Tours of Crawford Market, Malabar Hill, Bollywood, Elephanta and Mumbai Slums

Home of the mega Hindi movie industry. India’s financial capital and the seat of the national stock exchange. The city where a bunch of uneducated dabbawallas have created their own Six Sigma delivery system. A seaside city where real estate prices are as high as Tokyo and London. That, in a nutshell, is Mumbai – the city of opportunity.

Mumbai revels in its reputation as one of India’s most dynamic and trendy cities. Crammed onto a narrow strip of land that curls from the coast into the Arabian Sea, Mumbai has metamorphosed from being a fishing settlement into a sprawling megalopolis of 16 million people. Mumbai, the capital city of the state of Maharashtra stands as the western gateway to India.

With its endless stream of daily commuters, brimming local trains and back-to-bonnet cars and buses, this city always seems as if it is bursting at the seams. But this entire hustle bustle hides behind it a multicultural and multiethnic lifestyle.

Mumbai has an enduring ability to create wealth. This is why, here you would find people from all backgrounds, all classes and all social strata coming together in search of economic prosperity and growth. Not to forget, the lure of fame & fortune that pulls one and all to this center of Bollywood entertainment. The film and television industry has grown manifold in Mumbai and is surely one of the major reasons why endless crowds get attracted to this part of the land.

Gateway program for Mumbai:

Day – 01. Arrive in Mumbai.
Meals Included: None.
Arrive at Night at Mumbai International Airport. You will be met and transferred to your hotel. Overnight in Mumbai.

Day – 02. Mumbai.
Meals Included: Breakfast.
After breakfast this morning you will begin tour of Mumbai visiting Mumbai’s most famous landmark, the Gateway of India, the first sight to greet travelers to Indian shores during the British Raj. It was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. Continue your city tour which includes the ‘Dhobi Ghats’ a huge open air laundry, Mahatama Gandhi’s House, the bustling bazaar around Crawford Market and the beautiful Jain Temple on Malabar Hill.

Also visit the unusual site of Mumbai’s ‘Dhabawallas’ at work. Watch the lunch boxes being sorted for delivery from private homes to the work place. This 100 year old management system of collecting, sorting and delivering over a million boxes is flawlessly executed on a daily basis.


Day-03 Mumbai / Next destination.
Meals Included: Breakfast
After breakfast this morning you’ll be transferred to the airport for your flight to the next destination.

Mumbai Hotel Suggestions:
Standard :
Hotel Fariyas ( www.fariyas.com )
Hotel Ambassador ( www.ambassadorindia.com/mumbai.asp )
Hotel Gordon House ( www.ghhotel.com)

Deluxe :
Taj President ( www.tajhotels.com )
Trident Nariman Point (www.tridenthotels.com )

Luxury :
The Oberoi (www.oberoihotels.com)
Taj Mahal Palace & Tower ( www.tajhotels.com )

AIRPORT HOTEL:
Kohinoor Continental (www.hotelkohinoorcontinental.com )
The Orchid (www.orchidhotel.com )
Leela Kempenski (www.theleela.com/hotel-mumbai.html )

BOOK NOW/Request Pricing

MUMBAI OPTIONAL TOURING:

Mumbai Markets
This experience will take you through the sprawling and colorful markets of Mumbai. The journey starts at the historic Crawford Market and its bas-relies depicting scenes from market life carved by Lockwood Kipling, father of the writer Rudyard Kipling. From there you will stop to peruse the steel-pot shops on Lokmanya Tilak Road before making your way to the market stalls around Mumbadevi Temple, the shrine which gave Mumbai its name. Then it is on to Bhuleshwar Market and Zaveri Bazaar (Jeweler’s Market). Yadnik Chowk, where plumbers and painters wait for customers on the sidewalks, is the next stop followed by the antique market of Chor Bazaar (Thieves Market).
Highlights:
• Crawford Market.
• Flower Sellers of Bhuleshwar Market.
• Zaveri Bazaar (Jeweler’s Market).

Notable Buildings
Mumbai is a treasure trove of unique buildings and architecture. In this experience, an expert will showcase some of the most notable buildings in Mumbai. You will be introduced to the history that was created around these monuments and hear fascinating stories about the people who envisioned, build, and lived in these buildings.
Highlights: Asiatic Society Library & Town Hall, GPO, Elphinstone College, Sassoon Library & Reading room

Mumbai Art Safari
This experience starts at the National Gallery of Modern Art, where an art expert will trace for you the historical development and evolution of the various schools of modern Indian art. Our expert will highlight important works by great Indian painters like MF Husain and help you appreciate their contributions to the world of modern art. From there you will visit the Jehangir and explore their public galleries. A break awaits us at Café Samovar, the local artists’ haunt and then it is on to explore the pavement galleries of the Kala Ghoda art district.

Architecture – Neo Gothic & Art Deco Mumbai
Home to the second largest collection of art deco buildings in the world, Mumbai is a treasure trove of residential, commercial and civic buildings built in this style in the 1930s and 40s. The experience starts at the Oval Maidan (ground) where two centuries of buildings styles face each other. To the east are the Gothic buildings of the late 1800s and on the west end are the Art Deco buildings, symbolizing optimism and shift towards modernization.

This tour includes:-
• Myriad buildings in Churchgate
• Row of art deco residential buildings along Mumbai’s famous Marine Drive
• Influence of Indian traditions and mythology on the Art deco architecture in the Fort.

Best of Prince of Wales Museum
A Mumbai landmark, the Prince of Wales Museum is one of the best museums in India with an excellent and well laid out collection of antiques. This experience is designed to capture the width and richness of its collection.
Highlights:-
• Indo-Saracenic architecture of the museum building
• Artifacts from Indus Valley Civilization (2600–1900 BCE)
• Illustrated animal fables of the Anwar-Suhayli, Mughal style , Akbar period (1556-1605)
• Decorative artefacts such as Mughul jades, textiles, and ivories.
• Armor of Mughal Emperor Akbar, c 1581 CE

Cave Temples of Elephanta
UNESCO World Heritage Sight, the cave temples of Elephanta contain masterpieces of Hindu sculpture from around the 6th century AD. This experience is designed to help you explore Mumbai’s most important historical sight. At the cave temples, you will get an insight in to Shivism, one of the most influential denominations in Hinduism. Using the amazing rock cut sculptures, our experts will highlight for you the many attributes and manifestations of Lord Shiva and tell you interesting mythological anecdotes.

Highlights:-
• Mahesh-Murti statue
• Dancing Nataraj
• Panel Depicting Shiva Impaling a Demon.

Private Collections
This experience offers a rare glimpse into the homes of Mumbai’s most notable art collectors. Led by a Tallis Art Curator you will get an opportunity to view art collections that only a few get to admire. You will meet and interact with leading collectors and hear their personal views on Indian art and stories behind their collections.
Duration: 4 hours

The Dances & The Festivals
An hour long program in the Evening called the Utsav showcases the culture, traditions and the festivals of Maharashtra, through song and dance.

The show features a live performance by a troupe of over 50 people, set to themed costumes and music.

We also showcase a traditional Maharastrian marriage. The program features live commentary in English, explaining the nuances of each festival and tradition.
Duration: 01 hours

Slum Tours in Mumbai
Dharavi was probably a small village on the outskirts of Mumbai. Today the slums of Dharavi stand in the centre of Mumbai conveniently connected to the different parts of the city and the National Highway corridors.

The tour begins from the industrial part of Dharavi Slums in Mumbai. Walking through the area, visiting several units that are engaged in re-cycling of plastic, metal, copper, corrugated boxes, etc. We came across several bakeries, soap manufacturing units, tanneries, women making snacks like chips, papads etc.

Then walk through the residential part passing through the narrower lanes. Its so conjested that some of the houses probably never see sunlight. But residents have essentials like water and Mumbai’s uninterrupted electricity.
Duration: 03 - 04 hours

Mumbai Connections
If you are interested in a great discussion on India related topics of your interest in a relaxed homely environment, this experience is for you. Here, we will connect you with an individual or family. Over high tea or a meal at their home, you will get the opportunity to explore Mumbai and India based on your interests and questions coupled with their local knowledge, cultural background, expertise, and experiences. The perfect answer to all the questions you had and did not know whom to ask!!

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Include tour of Mumbai in your Rajasthan tour or your tour to Gujarat or Goa