# Mumbai: map, what to do and when to go

Mumbai is India's port and financial center, with the Victorian CSMT station, the Art Deco of Marine Drive and the Elephanta caves. Seven islands joined by landfill form a peninsula of about 50 km, home to about 12.5 million people.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mumbai/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Mumbai: how do you get from the airport to the south center?** Since October 2025, metro Line 3 links T2 to BKC and Worli and to the south center (Churchgate, Cuffe Parade) in about 50 minutes for ₹10 to 80, and it's the most predictable option at rush hour.
- **Mumbai: how do you get to Alibaug by ferry?** A catamaran ferry from the Gateway of India to Mandwa takes 20 to 60 minutes depending on the boat, plus 20 minutes by bus to Alibaug, about 25 km as the crow flies across the bay.
- **Mumbai: what's the currency, and what's it worth?** The currency is the Indian rupee (INR, ₹), at about ₹89 to the dollar and ₹16 to the real in 2026.

## The southern tip: Victorian stone and sea
Start at 8am at the Gateway of India, take in the facade of the Taj Mahal Palace (1903) across the street and continue on foot along Colaba Causeway.
- Gateway of India
- Marine Drive and its Art Deco ensemble
- CSMVS (formerly the Prince of Wales Museum)

## Elephanta and the 19th-century city
Take the first ferry from the Gateway to Elephanta at around 9am: a 1-hour crossing, and the island is closed on Mondays.
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus
- Elephanta Caves
- Crawford Market and Mohammed Ali Road

## North: work, film and beach
Take the Western line train after the morning peak (between 11am and 4pm) to Mahalaxmi and view Dhobi Ghat from the station footbridge.
- Dhobi Ghat
- Haji Ali Dargah

## Gateway of India
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mumbai/#g-lugar-gateway-of-india
Mumbai City district
A 26 m yellow basalt arch designed by George Wittet, built between 1913 and 1924 to mark George V's visit in 1911. In February 1948 the last British soldiers shipped out through it; today it's the ferry dock for Elephanta and Mandwa.
Check access

## Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mumbai/#g-lugar-chhatrapati-shivaji-maharaj
Mumbai City district · Up to half an hour
F. W. Stevens's neo-Gothic station, built between 1878 and 1888 and named Victoria Terminus, has been a World Heritage Site since 2004 and handles more than 3 million passengers a day. See the facade and the central staircase from outside, in the middle of the bustle, or book one of the guided tours of the station's heritage gallery.
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## Elephanta Caves
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mumbai/#g-lugar-cavernas-de-elephanta
Raigad district
Temples carved into the rock of Gharapuri island in the 5th–6th c., a World Heritage Site since 1987, with the Trimurti of Shiva about 6 m tall. The ferry from the Gateway takes about 1 hour; the island is closed on Mondays and there are 120 steps up to the main cave (a little train runs from the dock to the base).
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## Marine Drive and its Art Deco ensemble
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mumbai/#g-lugar-marine-drive
Bombaim
A 3.6 km promenade built over land reclaimed between the 1920s and 1940s, lined with Art Deco buildings on the land side. Mumbai's Victorian and Art Deco ensemble became a World Heritage Site in 2018; at night the curved streetlamps earn it the nickname Queen's Necklace.
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## CSMVS (formerly the Prince of Wales Museum)
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mumbai/#g-lugar-csmvs
Mumbai City district
An Indo-Saracenic museum by George Wittet, opened to the public in 1922, with about 70,000 pieces spanning Mughal miniatures, Gandhara sculpture and natural history. Set aside at least 1 hour 30 minutes; the ticket office closes before the museum does.
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## Dhobi Ghat
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mumbai/#g-lugar-dhobi-ghat
Up to half an hour
An open-air laundry in Mahalaxmi, operating since 1890, with hundreds of concrete wash pens where thousands of garments are washed each day. The classic view is from the Mahalaxmi station footbridge; asking permission before photographing the workers is the local rule.
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## Haji Ali Dargah
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mumbai/#g-lugar-haji-ali-dargah
Bombaim · Up to half an hour
A white mausoleum from 1431 on an islet in Worli Bay, connected to land by a roughly 500 m causeway that's submerged at high tide. Check the tide table before going; men and women enter through separate access points at the inner shrine.
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## Siddhivinayak Temple
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mumbai/#g-lugar-templo-siddhivinayak
Bombaim · Half a day or more
A Ganesha temple in Prabhadevi, founded in 1801 and rebuilt in 1990, with a golden dome. Tuesdays draw lines that can run over three hours; phones and cameras go into luggage storage.
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## Crawford Market and Mohammed Ali Road
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mumbai/#g-lugar-crawford-market
Bombaim · Up to half an hour
A market from 1869, now called Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Mandai, with reliefs by John Lockwood Kipling on its façade, selling fruit, spices and household goods. Ten minutes on foot away, Mohammed Ali Road begins, a corridor of Muslim food that comes alive at night and turns into a fair during Ramadan.
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## Kanheri Caves, in Sanjay Gandhi National Park
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/mumbai/#g-lugar-cavernas-de-kanheri-no-parque
Mumbai Suburban district
A group of 109 Buddhist caves carved between the 1st century BCE and the 10th century, inside a 104 km² national park within the urban area. Enter through the Borivali gate; it's about 6 km from the gate to the caves, covered by park bus or on foot.
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**Mumbai: how do you get from the airport to the south center?**
Since October 2025, metro Line 3 links T2 to BKC and Worli and to the south center (Churchgate, Cuffe Parade) in about 50 minutes for ₹10 to 80, and it's the most predictable option at rush hour.

**Mumbai: how do you get to Alibaug by ferry?**
A catamaran ferry from the Gateway of India to Mandwa takes 20 to 60 minutes depending on the boat, plus 20 minutes by bus to Alibaug, about 25 km as the crow flies across the bay.

**Mumbai: what's the currency, and what's it worth?**
The currency is the Indian rupee (INR, ₹), at about ₹89 to the dollar and ₹16 to the real in 2026.

**Mumbai: what's the best time to go?**
The good window runs from November to February: lows of 18 to 22°C, highs of 30 to 33°C, tolerable humidity, and practically no rain.

**Mumbai: where do you have to take your shoes off?**
It applies to every temple, mosque, gurdwara, and private home, and to some small shops and workshops.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 2 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/mumbai/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/mumbai/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/mumbai.md