Western India People & Culture

No touristic stuff there but so nice if you wanna know deep India, people are really friendly and willing to make you discover there. And there are lots of smaller nice villages around.

ex-portuguese colony, the place to find alcohol in India...but people getting drunk too :-(

So many people. When walking on the streets, in the crowd always go with the crowd traffic and not against. It can be very frustrating getting out of the crwods once you are engulfed.

when coming to mumbai , except to see all part of people from all over the world .

Bring a scarf to cover your nose.. there is enough dust and pollution to drown in.. but its a amazing old city..
Get a marathi language guide if you can cz people prefer to converse in marathi and "when in rome you must act like a roman"

Pune is a beautiful city with beautiful people. It's very similar to another Indian cities, but from my point of view it's one of the best ones. For foreigners, Koregaon Park is the best place. There are a lot of restaurants and services in that area. For cultural visits, I love the views from the Pavarti Hill Temple!!!

Mumbai is huge to compress into a few tips... but having lived there for a few years, a few of my favorites included... long strolls up and down Marine Drive, theatre and music performances at the NCPA (at one end of Marine Drive) or Prithvi theatre (in Juhu), jazz at Jazz by the Bay (I think its got a slightly different name now), beer at Leopold's or one of the other bars in Colaba, book-browsing at the street stalls along Fort and at the Strand Bookshop, meals at Khyber Restaurant in Fort and Purohit's near Churchgate ... these are tame things, of course, compared to stronger interests for which most people throng to Mumbai... like business and Bollywood... and you may well find yourself tied to a neighbourhood like Andheri or Bandra depending on your work in Mumbai... in which case all these also have good places to relax, eat and explore... but if you are generally visiting, I guess its wiser to locate yourself in downtown Mumbai for the sights ... and for the better part you avoid Mumbai's packed-like-sardines city trains or its wildly speeding taxis... though both are worth a try...

Mumbai is huge to compress into a few tips... but having lived there for a few years, a few of my favorites included... long strolls up and down Marine Drive, theatre and music performances at the NCPA (at one end of Marine Drive) or Prithvi theatre (in Juhu), jazz at Jazz by the Bay (I think its got a slightly different name now), beer at Leopold's or one of the other bars in Colaba, book-browsing at the street stalls along Fort and at the Strand Bookshop, meals at Khyber Restaurant in Fort and Purohit's near Churchgate ... these are tame things, of course, compared to stronger interests for which most people throng to Mumbai... like business and Bollywood... and you may well find yourself tied to a neighbourhood like Andheri or Bandra depending on your work in Mumbai... in which case all these also have good places to relax, eat and explore... but if you are generally visiting, I guess its wiser to locate yourself in downtown Mumbai for the sights ... and for the better part you avoid Mumbai's packed-like-sardines city trains or its wildly speeding taxis... though both are worth a try...

Mumbai is a nice city to explore on your own and there's no need for a guide as such. If you want to meet backpackers then the Colaba area is full of them and there are many places like the Leopold's Cafe and Mondegar Cafe where you will find a lot of the travellers enjoying some fantastic breakfast early in the morning or some beers at lunch or dinner. You might just be lucky to be asked if you wish to act as an extra in a Bollywood movie too!!! If you are on your own, just visit the Gateway of India and you will also get a nice view from the top if you go to any of the higher floors of the Taj Mahal Hotel. If you want to visit the Elephanta island for the famous caves then take a boat from the Gateway and it will take you about an hour to get there. The tickets can be bought in front of the Gateway from one of the booths selling them. There is a free guide inside the caves complex from morning to afternoon (just inquire with the security guard for his/her whereabouts). After you get back from the islands you can carry on walking towards the Regal Theatre and see the Museum as well as the other places for art like the National Gallery of Modern Art and the Jehangir Art Gallery for some interesting art exhibitions. Then carry on towards the other side of the University of Mumbai buildings and see the Rajabai Clock Tower , Library and Convocation Hall. Also see the High Court of Mumbai buildings. Then if you look across there will be a game of cricket going on in one of the famous playing grounds (maidans) called the Oval Maidan. Across the street is the Eros theatre and opposite that is the Churchgate railway station and in front of that is the Western Railway Headquarters as well as the Tourism office. You can then walk down to the Marine Drive promenade and take a long walk towards Chowpatty beach for a snack of Bhelpuri, Pav Bhaji and also some Indian ice cream called Kulfi and another sweet dish called Rabdi. There are some other nice places to see in between like the Flora Fountain and Hutatma Chowk (Martyr's Square) and the St. Thomas' Cathedral, which is very beautiful with a lot of nice sculptures inside it. Nearby is the Bombay Stock Exchange building and also the Jewish David Elaiyahoo Synagogue and the David Sassoon Library as well as the Elphinstone College buildings opposite it. The Town Hall building with the Horniman Circle and gardens is also worth seeing behind the cathedral. Visit the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai city - the CST station building besides the other site in Mumbai which is at the Elephanta Caves on the island by the same name. There is the General Post Office building which is also worth seeing and a small part of the original Fort Wall next to the St. George's Hospital. You can visit Mani Bhavan (the house in which Mahatma Gandhi lived in Mumbai) which is now a museum devoted to his work and life as the father of the nation. Nearby is the F. D. Alpaiwalla Museum which has a lot of Iranian artifacts housed in the Khareghat Colony Hall and if you climb the steps leading up to the Parsi Towers of Silence and Hanging Gardens from the outside, then you will be able to get a good view of the Queen's Necklace from above. On the way down, you can visit a very elaborately carved Jain temple and then come down towards the Governor of Maharashtra's bungalow before reaching Chowpatty beach. You may carry on towards the Mahalakshmi temple and the Haji Ali shrine in the middle of the sea followed by a trip to see the Dhobi Ghat which is from the bridge over Mahalakshmi station. Upnorth in the suburbs of Borivali there is the 2nd Century old Kanheri Caves which are about 100 in number and built on a hill inside the Sanjay Gandhi (Borivali) National Park which is the only National Park in the middle of a metropolitan city.

If you are interested in shopping, then depending on what you want to shop for there are many specific markets like Zaveri Bazaar for gold and silver jewellery, Mangaldas Market for clothes, Chor Bazaar for antiques (and not so old stuff too!!!), Bandra Linking Road for lots of designer shops. Lots of other shopping arcades and malls have recently opened up in many areas so you can just walk into one for a quick look and buy whatever catches your fancy. There is a small shop called Avante just opposite the Regal Cinema at Colaba where you will get the best bargains in handicrafts, souvenirs, etc at very reasonable and cheap prices. Also nearby on the Phirozshah Mehta Road, there is a shop called Bombay Store which has a lot of handicrafts and good Indian teas as well for sale in attractive packaging which is another excellent gift idea.

Trimbak is the host of the Brahmagiri mountains, where the holy Godavari river originates. There is a temple on top of the mountain, which takes a good hour (or two) to hike up to. Amazing views, and lots of Indians (young and old) from all over the country undertaking the steps up. We haven't seen any tourists during the entire hike.
Watch out for the monkeys though, they can be quite fierce.

BRAHMAGIRI HIKE: Watch out for monkeys! Avoid carrying anything in your hands (apart from a stout stick) avoid wearing bright colours or bags/rucksacks in bright colours. Take plenty of water mobile phone. Buy some snacks at the bottom just in case you need to throw food away from you to distract monkeys. Avoid hiking alone.

Best way, to get arround on the little island Diu is to rent a moped ... the costs are like 1 € per day and you are flexible and can drive to where you want. I think there are three moped/motorbike rentals and everybody can tell you where they are located.
For the 1 € per day you receive the best service... I had to broken tires in 2 days and they came, picked me and the bike up and fixed it for free.
Maybe its a bit more expensive now, but I think it's still cheap....

Mumbai is a nice city to explore on your own and there's no need for a guide as such. If you want to meet backpackers then the Colaba area is full of them and there are many places like the Leopold's Cafe and Mondegar Cafe where you will find a lot of the travellers enjoying some fantastic breakfast early in the morning or some beers at lunch or dinner. You might just be lucky to be asked if you wish to act as an extra in a Bollywood movie too!!! If you are on your own, just visit the Gateway of India and you will also get a nice view from the top if you go to any of the higher floors of the Taj Mahal Hotel. If you want to visit the Elephanta island for the famous caves then take a boat from the Gateway and it will take you about an hour to get there. The tickets can be bought in front of the Gateway from one of the booths selling them. There is a free guide inside the caves complex from morning to afternoon (just inquire with the security guard for his/her whereabouts). After you get back from the islands you can carry on walking towards the Regal Theatre and see the Museum as well as the other places for art like the National Gallery of Modern Art and the Jehangir Art Gallery for some interesting art exhibitions. Then carry on towards the other side of the University of Mumbai buildings and see the Rajabai Clock Tower , Library and Convocation Hall. Also see the High Court of Mumbai buildings. Then if you look across there will be a game of cricket going on in one of the famous playing grounds (maidans) called the Oval Maidan. Across the street is the Eros theatre and opposite that is the Churchgate railway station and in front of that is the Western Railway Headquarters as well as the Tourism office. You can then walk down to the Marine Drive promenade and take a long walk towards Chowpatty beach for a snack of Bhelpuri, Pav Bhaji and also some Indian ice cream called Kulfi and another sweet dish called Rabdi. There are some other nice places to see in between like the Flora Fountain and Hutatma Chowk (Martyr's Square) and the St. Thomas' Cathedral, which is very beautiful with a lot of nice sculptures inside it. Nearby is the Bombay Stock Exchange building and also the Jewish David Elaiyahoo Synagogue and the David Sassoon Library as well as the Elphinstone College buildings opposite it. The Town Hall building with the Horniman Circle and gardens is also worth seeing behind the cathedral. Visit the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai city - the CST station building besides the other site in Mumbai which is at the Elephanta Caves on the island by the same name. There is the General Post Office building which is also worth seeing and a small part of the original Fort Wall next to the St. George's Hospital. You can visit Mani Bhavan (the house in which Mahatma Gandhi lived in Mumbai) which is now a museum devoted to his work and life as the father of the nation. Nearby is the F. D. Alpaiwalla Museum which has a lot of Iranian artifacts housed in the Khareghat Colony Hall and if you climb the steps leading up to the Parsi Towers of Silence and Hanging Gardens from the outside, then you will be able to get a good view of the Queen's Necklace from above. On the way down, you can visit a very elaborately carved Jain temple and then come down towards the Governor of Maharashtra's bungalow before reaching Chowpatty beach. You may carry on towards the Mahalakshmi temple and the Haji Ali shrine in the middle of the sea followed by a trip to see the Dhobi Ghat which is from the bridge over Mahalakshmi station. Upnorth in the suburbs of Borivali there is the 2nd Century old Kanheri Caves which are about 100 in number and built on a hill inside the Sanjay Gandhi (Borivali) National Park which is the only National Park in the middle of a metropolitan city.

If you are interested in shopping, then depending on what you want to shop for there are many specific markets like Zaveri Bazaar for gold and silver jewellery, Mangaldas Market for clothes, Chor Bazaar for antiques (and not so old stuff too!!!), Bandra Linking Road for lots of designer shops. Lots of other shopping arcades and malls have recently opened up in many areas so you can just walk into one for a quick look and buy whatever catches your fancy. There is a small shop called Avante just opposite the Regal Cinema at Colaba where you will get the best bargains in handicrafts, souvenirs, etc at very reasonable and cheap prices. Also nearby on the Phirozshah Mehta Road, there is a shop called Bombay Store which has a lot of handicrafts and good Indian teas as well for sale in attractive packaging which is another excellent gift idea.

Meeting Mumbai for the 1st time can be an overwhelming experience. You'll either love it or hate it. Th Royal Enclave hotel is a clean, comfortable hotel to stay in before your onward journey. Its close to the international or domestic airport.

Learn a little Marathi if you can. It makes all the difference to how Mumbaikers treat you.

Monumental caves:
34 monasteries and temples, extending over more than 2 km,
built between the 5th and the 10th century
World Heritage Site

Ajanta Caves
First Buddhist cave monuments at Ajanta date from the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C.
Amazing paintings and sculptures,Buddhist religious art
World Heritage Site