The best things to do in Mumbai

Sometimes, the true beauty of the city lies in its cliches. Even as a local, I love revisiting some of the more touristy spots in Mumbai that remind me why I love the place so much. No, Marine Drive is not cheesy, it’s rightfully dazzling as the ‘Queen’s Necklace’ with a sprawling heritage Art Deco cluster. 

The Gateway of India right opposite the Taj Mahal Palace is the perfect starting point for an exploration of old South Bombay, established by the British all the way back in 1769. Make sure to tour the Churchgate enclave that comprises of the most incredible Gothic and Victorian architecture the city has, from the Rajabhai Clock Tower to the grand CMST (previously known as the Victoria Terminus). 

No matter how aestheticised, Fort in Mumbai also lives up to its name and the hype. Flora Fountain, Horniman Circle, and Asiatic Library make for a perfect solo afternoon of exploration. My personal favourite is the St Thomas Cathedral, a peaceful relic of the first foundations laid by the British to make Mumbai the city it is today. Quite literally considered the ‘zero point’ of the city, it’s a stark reminder of the constant character development Mumbai has endured for centuries, and always revitalises my appreciation for the city. 

If you’re wanting to step away from the more overt tourist traps but still want to learn about the city’s heritage, walking tours are the perfect starting point. Even for those who have lived in the city their entire lives, these tours are a great way to explore Mumbai through a new lens. What’s more: it’s low pressure socialising, and a safe way to see what you may never have found alone.

Bombay Poetry Crawl is a walking tribute to the city’s most renowned poets, from the spaces they used to write in to the subject of their poetry. Art-Deco Mumbai, meanwhile, guides you through the UNESCO World Heritage Site Art Deco cluster in Oval Maidan and Marine Drive – home to one of Asia’s largest collections of Art-Deco architecture.

Speaking of heritage walks, Khaki Tours are by far the best when it comes to exploring colonial Bombay. They offer a variety of tours, from classic tourist attractions to hidden Portuguese villages like Khotachiwadi. 

For the nature lovers, the Bombay Natural History Society offers really cool marine and botanical garden walks, where you can discover the vast biodiversity nestled within the city.

Bookworming Tour by Beyond Bombay is for the literary geeks, exploring spots in Mumbai that have featured in books and novels by the likes of Salman Rushdie and Gregory David Roberts. 

Bazaars and street food are arguably the soul of this city. Mumbai Bazaar Walk lets you plunge right into that chaos, hitting famous spots like Crawford Market, Zaveri Bazaar (gold market) and Phool Galli (for all things floral), while Mumbai Food Tour is a voyage through Mumbai’s rich culinary history, with over 15+ food-tasting stops. (The chaat itself is worth a trip to the city.)

A visionary alternative to dining out, supper clubs are taking the city by storm and it’s easy to see why. The appeal is simple: a family style sit-down meal cooked with love by passionate home chefs opening their homes to you. An intimate dinner table setting with a group of strangers may seem daunting, but hosts often break the ice with drinks and games, ensuring you leave the table with at least one friend and shared experiences. 

House of Mala is a vegetarian five-course Sichuan culinary experience started by sisters Prachi and Saloni Gupta. 

Chef Reshma delivers authentic Maharashtran and South Indian food from her home kitchen in Santacruz – that's Every Aroma. For another plant-based option, Soul with a Sole hosts various themed supper clubs ranging from Ramen nights to Italian dinners. 

And if you're after something more intimate, The Supper Club Mumbai offers a hosted dining experience by chef Rajshri Gupta twice a month.

There’s no faster way to make friends than to experience pain together. Run clubs have Mumbai in a chokehold because it’s ideal fitness motivation: a chance to explore the city on foot with new friends to physically challenge you. You don’t have to be stuck at the gym in this city. 

Ditch the nightclub for a night run instead with Pudhe Chala. If you need a little more incentive, Bombay On Foot will have you clocking at least 5k in pursuit of a free coffee at the finish line. And if your morning run playlist already sounds like a festival, On Tour Run Club – complete with a live DJ set – is the one for you.

At a museum, you learn at your own time and pace. Stare at a sculpture for 20 minutes. Skip past the British Empire section entirely if you fancy. Create a personal narrative of the city. Find a bench to reflect, a journal entry or a couple sketches. Read every single description, or don’t. Carefully peruse for the perfect coffee table book in the gift shop. Congratulations, you’ve successfully spent eight hours. Here’s a list of the very best places to do just that in Mumbai. 

CSMVS is considered the crown jewel of Mumbai's museums; a historic relic in itself, and perhaps the city's first museum to be a heritage building as well, with over 70,000 historic and artistic works.

NGMA is housed across five floors in the historic Sir Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall. It’s been a Mecca for art geeks in the city for almost three decades. 

The oldest museum in Mumbai, though, is Bhau Daji Lad Museum which was established in 1857. It’s home to a vast collection of art, archeological finds and rare books and manuscripts. 

One of the city’s cultural epicentres is the neighbourhood of Kala Ghoda – filled with bookstores, boutique ateliers, a number of renowned restaurants and cafes, and classic Victorian Gothic architecture. It hosts some seriously good galleries that deserve a mini-list of their own.

Once a shelter for artists fleeing the Holocaust, The Stranger’s House now curates contemporary art rooted in universalism, black consciousness and solidarity movements. 

Jehangir Art Gallery is one of the most popular in the city – its six exhibition halls can easily swallow an hour or two. A short walk away, Gallery 7 exclusively showcases the biggest names in the Indian Modernist art movement, from M.F. Husain to K.K. Hebbar. 

And for something more provocative, Method Art Gallery experiments with diverse mediums and styles, producing work that is contemporary, deeply political and always thought-provoking.

I’ve always found it a bit strange that going to the movies, or the opera, or the ballet is culturally considered a group activity, or even stranger: an ideal date. You can’t really make eye contact with another person during a show. You definitely can’t talk to them. The debrief afterwards, though? Golden feeling. The cinema or theatre, to me, is a place of complete escape. Immersion into the art, your senses transfixed on a performance made to captivate. 

Mumbai has beloved theatres, cinemas and concert venues where you can enjoy a show in peace. Find the full guide here 

The National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) is arguably the country’s finest cultural institution. Jazz concerts, plays, films, you name it. Also, since it’s the Symphony Orchestra of India headquarters, multiple annual opportunities to see the world’s best orchestras and artists in concert here are ensured. 

Royal Opera House was featured in Time Out’s best live music joints in Mumbai guide. India’s only surviving opera house now hosts candlelight concerts, Christmas specials, plays, and more. It’s a bucket-list venue for theatre lovers. 

Prithvi Theatre is another theatre close to the city’s heart: the intimate, non-profit theatre celebrates local film and theatre. A bookshop and cafe make it a great solo hangout spot after catching a local Marathi play. 

For introverts that want to avoid as much human contact as possible in a city like Mumbai, bookstores are your best bet. Some of the coolest ones include Fluxus Chapel, an independent space that treats zines with the same reverence as art. It's maybe the most radical way the city is reading.

For something more storied, Kitab Khana is the city's most coveted independent bookstore, housed in a 150-year-old colonial building. 

People's Book House has been at it for 70 years – said to have been established by the Communist Party, it's dedicated to making progressive literature in Hindi, Marathi and English accessible to all. And Trilogy is a curated bookstore and library buried in Bandra, with a sea-view to enjoy some quiet reading time.

Finding good cafes in Mumbai can be a bit like navigating quicksand. Instead of oversaturated, instagram-trend psyops, I recommend ones that are generally busy throughout the week, have great ambiences for reading or working, and, of course, actually serve great coffee. 

Woven into the very fabric of Bombay, Britannia is just one of the city's many cherished Irani cafes that are a treat to explore solo. Bombay to Barcelona is a library-cafe with Indo-European snacks for bookworms to spend hours in. What makes it special is its mission: employing and supporting underprivileged youth. And for perhaps the most unique cafe experience in the city, Candie's is a beautiful multi-storey Portuguese villa serving a strong cold coffee, frequented by students and locals since the 80s.

There’s drinks for every tax bracket here in one of India’s most expensive cities, but you gotta know where to look. The dive bars in Mumbai are legitimate, under the radar dive bars serving booze at dirt-cheap prices but sacrificing none of the vibes, while the upscale bars better known for cool cocktails regularly make it to India and Asia’s several best bars’ lists. My top picks include Woodside Inn has an old-timey lodge-in-the-woods, laid-back feel for those who want to kick back with a beer and burger. For something more elevated, Slink & Bardot is an upscale French-inspired speakeasy of sorts, known for creative craft cocktails. 

For such a fashion-forward city, Mumbai seems to have a bit of an inferiority complex when it comes to shopping. Even a whisper of the phrase Sarojini Nagar immediately triggers the classic defense of an ardent Mumbaikar – Hill Road is better. It’s hard to remember all the stores mentioned in the angry barrage that follows from an impassioned Mumbai local horrified at the thought of being second to Delhi in anything. Instead of trying to write it down next time, we’ve put together a list for you. For the offended Bombaiya, consider this vindication, if you must. 

Colaba Causeway may seem overrated, but is actually teeming with cheap chunky belts, funky boho skirts and clanging oxidised metal jewelry that announces your arrival miles in advance. Chor Bazaar, if you play your cards right, isn't just another tourist trap, but a collective of craftsmen guaranteed to show you some of the finest antique wood furniture, artifacts and trinkets around. 

And for an assault on the senses in the best way possible, Dadar Phool Galli is the pinnacle of our Desi maximalism – somehow the Dadar Flower Market takes the cake as one of the most colourful markets in the city, and is definitely worth seeing in all its glory.

Thrift shops are a burgeoning market. Bombay Closet Cleanse, for instance, is a women-run thrift and consignment store based online and in Bandra, with a vast collection ranging from Y2K finds to XXXL dresses. Chyndy deals in upcycled and vintage streetwear (think graphic tees, patchwork baggy jeans and cargos) available online and in-store in Bandra. 

The good news is luxury Indian boutiques seem to always be clustered together, whether in Bandra or Fort, making it easier to splash out in one go on luxury Indian-wear, bridal outfits or hand-crafted furniture and home goods. Two Extra Lives is championing the novel concept of rental fashion, loaning out one-of-a-kind luxury pieces in an attempt to curb consumerism. Artisans', located in Kala Ghoda, shines a spotlight on clothes, ceramics and calligraphy by local artisans. Raw Mango, a master in local fabrics and woven textiles, specialises in exquisite Benarasi, chanderi and mashru silks and saris for Indo-Western wear.

Have fun and keep in mind to respect the livelihood of artisans when negotiating prices!