Mumbai is an interesting place that you can scale in a day or choose to make a holistic vacation out of it. Say, you have just 24 hours to spare in Mumbai. This is how you could make the best out of your day. Here is a loose-cut itinerary providing an example of how you could spend a day in Mumbai and end up enjoying every element of the city, including culture, heritage, nature, cuisine, nightlight, chaotic beauty and so on.
Choose a place to stay
It is best to choose a place closer to your mode of commutation. If you are entering Mumbai via trains, you can find many budget hotels and boutique resorts closer to the station. This will help you cut short some travel time. Rest for a while. There is no point in exploring the city when you are half-tired.
Hire a local cab
You can hire a cab for a complete day in Mumbai. It would cost around INR 2,000 at the minimum. During tourism season, the cost would take a hike. Either way, it would be much cheaper than booking cabs at every destination. On the plus side, these drivers know their way around the city, quickest routes to monuments and so on. One general advice; always hire a cab with AC. Mumbai could get pretty hot and humid.
Start with the Gateway of India
Some prefer to start with Elephanta Caves and from there, explore the Gateway of India. It is always better to start from the southern tip of Mumbai as it has many monuments than other parts of the city. From the India Gate, cover the Causeway and if desired, you could spend an hour or so in shopping.
From the Causeway, drive to Chor Bazar for antique shopping. While shopping, do not miss out the street foods. You ought to try the local cuisine and the best place is the market region.
Start sightseeing
For the next few hours, jam up your itinerary with sightseeing spots like Koli Fishing Village, Victoria Terminus, Marine Drive, Dharavi Slum, Phoenix Mall, Dhobi Ghat and others. From Southern Mumbai, work your way up to the next of the regions.
Suggested tour package: Mumbai: Elephanta Caves and Dharavi slum tour
Nightlife in Mumbai
Some choose to visit Marine Drive late at night to enjoy the nightlife. This region has places to hang out with your friends and families until dawn breaks. Juhu is the right place for some luxury nightlife. If Bandra is closer to your hotel, you can choose Bandra over Juhu at any time. If you are not into partying, you can catch up late night Bollywood or Hollywood movie in any of the multiplex theater. However, pre-booking is very essential.
Spending a day in Mumbai would be a memory-creating experience for many tourists. Usually, tourists taking up Indian tour itinerary start from Mumbai or choose to end the itinerary in Mumbai so that it would easier for them to board the international flight to home. To extend the vacation, they prefer to stay for a day to explore Mumbai. Most commonly, the tourists on luxury trains like Golden Chariot Train ’ Express choose to spend a day in Mumbai to get a glance of this city that never sleeps.