Mumbai, still called Bombay by localsĀ (- I donāt know why, I always mix both names and it comes up asĀ MombayĀ -), is the capital city of the state of Maharashtra. It’s also India’s financial capital andĀ home to theĀ BollywoodĀ industry (the Hindi film and television business). Over 100 films are produced each year there. It is is a big, big, big cityĀ : almost 20 million inhabitants (just a little bit more than Belgiumā¦). Indeed, it is the biggest city of the country. As a result, there is also a lot of traffic.
Mumbai is chaotic, you can’t deny it, and it’s very hot all year round. But the city is surrounded by the seaĀ ā¤ Ā The beauty of Mumbai is probably its culture andĀ its British architectures in the tropicsā¦
āÆĀ Gateway of India
TheĀ famous attraction on the waterfront. Just in front of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. It is where you can take a boatĀ to the caves at Elephanta Island. If you prefer to avoid lots of tourist, you can come here by night
āÆĀ The Taj Mahal Palace
It is beautiful from the outside but also from the inside (so do not forget to walk in!)
āÆĀ Colaba CausewayĀ Ā – “The heaven of shopping” Ā ā”
This is what I called ” the heaven of shopping”.Ā In fact, if you like shopping, if you like accessories, jewels,Ā souvenirs andĀ if you like to buy themĀ at the best price (for cheap) :Ā thatās the place to be!
How does it work?
1. You look for what you would like to buy
2. You decide theĀ price
3.Ā You go home with tons of Indian bags, Indian jewlery, Indian sandals, Indian dresses, Indian souvenirsā¦Ā Well everything you want made in India
āÆ Have a drink at the Leopold Cafe
In the heart of Colaba, you can stop by this charming, popular spot. Founded in 1871, Leopold Cafe wasĀ made famousĀ by the book Shantaram. It is a very popular place, where you can eat and drink. It might be crowded, but at least you can find other travellers or meet some Bollywood agents…
āÆĀ Not to miss
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Chhatrapati Shivaji TerminusĀ (formerly the Victoria Terminus)
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Elephanta Island, the City of Caves (formerly Gharapuri Island)
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The Worli Sea Link (Bridge that looks like the Golden Gate Bridge)
UltimateĀ experience in Mumbai
Welcome to Bollywood !
As I said before, Mumbai is home to the Bollywood industry. Over 100 films are produced each year there.Ā So if you dream of cinema and fame and youĀ tried your best at L.A but it didnāt work:Ā This might beĀ your second chance!
Hindus moviesĀ are looking for foreigners to play as extras!!Ā You can read many stories of foreign travellers who became extras in a Bollywood movie
To get a ticket to the movie set, be at touristic places, where agents will likely be there in orderĀ to recruit.StayĀ in the streets of Colaba, for example, and wait for an agent to stop youĀ ORĀ go to Salvation Army Red Shield Hostel. It is a backpacker institution, where you can sign up directly to be a film extra.
If you donāt believe me, check this outĀ āĀ “From Backpacker to Bollywood extra”
You can also book a Bollywood tour to visit the studios. Check onĀ āĀ TripAdvisor
āÆSecurity
In November 2008, Mumbai was the target of a terror attack. A group of ten Islamic militants, based in Pakistan, carried out 12 shooting and bombing attacks for four days, killing 164 people.Ā Some of these attacks occured in South Mumbai, in very touristic places: at Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Palace, Leopold CafĆ©, the Metro Cinema…
This is the reason why security measures areĀ very high in Mumbai (and everywhere in India).
