma, VRL,
Konduskar, Dolphin, Paulo and Southern Travels.
Get around & Sightseeing Mumbai.
By taxi
Taxis are cheap and plentiful ($15-18 should be enough to take you
from one end of the city to the other). Most taxis in Mumbai are
small-medium sized cars (non air-conditioned), painted
black-and-yellow (black on lower body and yellow on roof). You can
hail a cab off the streets. However, many are quite rickety, dirty,
and carry mechanical fare meters that could be tampered at times and
where payment is through a complicated system of calculating meter
charge by a certain figure (all taxis are supposed to carry a tariff
card that simplifies matters ... Always pay as per the tariff card
!!). Also, according to law, a black-and-yellow taxi driver cannot
refuse a fare. If a driver does refuse, a threat to complain to the
nearest cop usually does the trick. Taxi tariffs and information to
lodge complaints are available at
Do ride in a taxi and auto at least once in the city. If you are not
used to Indian roads, an autorickshaw ride can be a heart-stopping,
death-defying, laws-of-physics-bending adventure in a vehicle that
feels like it might fall apart at a speed over 30 km/h with a driver
who thinks he's Schumacher.
* However, if you want a comfortable, air-conditioned ride at a
small surcharge of 25 percent over normal taxis it's best to travel
by branded cab services that operate at government-approved tariffs.
These services operate modern fleets with well trained drivers. You
can get them at 30-60 minutes notice, they are clean,
air-conditioned, equipped with digital, tamper-proof meters,
punctual, honest, and GPS-equipped-monitored, which makes them far
secure at any time. If you're using a mobile phone, you receive an
SMS with the driver's name, mobile number and car number 30 minutes
before scheduled departure. Charges are Rs 15 for the first km and
Rs 13 for subsequent kms, with a 25 percent night surcharge
(midnight to 5AM). Some can even be booked online.
Some branded cab services are:
* First Cars (+91-9766311830) [13]
* Mega Cab (+91-22-42424242) [14]
* Meru Cab (+91-22-44224422) [15]
* Fulora Gold Cab (+91-22-32449999 / 32443333)
* Priyadarshini Cabs - especially for single women/a service managed
by women (+91-9820221107)
* The standard Black-and-Yellow taxi is not air-conditioned and
generally uses mechanical meters. Calculating the fare is done by
matching the meter reading with a tariff card to arrive at the final
payable fare. The minimum fare is Rs. 13. Prepaid plans have the
fare collected at the start and thus the meter reading is not
applicable. Night charges apply from midnight to 5 AM when the fare
is marked up by 25%.
Large items of luggage are chargeable at approximately Rs.10 per
piece. Refer to the tariff card. If you have extra pieces of
luggage, the boot (i.e. trunk) of the taxi will not provide
sufficient space - one large suitcase is all that will fit there.
Hiring a taxi with a top carrier will be better. Top carriers can
accommodate up to three large suitcases. Before starting the
journey, ensure that the luggage is securely fastened to the
carrier.
Generally, the only way to call for the standard taxi is to hail one
on the street. This will not be a problem if you are inside city
limits (i.e. North Central Bombay and below). If you are in the
suburbs, it will be difficult to find a taxi as they have been
out-competed by the cheaper auto-rickshaws. If you don't want to
hire an auto, you will have to ask around and find a way to call for
a taxi.
Follow the queue system to board a taxi. Quite frequently, tourists
and new visitors are mobbed by unscrupulous taxi drivers. Most
drivers are honest, but the dishonest ones tend to cluster around
railway stations and airports where they can more easily find
suckers. Unless you are taking a prepaid taxi, always ask taxis to
go by the meter. At the start of the journey, ensure that the meter
is visible and shows the flag-down fare/meter reading.
Its quite handy to have the Taxi Meter Card issued by The Mumbai
Traffic Police. You can access it online at.
http://www.trafficpolicemumbai.org/
Complaints can also be lodged online using the same site.
The maximum number of passengers allowed for a trip officially is
four three in the back seat and one in the front. Seat belts are
not mandatory for taxi passengers and most standard black and yellow
taxis will not have them installed, though the branded ones would
have them.
If you travel alone especially in night then always see the meter by
yourself and then pay the fare. if you are alone, sit in front so
that you can see the meter. Most frauds take place at railway
terminuses and at the airport.
One of the common scam is to charge the night fare rate during
daytime. You should be careful and read the heading before paying.
In some cards, the night fare is red in color and daytime fare is
black in color.
The other scam is to swap a 500 rupee note for a 100 rupee note and
then ask you pay extra.
By auto-rickshaw
Auto-rickshaws are only allowed to operate beyond Bandra in
the western suburbs and beyond Sion in the central suburbs. They are
not issued licenses in the downtown areas.
Before departing, ensure that the meter is visible and shows the
flag-down reading as 1.00. If the the number is higher, insist that
the driver flags it down once again. The minimum fare is Rs. 10. The
meter remains at 1.00 for the first 2 km and every 0.10 movement
indicates approx 200 meters (ie 1.00 for every 0.2 kms). The fare is
Rs. 5 for every km, except for the first two kms for which it is Rs.
9. A simple way to calculate the fare is to multiply the reading by
10 to get the fare in rupees. So if the meter shows 2.20, then the
fare payable is Rs. 22. (and its 4.4 km). Similarly a reading of
4.90 would mean you have to pay Rs. 49 (and you traveled
approximately 9.8 km). The meter also keeps ticking if you are
waiting and/or are stuck in traffic. It's quite handy to have a copy
of the meter card issued by The Mumbai Traffic Police.
Auto-rickshaws are slower than cars and have terrible suspensions.
Pregnant ladies are most strongly advised not to travel by
auto-rickshaws since the combination of rash driving, poor
suspensions, and horrible road conditions have quite often led to
serious complications. The auto-rickshaw is a slow and uncomfortable
vehicle and not recommended for very long distances.
By bus
Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (known as BEST)
provides efficient and comprehensive services connecting up all
places of the city and the suburbs. Some services also link the city
with the extended suburbs like Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Mira-Bhayanadar
areas. Seats are almost always occupied. There are bus stops all
over the city. There is usually a crowd and and queue. You have to
get in through the rear entrance and off at the front. Tickets are
issued by a uniformed "conductor" after you get in. Special seats
are marked for "Ladies", "Senior Citizens", "Handicapped",
"Expectant Women", and "Women with infants". They can get in from
the front.
Buses run from 5AM to midnight. Selected routes run beyond these
timings, but much less often. Average frequency between buses ranges
from five to 30 min depending on the route. Fares are reasonable and
buses can be travelled during peak hours, unlike trains which are
far too crowded. Some trunk routes do get extremely crowded however.
Peak hours also have traffic snarls which may depend on the area
traversed and the state of the roads.
What connects Electric supply and Transport?
BEST got into transport by starting a tram company. Now, of course,
it runs buses that run on diesel, not electricity. The company is
still in charge of electricity distribution for South and Central
Mumbai.
Buses are numbered and the final destination is marked on the front
in Marathi and on the side in English. Generally, buses around the
city and trunk routes would be in the 1-199 series. Buses in the
western suburbs would be the 200 series while those plying in the
central and eastern suburbs would be in the 300 and 400 series.
Services to Navi, Mumbai are in the 500 series and buses to the
Mira-Bhayander area are in the 700 series. The BEST website has a
nifty tool that will help you plan your journey.
BEST has introduced the "DayPass" (Cost for adults RS. 40, for
children it's less), a ticket valid all day (until midnight) on all
buses except Express and A/C services.
By train
Most people travel in Mumbai using the Suburban Rail Network
commonly referred to as "Locals". Mumbai has an extensive network,
with three lines the Western Line, the Central Main Line, and the
Harbour Line. Mumbai is a linear city and the Western Line travels
from Churchgate to Virar via Mumbai's Western Suburbs. The Central
Main Line travels from Mumbai CST (Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus),
aka VT Victoria Terminus to Kalyan via Mumbai's Central Suburbs and
Thane, with some services running beyond to Karjat, Khopoli, and
Kasara. The interchange point for these two lines is Dadar.
The Harbour Line has a common stretch between Mumbai CST (aka VT
Victoria Terminus) and Vadala. The harbour line splits into two
spurs, the main one running to Mumbai's Eastern Suburbs and Navi,
Mumbai, up to Panvel. The Interchange point of this line with the
Central Main Line is at Kurla. The other spur of the Harbour Line
runs up to Mahim on the Western Line and runs parallel up to Andheri.
The interchange stations with the Western line are Bandra and
Andheri.
Trains on all lines start operations after 4AM and close operations
between midnight and 1AM. Second class travel is very cheap.
However, it is advisable to buy first class tickets as the economy
class is extremely crowded. First Class can be quite expensive and
if four people are travelling together, a taxi might be better.
Avoid using local trains during rush hour (first class or
otherwise). Rush hour is between 8:30AM and 10:30AM towards CST (VT)
and Churchgate and between 5:30PM and 8:30PM in the opposite
direction. If you must transit during rush hour, avoid, at all
costs, standing near the train car entry, as you will be swamped by
a frantic, every man for himself, stampede of men attempting to get
on the car. Take no offense if you are pushed and shoved about, as
passengers jostle for a spot. As you near your exit station, ensure
that you are as close as possible to the train door, as experienced
commuters, will be begin the mad run to be first on, or off, the car
before the car comes to a full stop! If you stand any chance of
getting on/off before the train depart, you must be equally
aggressive in your focus to exit/enter, remember no one will take
offense if you make contact with others, as you wriggle by! Last,
but not least, exiting/entering a train before it comes to a full
stop is not something to be taken lightly, one misstep can send a
person onto the rails with an amazing ease! Leave the stunts to the
experienced locals.
There are special coaches for women on both classes. These are
generally less crowded and safer. But very late at night, it might
actually be safer to travel by the general coach than the
first-class women's coach, as the latter may be absolutely empty
except for you. Sometimes they have a cop guarding the coaches, but
sometimes they won't. Use your judgment.
The Mumbai Metro is currently under construction and is due to be
completed in the coming years.
By ferry
These are a few intra-city ferry services:
* Gateway of India Elephanta caves Fast boats and Catamarans
operated by private operators. These are moderately priced. This is
the only way to get to Elephanta Caves.
* Marve Jetty (Malad) Manori Jetty Cheap ferry (by BEST)
connecting Manori and Gorai. Also services for Esselworld (Amusement
Park).
* Versova (Andheri) Madh Jetty Cheap ferry connecting Madh/Erangal/Aksa/Marve.
* Gorai (Borivali) Low cost ferry connecting Gorai Beach/Esselworld.
By car
Travel Agents and Hotels can arrange private chauffeur driven cars
to provide services. Expensive by comparison with taxis, they are
the most trusted, secure, and comfortable way to travel around the
city. Driving in India is difficult, because of poor driver
discipline, but chauffeur services are very reasonable. These can be
arranged by travel companies or online from the countries of origin.
You can rent a car easily if you have not your own vehicle. Many Car
rental agencies provide their best services in Mumbai.
Mumbai
Hotels by surrounding cities, local city and area:-
Mumbai area ***
Goregaon ***
Santa Cruz Domestic Airport (BOM) ***
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM) ***
Navi Mumbai ***
Thane ***
Mumbai ***
Malabar Hill ***
Fort - Churchgate ***
Khar ***
Juhu Beach ***
Khar - Bandra
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