Private Full-Day Mumbai City Tour with Elephanta Caves Excursion

Your day starts with morning pickup at your hotel, airport or cruise port and transfer by private air-conditioned vehicle to the Gateway of India and harbor. There, board the ferry for the ride to Elephanta Island, home to the World Heritage-listed Elephanta Caves. The ancient cave temples date to the fifth century, carved with stunning reliefs and statues that honor the Hindu god Shiva.

Return to the city and visit the Gateway of India, This bold basalt arch of colonial triumph faces out to Mumbai Harbour. 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.

Later stop for lunch at a local restaurant (own expense).

View the UNESCO-listed Victorian Gothic masterpiece of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST), 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.

Previously known as 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.

Also known as Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens, are terraced gardens perched at the top of Malabar Hill, on its western side, just opposite the Kamala Nehru Park. They provide sunset views over the Arabian Sea and feature numerous hedges carved into the shapes of animals.
(Note: Hanging Gardens is currently under reconstruction project and is closed for general public)

As poignant as it is tiny, this museum is in the building where Mahatma Gandhi stayed during visits to Bombay from 1917 to 1934. Exhibitions include his personal room, a photographic record of his life, along with dioramas and documents, such as letters he wrote to Adolf Hitler and Franklin D Roosevelt and tributes from Ho Chi Minh and Albert Einstein.

This 140-year-old dhobi ghat (place where clothes are washed) is Mumbai’s biggest human-powered washing machine, every day hundreds of people beat the dirt out of thousands of kilograms of soiled Mumbai clothes and linen in 1026 open-air troughs. The best view is from the bridge across the railway tracks near Mahalaxmi train station.

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.

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 tour concludes at the starting point or other desired location in Mumbai.