Explore the narrow lanes with their tiny shops spilling with colourful wares; witness the people haggling for a deal and discover authentic spice mixes and watch as the spices are dry roasted and ground into the masala mix of your choice. Delve into the notorious Chor Bazaar, the once well-kept secret and reserved only for the adventurous. Chor Bazaar’s literal translation is the Thieves Market, although, it was born on the premise of ‘Shor’ Bazaar, which meant a noisy market. It was named so, because it was used to house mechanics and their repair garages. British for the greater convenience of their tongue, misnamed it ‘Chor’ Bazaar”!
Mumbai is famous across India for its outstanding street food. Tantalize your taste buds and sample some delicious treats amidst colourful street stalls at Girgaon Chowpatty, take a sip of tea in an hundred year old Irani Café, discover the joys of Pav Bhaji and take a bite of colourful snow cones among other street knick knacks
Discover fascinating Mumbai as this bustling city awakens. Watch as the energy, the vibrancy and the bustle begins in this metropolis that draws millions of people from across the country in search of a better future. Seeing this lively city wake up, gives you deep cultural insights into the real Mumbai where you will experience the underbelly of this magnificent city and understand what makes it tick. Visit the chaotic docks and understand the life and times of the original inhabitants of Mumbai; witness a one-of-its kind fish auction and watch as thousands of vendors sort out newspapers in different languages, that too in the middle of the road! Experience the colour and fragrance at the flower market; visit the ‘all herb mandi’ spread across a popular bridge with thousands of vendors sitting atop a bridge selling various leafy vegetables and stroll across a cricket ground and learn about the game that has captured the hearts of a billion
Understand how the epicentre of Mumbai’s dizzying economic growth doesn’t lie behind glass facades of skyscrapers, but in a run-down neighbourhood of Mumbai inside tiny 100 sq. ft. homes. The people here might not be your suit-clad businessmen, but are owners of multi-million dollar companies. These are the people of Dharavi – one of Asia’s largest slums. Explore Dharavi, with its thousands of small-scale industries that generate a billions of dollars annually and discover why this area is a powerhouse of the economy and an indispensible contribution to Mumbai’s well being. With its cottage industries including leather, embroidered dresses, clay pots, cardboard, recycling and popaddum you will learn why Dhavari slum is really a land of opportunity
Your guide will deliver an overview of Bollywood with the latest news. Your first and the most special stop is a taste of the Bollywood crazy! The Bollywood dance! A mixture of numerous styles, a Bollywood dance is best explained as beautiful storytelling. We thereafter proceed to visit a TV/Film/Ad film set to watch a live shoot. Your guide will help you explore the sets and encourage interactions with the crew.You will observe the film shoot experience and the guide with the help of the crew and cast will help you achieve a deeper understanding of the process. After the set visit, you will proceed for a lunch in a local restaurant.Post lunch, drive past actors’ homes and proceed for the next stop.The next stop will be the visit to a recording studio. You will have a great time understanding the sound and music operations for films .You will also be encouraged to record a Bollywood song/dialogue to understand better the functioning of all equipment. The last stop will be a Bollywood movie screening at a movie theatre in the city
This victory arch was built to welcome the British Queen to the city, and it's only befitting to have it as our first stop. Right opposite, you will see the famous domed Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Post this, we will walk past the Royal Mumbai Yacht Club, the Police Headquarters, the NGMA and the city museum. En-route, we will stumble upon the Kala Ghoda area, which is the art area of Mumbai. Here amidst stories of Sassoon and Jewish history, you will hear stories about the Watson Hotel -the first iron cast building in the city, that hosted Mark Twain. As you walk past the Session court and the high court, you will see the Raja Bhai towers, the Big Ben of Mumbai. This structure built by generous donation Premchand Roychand, a Mumbai based businessman, still chimes old British tunes once every 15 minutes. Your final stop is the venerated architectural masterpiece -The Victoria Terminus Railway Station. Made famous by the movie Slumdog Millionaire, this Indo Saracenic structure sees over six hundred and fifty thousand people get onto the train station every day. After a hectic march through the city, it’s only fair that you take some rest at the Badshah cooldrinks and have the iconic vermicelli based sweet milk drink called Falooda. While doing so, observe an entire cavalcade of life pass by you in the markets of Mumbai.
The Gateway of India, or the arc de triomphe of Mumbai, will be your first stop. Here, you will see Geroge Wittet’s construction genius and explore the Indo-Sarcenic style of architecture. Amidst conversation about the architecture of Royal India Yatch Club, Taj Hotel, NGMA you will find yourself in the cultural and architectural precinct of Mumbai –Kala Ghoda. Not only will you see the first iron cast structure in India –the Watson Hotel, but also Neo –Gothic synagogues, renaissance revival buildings and British Colonial Architecture. All these within a kilometre of each other. After driving past the Colonial structures of the High court and University, you will reach Marine Drive –The Mecca of Art Deco structures in Mumbai. Started in the mid 1900s, art deco structures gained immense popularity among the rich and the famous. Year after year, many a residential structures were constructed with this architectural style. Today, Mumbai boasts of having the second most number of art deco buildings after Miami.Our final stop is the magnificent Victoria Terminus Building. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Victoria terminus is the most beautiful heritage building in the city. Built by architect F W Stevens, this site took ten years for completion is a shining example of Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture. A very ornate end to your panoramic design journey
