13 Useful Things to Know Before Visiting Mumbai

Mumbai’s traffic is notorious at certain ‘peak’ hours or rush hours. Morning traffic is at its worst between 8 to 10 from the suburbs towards South Bombay. In the evenings it’s best to start your journey between 4 and 5. After 5.30 in the evening, the roads from South Bombay towards suburbs get quite jam-packed!

South Bombay and the suburbs are one very distinct area of the city. South Bombay essentially starts as you cross Bandra and proceed towards Mahim. The Bandra-Worli Sea Link is a bridge over the Arabian Sea that takes you from Bandra to Worli and saves a lot of time.

The airport in Mumbai is called Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. It can get a bit confusing for inexperienced travelers because there are two separate terminals – T1 and T2. T1 is, essentially, the domestic airline terminal, whereas all international flights take off from T2. However, there are a few domestic airlines that land and take off at T2 too. So, if you are going to travel within the country from Mumbai, make sure you know what airline you are going with and where it takes off from.

Since India has a high mortality rate due to selfie photos, the police have declared 16 non-selfie zones in Mumbai –areas where it is too dangerous to point the phone at yourself and click images! So, make sure you are aware of these areas and avoid trouble.

Booking a room in Mumbai is quite easy. Some of the best hotel booking services are Oyo and Treebo. So, even if your visit to the city is last minute, these online services can help you get a roof over your head while you’re visiting Mumbai.

Online cab booking services are quite popular in Mumbai. The most popular are Ola and Uber. Cabs are quite easy to book and you can even rent them for a day if you don’t want the hassle of booking a cab every time you want to go from one place to another while exploring the city.

People in Mumbai are generally helpful. It’s rare that you if ask for directions or any kind of help that people would refuse or behave rudely. You will meet friendly people who are almost always willing to help.

Mumbai is a coastal city and, on an average, the elevation above sea level is 46 ft. This means Mumbai has a warm, tropical climate all year round. Daytime is even warm during the winter months. It’s best to carry easy, cotton, light clothes for your stay in the city.

The trains are busy with a footfall of 2.6 billion every year. The local railway line is divided in three sections – Western, Central and Harbour. The trains are packed in the mornings (from 8 to 10) and in the evenings (from 6 to 8). You can buy a two-way ticket but there are no tickets that enable you to hop-on, hop-off any train you’d like across the city. Mumbai also has metro railway and monorail connecting certain parts of the city.

Rickshaws, the famous three-wheeled vehicle, painted black and yellow in Mumbai, are actually a really good way to get from A to B in the city. Rickshaw drivers are generally sweet and will help you with directions. The best way to get their attention is to shout ‘auto!’. Rickshaws run by the meter in Mumbai, so the chances of drivers cheating you on the fare are rare. Be aware that the rickshaws don’t run beyond Bandra.

Monsoons are quite difficult in Mumbai and the coastal city experiences heavy rainfall every year! Flooding is common, traffic is worse than usual and even trains come to a stand-still. If you want to visit and explore the city you’d be better to visit during a different season.

There are ferry services to nearby islands like Alibaug and Elephanta Caves that depart from the dock area in South Mumbai. This is a cost-effective way and fast route to visit rather beautiful places!