• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 2293 0

(if overpriced) prepaid taxi service ( 022/2682-9922) located in terminal 2A (accessible by foot from 2C); a trip to a Colaba hotel should cost in the region of Rs 400 to Rs 480, plus an additional Rs 10 per luggage item; a trip in a superior Cool Cab will be Rs 150 more (although there have been reports that these taxis aren’t as clean as they should be), and you might just get a better deal on a metered taxi (although finding one here has become near-impossible). Expect to pay well over double these rates for a hotel airport transfer, but you’ll also get a much better vehicle to travel in; the Four Seasons sends a luxurious BMW for around Rs 3,200, and the Taj Mahal Palace now even has two Jaguars in its fleet. Because many international flights arrive late at night, traffic delays are usually not a problem, and you should be at your hotel within an hour even if you’re staying downtown. If you arrive by daylight, don’t expect to get anywhere quickly (unless you’re staying at one of the hotels near the airport).

If you are flying direct from Mumbai’s international airport on to the next destination, note that you will have to transfer (there is a free bus every 15 min.; make sure you get on it) to the Domestic Terminal (1A and 1B; 022/2626-4000 or -4001) located in Santa Cruz some 4km (2 1⁄2 miles) from the international terminal and 26km (16 miles) north of the city. If you have a long wait before your flight, you will have to spend it in a very uncomfortable airport seat—another good reason to rather spend some time in Mumbai itself. If you have arrived at the Santa Cruz terminal from another part of the country and plan to spend some time in Mumbai, you can either use the prepaid service (Rs 330 to Colaba, plus Rs 10 per luggage item), or use the phone hot line to get a metered Meru cab and pay only Rs 270 (the outlandish markup on the prepaid service a result of serious union politics, and metered taxis being denied parking space at the airport—go figure!). Since domestic flights are likely to arrive during the day, be prepared for a long, congested, frustrating journey into Mumbai. There’s also a tourist office at the domestic airport ( 022/2615-6920; daily 7am–11pm), but there’s little need to dally here.

Note: Auto-rickshaws are banned from the city’s center, so don’t rely on these for trips originating from either of the airports unless your hotel is located in their immediate vicinity. Technically, you could use a rickshaw to get to the hotels in Juhu (the city’s favorite beach precinct), but the trip is a long one and you’ll inhale noxious traffic fumes along the way. Besides, unless you’re traveling extremely light, there won’t be much space for you to stow your luggage

BY TRAIN Good railway connections link Mumbai to all parts of the country, although journeys are long and, unless you opt for one of the smoother semiluxury services, likely to be extremely grueling. Since the terrorist attacks at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, or CST (otherwise known as “VT,” Victoria Station), in late 2008, most of the smarter trains that once terminated there now curtail their journeys at stations farther north. This inevitably affects trains arriving from Central, South, or East India, which may terminate at Dadar (pretty much in central Mumbai) or the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus at Kurla (more north). From the north, you’ll arrive at either Mumbai Central Station (most southerly), Dadar, or Bandra; check with your hotel to determine the best disembarkation point. After an inevitably lengthy train ride, you’ll probably want to grab a taxi to your hotel; see “Getting Around,” later in this chapter, and perhaps check first with your hotel to hear what the taxi fare should be.

Exploring Maharashtra on a Moving Palace

Western India’s version of the famous Palace on Wheels train is a lavish 21-car luxury train called The Deccan Odyssey, which traverses Maharashtra’s stunning coast. The 7-day journey begins in Mumbai and wanders down the coast to Goa via gorgeous beaches untouched by commercialization. It then stops in the historic