We will have a complete day and evening to spend in Mumbai( arrive the night before). What are the recommendations of members on how best to spend the day?
Also- are there ANY good hotels in Mumbai that don't cost £200 a night!? I am having a bit of a nightmare picking one-even the expensive ones seem to get more mixed reviews than normal.

Well, if you have time to spare, you can begin with the Gateway of India. Mumbai's most famous monument, its the starting point for most tourists. Built as a triumphal arch to commemorate the visit of King George V (Emperor of India) and Queen Mary, it has with four turrets and intricate latticework carved into the yellow basalt stone. Ironically, when the Raj ended in 1947, this colonial symbol also became a sort of epitaph: the last of the British ships that set sail for England left from the Gateway. Behind the arch, there are steps leading down to the water, from where you can board one of the bobbing little motor launches, for a short cruise through Mumbai's splendid natural harbour - if you plan to do this, then I recommend this in the evening, just before sunset. Its kind of romantic and very very nice. Or take a trip to Elephanta caves (on Gharpuri Island in Mumbai's harbour) - this will take you about 4 hours, an hour or so by boat from the Gateway of India. The Elephanta Caves date back to 600 AD and are carved out of solid rock. Its fascinating to think that the rock scupltors carved the caves from top-down, an amazing feat even in todays day and age. The cave complex is a collection of shrines, courtyards, inner cells, grand halls and porticos arranged in the splendid symmetry of Indian rock-cut architecture, filled with exquisite stone sculptures of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. I visited this place in the morn and am always taken by the sublime serenity of the Trimurthi. I have spent close to an hour gazing at the face of peace. The caves are kind of representative of Indian art and sculpture, resonating with the spiritual energy of India. And its worth doing, if you dont plan to do any other cave sculptures or temple architecture in India. The entrance to the caves is marked by the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity. Three distinct identities unlike the Catholic Trinity of three-in-one. Lord Brahma the Creator, Lord Vishnu, the preserver and Lord Shiva the Destroyer. Unfortunately, many of the sculptures inside have been damaged by Portuguese rulers (the islands of Bombay were gifted as Catherine de Braganza's dowry to Charles II of England in 1661), who took potshots at Hindu Gods with their rifles. And yet somehow, nothing has disturbed the sublime beauty of this place for centuries. A stone's throw from the Gateway of India is the Prince of Wales Museum, now called the Chhatrapti Shivaji Museum. Its a magnificent, but somewhat strange structure, built in a confluence of Gothic and Moorish styles, and crowned by a sparkling white dome. Once the largest museum in Asia, it boasts a good collection of ancient Indus Valley artifacts dating back to 2000 BC, plus some priceless Tibetan and Nepali Art. An entire gallery is devoted to Buddhist tankha scrolls, another to Tibetan bronzes. I rather like the collection of over 2000 miniature paintings from the various art schools of India. Near the Museum is the Bombay Natural History Society, which has an extensive collection of local flora and fauna.
Fiona, now all this depends on your hotel. The places I mentioned are in South Mumbai. And depending on traffic and flight timings, you may need to budget about an hour for travel from North or Central Mumbai.
Peak time traffic is a nightmare in Mumbai and if you have a flight to catch, your hair is very likely to turn white if you are caught in a traffic snarl.
If you let me know the area that you plan to stay in or what you are looking for in hotels, I can also send you some good hotels to check out.
Then you can decide the sight seeing plan accordingly.

thanks for that- it is so detailed. Right now we are undecided as to whether we have the time to spend in Mumbai as flights are not working out as we would have liked. When we started to investigate hotels we began to realise just what a problem it was- both price-wise and which location. It appears that from plane to hotel and back again will probably eat hours into our time. At the moment we are now looking at it as an overnight stop before our flight home 1pm the following day. We can arrive mid afternoon so even with all the traffic should be able to make the cruise at least. We have been given the Sea Palace to investigate
http://www.seapalacehotel.com/contact.htm
a mid class hotel but in a great position.Also Fariyas hotel
http://www.asiarooms.com/india/mumbai_(bombay)/fariyas.html

( We also just looked at an airport hotel but even if we have just a night and early morning then it would be better to go into Mumbai.)
We could of course knock a day off Goa but we would only have 4 days then( arriving there from Delhi after the Delhi/jaipur and Agra tour. Decisions, decisions!!

we have looked at our itinery again and now have a full day in Mumbai. We arrive in the evening, have the following full day and leave for the Goa the next morning. We have decided to go with Fariyas hotel as the other one had some very mixed reviews!

Hi Fiona
We just got back from mumbia yesterday
First off always get a prepaid taxi and make sure the meter is running Dont allow anyone to help you with your baggage not even just putting a case in the boot or theyll demand money. Be prepared for a big culture shock as you know millions of people out there live in shanty towns or just on the street Its So Heart breaking that in such a rich country people have to live like animals The Smell of the place is horrendous it will knock you for six
Elephanta island is a must see place
Take a taxi and ask him to show you the sights hell also be able to keep the many beggers and sellers away from you Food is really nice take a walk into a shanty town and see just how welcome they make you feel not once did we feel intimidated Crossing the road is a task on its own but go with the locals just whieve in and out around the cars lol
On the whole it was an experience and im glad we went
sharon

thanks Sharon
with just a day we did wonder if we should look for an organised trip but a taxi looks the best option. OH has already been well warned about the airports The crossing the road bit- we managed it in Saigon( when I decided to begin with that we would have to stay on the same side of the road all the time or get a taxi to take us across )so hopefully we will manage it there!

Hi Fiona,

If you start at the gateway there are numerous touts trying to sell you tours, We took a four wheel drive with air con and they do the "normal tourist sights" worth a look a look but it is a once only trip, our did the following:-
1. Gateway
2. Nariman point (good view if the mist has cleared)
3. Marin drive
4. Jain temple
5. Malabar Hill
6. Hanging Gardens
7. Tower of silence
8. Mani Bhavan (Ghandi House)
9. Victoria Buildings
10. Dhobi Ghats (Laundry)

You should be able to complete this in about 4-5 hours. and is probably the best way to see lots in a short time.

The hardest thing we found was to locate somewhere to eat and have a drink, and next time I will be better prepared.

Mids

thanks Mids
between you and smarpatti I have my day sorted! Will do some more research now. I also like the idea of the sunset cruise
Sharon
any recommendations for where to eat?

Hi Fiona
In Colaba Id suggest Leopoles we only had a snack there but the menu was great and also the service
As my husband wanted to be right in the heart of mumbai we stayed in the fort area of the city close to the c.s.t Train station
for our first 2 days at a Hotel called Residency for just 1700rps a night for a delux double room Not quite a delux youd expect in europe but still very clean
on our return from Goa we stayed at the lotus suites for 2 nights Very close to the international airport and i must say very impressed with the whole hotel and service but outside there is very little except the shanty towns which we walked around very freely and was made so welcome by people who have such sorryful lifes to lead In all the time we walked around the slums not one person young or old asked us for money
They are the real people who deserve a little help as we did we gave to a few and there faces said it all to us
sharon
p.s do you like seafood?

thanks Sharon
We love seafood We looked at the Orchid hotel which is also close to the airport but were put off because there didn't seem to be anything around it. We are now booked into the Fariyas which is right in the thick of things.

For the best noodles ever try
"The Noodle bar"
Junction of 14th & 33rd Road,
Off Linking Road
Mumbai

very modern interior (a bit non Mumbai) but great create your own menu.

As Above Leopolds is a crazy busy meeting place, getting a table at peak times can be a problem, more of a bar/restaurant but basic good food and generous portions

All Stir Fry
Located in Gordon Hotel
5 Battery street
Apollo Bunder
Coloba

I like the look of All Stir Fry- and the food sounds good too

If you are there for only a day and night then Coloba is the place to head. There are some good small hotels near to The Gateway. Try indiamike for reviews.

we have done just that and booked the Fariyas- right in the middle of things

Hi
We're going to Candolim in less than 2 weeks (for the 5th time) for 3 weeks and fancy doing something other than lazing on the beach.

We've been to Hampi a few times and quite fancy going to Mumbai on the train.
I've looked at Melo Tours and Daytrippers websites and one does a 3 day/2 night trip and the other does 4 days/3 nights.
Obviously quite a bit of time is taken up with the train journey.

What is there to see in Mumbai?
Are there any temples? Or other landmarks worth seeing?

We love soaking up the atmosphere of places and are happy to wander round local markets etc.

Thanks
Polly

have a look further down the page for a couple of threads with good info

Fiona
Thanks - as you know, I posted this on the Goa forum - as we are planning it from there.
Sorry.

When I noticed you'd moved it to here, I found some really good information already provided - so thanks to everybody.

Polly

Polly
you'll need to post your experiences of Mumbai when you get back- the dos and don'ts. Strictly for my benefit of course

We are flying to Goa via Mumbai in April which we have done several times before as it is the preferred option however our return journey has an 8 hour wait at Mumbai airport ( 5pm till 2am ) before our flight to the UK. We were thinking of spending an evening in Mumbai ( say 7 till 11 ) and wondered if anybody else has done this or any suggestions what to do. Maybe a bit of sightseeing,a meal and a few drinks. We could stay at airport however prices are extortionate ie. 700rps for a small bottle kingfisher. Is city centre far from airport?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated