Mumbai, still called Bombay by locals (- I don’t know why, I always mix both names and it comes up as Mombay -), is the capital city of the state of Maharashtra. It’s also India’s financial capital and home to the Bollywood industry (the Hindi film and television business). Over 100 films are produced each year there. It is is a big, big, big city : almost 20 million inhabitants (just a little bit more than Belgium…). 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 sea ❤ The beauty of Mumbai is probably its culture and its British architectures in the tropics…
♯ Gateway of India
The famous attraction on the waterfront. Just in front of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. It is where you can take a boat to the caves at Elephanta Island. If you prefer to avoid lots of tourist, you can come here by night
♯ The Taj Mahal Palace
It is beautiful from the outside but also from the inside (so do not forget to walk in!)
♯ Colaba Causeway – “The heaven of shopping” ♡
This is what I called ” the heaven of shopping”. In fact, if you like shopping, if you like accessories, jewels, souvenirs and if you like to buy them at the best price (for cheap) : that’s the place to be!
How does it work?
1. You look for what you would like to buy
2. You decide the price
3. You go home with tons of Indian bags, Indian jewlery, Indian sandals, Indian dresses, Indian souvenirs… Well everything you want made in India
♯ 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 was made famous 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…
♯ Not to miss
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Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (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)
Ultimate 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. So if you dream of cinema and fame and you tried your best at L.A but it didn’t work: This might be your second chance!
Hindus movies are looking for foreigners to play as extras!! 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 order to recruit.Stay in the streets of Colaba, for example, and wait for an agent to stop you OR 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 don’t believe me, check this out ➔ “From Backpacker to Bollywood extra”
You can also book a Bollywood tour to visit the studios. Check on ➔ TripAdvisor
♯Security
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. Some of these attacks occured in South Mumbai, in very touristic places: at Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Palace, Leopold Café, the Metro Cinema…
This is the reason why security measures are very high in Mumbai (and everywhere in India).
