Mumbai was given by Portuguese as dowry to Charles II of England when he married Catherine. The group of seven islands was leased to the East India Company who offered freedom of business and religion to persons who came and settled here. Initially a few Parsis and Gujarati came but soon a sizeable population began to thrive here. This was way back in the 17th century. Today also Mumbai is a city of migrants. People from all over the country have come and settled here. This gives the society of Mumbai a multi-lingual and multi-cultural color.
The city has an estimated metropolitan population of 17 million (2005), making it one of the largest cities in the world. It is also home to India's largest slum population. Mumbai looms large as the commercial capital of as it is one of the India's predominant port cities. Mumbai's nature as the most eclectic and cosmopolitan Indian city is symbolized in the presence of Bollywood within the city, the centre of the globally-influential Hindi film and TV industries.
Mumbai Bombay is a very well connected city, be it by air, road or rail.
By air - Mumbai has more flights connecting it than even the national capital New Delhi. All major airlines fly to and from Mumbai to most of the important cities of the world. The international terminal of Mumbai is known as Sahar and the domestic terminal is known as Santa Cruz.
By rail - Central Railways runs services to the east and north, the Western Railways also runs trains to North India from Churchgate and Central stations.
By bus - If you plan your tour by road, Mumbai is well connected with all the major tourist spots across India. Most of the long distance buses leave from the State Transport Terminal situated opposite Mumbai's Central Railway Station. However, we won't suggest you to take on this journey if you have a language problem, since there is hardly any information in English. Not knowing Hindi or Marathi can make your travel arduous and not to mention the road fatigue.
Places to visit:
Chowpatty Beach, it’s crowded but fun. Marine Drive at daytime and night (you'll most likely see this while travelling around in the city, so there's no special trip needed), Chowpatty is at Marine Drive's northern end, Oberoi is at the southern end, it's basically a semi-circular road right by the sea, and it looks great at night and heck any time of the day. It is crowded during rush hours.
Gateway of India, near the Taj Mahal hotel, Elephanta Islands, you can take a boat from Gateway of India to the islands, spend part of the day there looking at the caves, etc. Breach Candy for good quality shopping needs, such as clothes, gifts, etc. Amarsons is one of the stores that my family has been going to for over 25 years. You can also hit the markets such as Crawford Market, Buleshwar for good and cheap goods; just know it's in the older part of the city, so there are narrow streets and crowding.
Being one of the most popular cities of India, Bombay is usually thronged by number of tourists from all over the world. Since the city is quite famous on the Indian tourist map, Bombay host an array of hotels ranging from Deluxe to Budget. They are further categorized into 5 star, 4 Star and 3 star. Deciding on where to stay in Mumbai just got that bit easier! for a selection of the best hostels and budget accommodation in Mumbai.
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