Seven islands, an imperial port and a city that never stops moving.
Mumbai — known to the world as Bombay until its name was officially changed in 1995 — began as seven islands of Koli fishing villages that passed from Portuguese to English hands as part of a royal dowry. Cotton, railways and the port turned it into India's great metropolis, and its southern tip still holds Gothic railway stations, Irani cafés, Art Deco apartment blocks and the temple that gave the city its name. Three free walking tours to explore it at your own pace.
Choose your free tour
All routes are free and can be combined. If it’s your first visit, start with the mixed route.
From the Gateway of India to the temple of the goddess who gave the city its name, by way of the old Fort, the great Victorian station and Crawford Market.
The legends of Victorian Bombay, from the Taj Mahal Palace to sunset on Marine Drive, always separating what is documented from what is merely told.
Mumbai's must-sees in a short walk: the Gateway, an 1871 café, an Art Deco cinema, the great museum, a blue synagogue and Oval Maidan.
The map
The routes cross in the old town. Tap a point to see which story awaits you there.
Filled points already have a published article; the rest are in the works.
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Itineraries
We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.
All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.
See the itinerary 2A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.
See the itinerary 3The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.
See the itineraryWhat to eat
The dishes you can’t leave without trying, and the classic spots that have been serving them for years.
Berry pulao is saffron rice with spiced chicken or mutton and tart red barberries, the signature dish of Britannia & Co., which opened in 1923 and usually serves only at lunchtime. Kheema pav, spiced minced meat with soft bread rolls, is the classic at Kyani & Co., an Irani café going since 1904. Two shrines of Mumbai's Parsi and Irani cooking.
Where to try it
A spiced mash of vegetables and tomato, cooked on a huge griddle with plenty of butter and served with toasted buns. It was born as fast food for textile mill workers, and today you eat it for dinner at Sardar in Tardeo or at the stalls on Chowpatty, where you can also try bhel puri, puffed rice tossed with chutneys and onion.
Where to try it
A ball of spiced potato, dipped in chickpea batter and fried, tucked into a bun with garlic and chilli chutney. It is Mumbai's burger, the quick lunch of millions of workers. Aaram has been serving it opposite CSMT station since 1939.
Where to try it
Despite its name, Bombay duck is a fish, the bombil, which the Kolis dried in the sun and which is now served fresh, coated in semolina and fried. Try it with a coconut fish curry or a grilled pomfret at Trishna in Kala Ghoda, or at Mahesh Lunch Home, which brought Mangalorean coastal cooking to the Fort in 1977. Both also open for dinner.
Where to try it
Falooda is a tall glass of milk with rose syrup, fine vermicelli, basil seeds and ice cream; Badshah, opposite Crawford Market, has been making it for more than a century. Kulfi is a dense ice cream of reduced milk, flavoured with pistachio or mango, the perfect dessert after sunset on Chowpatty. For an afternoon break, order a cutting chai: half a glass of spiced milky tea.
Where to try it