India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [89]
CITY LAYOUT
Mumbai city lies on the western coast of India, on a thin peninsula that extends southward almost parallel to the mainland. At the southern end of this peninsula are Colaba and the adjoining Fort area, on the east of which lies Mumbai’s deep, natural harbor and India’s busiest port. West of Fort, hugging the Arabian Sea, is the popular promenade Marine Drive, which begins at the business district of Nariman Point and terminates at Chowpatty Beach and Malabar Hill. These are the focal nodes for tourists who, unlike the locals, often refer to the area as downtown. In fact, locals say they are going “into town,” by which they mean they are going toward South Mumbai, the area stretching south from Mahim Creek to Colaba. South Mumbai is where most tourists base themselves—it’s especially convenient if you’d like to explore the historic heart of the city on foot. Here you’ll find attractions like the Gateway of India and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (aka Prince of Wales Museum), and the thickest concentration of restaurants and accommodations that are geared for foreigners. The South Mumbai neighborhoods are described in detail below. There are, however, many enticing reasons to stay in less overtly tourist-centric areas like Worli, Bandra and Juhu—for one, you’ll get to see where many Mumbaikars (or Bombayites) live (whereas south Mumbai is pretty much a business zone that quiets down considerably after dark)—Bandra is a particularly upbeat area plumb with homes belonging to jet-set Bollywood stars and a real magnet for some of the trendiest crowds in town. Even if you don’t stay here (or along the hip beachfront strip at Juhu, slightly north of Bandra), it’d be a real shame not to take at least one trip into the suburbs, even if your sole mission is to shop till you drop (in which case, definitely put Worli on your itinerary, too). Bandra and Juhu are also close enough to the airport (without being flush up against the runways) to make them convenient for making a relatively quick getaway when your departure rolls around.
Colaba, Fort & Churchgate
Neighborhoods in brief
COLABA & NARIMAN POINT
Because of its proximity to most of Mumbai’s landmarks and colonial buildings, this, the southern tip of Mumbai, is the real tourist hub. In many ways its location has contributed to Colaba’s slightly seedy side, though certain areas have recently been rejuvenated. Many of the city’s budget accommodations are situated along roads leading off Colaba Causeway, punctuated by (at the northernmost end) the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai’s most famous hotel, which is located opposite the Gateway of India, its most famous landmark, across from which you can see the oil rigs of Bombay High. The area around the Gateway of India is called Apollo Bunder, though the easiest way to get there is to ask for directions to the Taj. Southwest of this is Cuffe Parade, an upmarket residential neighborhood, and farther south, the restricted navy Cantonment.
If you travel west from Colaba to the other end of the narrow peninsula until you hit the sea, you’ll arrive at Nariman Point, starting point of Marine Drive. This was once Mumbai’s most bustling business district; although many airline offices and several foreign embassies