Gateway of India

After pickup at the cruise port in Mumbai, ride in your air-conditioned private vehicle to the Gateway of India, This bold basalt arch of colonial triumph faces out to Mumbai Harbour from the tip of Apollo Bunder. It was built to commemorate the 1911 royal visit of King George V, but wasn’t completed until 1924. Ironically, the British builders of the gateway used it just 24 years later to parade the last British regiment as India marched towards independence.

30 minutes

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

See the World Heritage-listed Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (Victoria Terminus), The historic railway station serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways. Imposing, exuberant and overflowing with people, this monumental train station is the city’s most extravagant Gothic building and an aphorism of colonial-era India. It’s a meringue of Victorian, Hindu and Islamic styles whipped into an imposing Dalí-esque structure of buttresses, domes, turrets, spires and stained glass. It's also known as CSMT.

30 minutes

Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Market

Make your way to Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Mandai (formerly Crawford Market). Crawford Market is the largest in Mumbai, and contains the last whiff of British Bombay before the tumult of the central bazaars begins. Fruit and vegetables, meat and fish are mainly traded; it's also a touristy spot to stock up on spices.

1 hour

Hanging Gardens

Around noon, visit the Hanging Gardens, also known as Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens are terraced gardens perched at the top of Malabar Hill. It provides one of the most spectacular sunset views over the Arabian Sea and feature numerous hedges carved into the shapes of animals. The park was designed and laid out in 1881 by Ulhas Ghapokar over Bombay’s main reservoir.

30 minutes

Mani Bhavan Gandhi Museum

Delight in a visit to Mani Bhavan Gandhi Museum. It is here that Gandhi laid the foundation for many independence movements. The three-story building now honors the man who put the interests of the nation above all. This museum is in the building where Mahatma Gandhi stayed during visits to Bombay from 1917 to 1934.

1 hour

Dhobi Ghat

You're taken to Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat to see the 140-year-old un-mechanized laundry facility, which houses more than 1,000 open-air troughs for beating the dirt out of thousands of pounds of soiled clothes and linens. The best view is from the bridge across the railway tracks near Mahalaxmi train station. Later a 1-hour stop is made at one of the best local restaurants in the area (own expense).

15 minutes

University of Mumbai Library (Pass By)

Drive past the University of Mumbai informally known as (MU), looking like a 15th-century French-Gothic mansion plopped incongruously among Mumbai’s palm trees, this structure was designed by Gilbert Scott of London’s St Pancras station fame.

High Court Principal Bench Bombay (Pass By)

Drive past the colonial building of the Mumbai High Court, one of the oldest High Courts of India. The newly Unesco-recognised High Court is an elegant 1848 neo-Gothic building. The design was inspired by a German castle and was obviously intended to dispel any doubts about the authority of the justice dispensed inside.

Haji Ali Mosque (Pass By)

Drive past Haji Ali Dargah — the tomb of the Muslim saint that sits on an offshore inlet like a mirage. Built-in the 19th century, it contains the tomb of the Muslim saint Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari. Legend has it that Haji Ali died while on a pilgrimage to Mecca and his casket miraculously floated back to this spot.

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Formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum, it was designed by George Wittet — who incidentally was also the brains behind the Gateway of India. Apart from the gorgeous architecture, the museum is known for harbouring artefacts from the Mughal empire, as well rare heirlooms from Europe, Nepal, Tibet, Japan, and China.

1 hour

Marine Drive

Photo stop at Marine Drive - Lined with flaking art deco apartments, it’s one of Mumbai’s most popular promenades and sunset-watching spots. Its twinkling night-time lights have earned it the nickname ‘the Queen’s Necklace’. After touring Mumbai's most magnificent sights. Your full-day tour ends with cruise port drop-off. Alternatively, you can choose a drop-off location anywhere in Mumbai.

30 minutes