Solo travel · Mumbai · India
Solo travel in Mumbai
How to enjoy Mumbai at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Mumbai is one of India's more comfortable cities for solo travellers, with a strong café culture, hostels in Colaba and Bandra, women-only train carriages and food and heritage walks that make it easy to meet people. Many solo travellers base themselves in Bandra West.
Key facts
- Base
- Bandra West
- Getting around
- Train
- Emergency number
- 112 (national emergency number)
- Language
- Marathi, Hindi, English and Gujarati
Solo travel tips
- Stay in Colaba or Bandra for walkable streets, cafés and hostels.
- Join a guided food walk or heritage walk in Fort and Kala Ghoda.
- Women can use the women-only carriages on local trains and the metro.
- Use ride-hailing at night and share trip details with a friend.
- Keep valuables zipped away on trains and at crowded markets.
Where to stay
$$$ · Best for nightlife, food lovers, shopping and solo travellers
Bandra West
Bandra is the suburb of Bollywood stars, old Catholic villages such as Ranwar and Chapel Road's street art, with the Bandstand and Carter Road promenades along the sea. Hill Road and Linking Road are major shopping streets, and cafés, bars and restaurants make it Mumbai's liveliest suburb.
- Good
- Lively cafés, bars and restaurants; Closer to the airport than South Mumbai; Seafront walks
- Watch out
- Few major sights; Heavy traffic on main roads
- Nearby
- Bandra Fort, Mount Mary Basilica, Bandra–Worli Sea Link
Great on your own
Landmark · Colaba
Gateway of India
Come early in the morning for photographs without crowds, or at dusk when the arch and the Taj are lit up.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Photo spot
- After dark
Architecture · Fort and Kala Ghoda
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus
Photograph the facade from the crossing opposite, and return after dark when the building is illuminated.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Architecture
- History
- Free
- After dark
Historic site · Elephanta Island
Elephanta Caves
Take an early ferry to beat the heat and the crowds, and carry water; ferries can be suspended in rough monsoon weather.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Art
Waterfront · Churchgate and Marine Drive
Marine Drive
Walk from Nariman Point to Chowpatty around sunset and finish with bhel puri on the beach; view the necklace from Malabar Hill after dark.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- After dark
- Couples
- Views
Museum · Fort and Kala Ghoda
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
Rent the audio guide and focus on the sculpture gallery and the miniature paintings on the upper floor.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Neighbourhood · Fort and Kala Ghoda
Kala Ghoda Art District
Visit during the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, usually in early February, for free street installations and performances.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Architecture
- Food
Meeting people
- Irani café breakfast — Sit at marble-topped tables under old photographs in one of South Mumbai's surviving Irani cafés and order bun maska, akuri and chai.
- Mohammed Ali Road food street — During Ramadan evenings this road near Minara Masjid becomes a huge night food market of kebabs, nalli nihari and malpua; outside Ramadan its restaurants still serve classic Mughlai dishes.
- Lower Parel (Kamala Mills) — A dense cluster of bars, microbreweries and restaurants inside a former textile mill compound.
- Bandra — Cocktail bars, pubs and late-night eateries along Hill Road, Pali Hill and Carter Road.
Sensible precautions
Pickpocketing is common on crowded trains, at stations and in markets. Never travel on train footboards or in doorways. In the monsoon, avoid wading through floodwater and check transport updates. City beaches have strong currents and polluted water, so swimming is not advised.
- Emergency number
- 112 (national emergency number)
- Staying connected
- Jio, Airtel and Vi SIM cards are sold at the airport and in shops with a passport and photo; 4G and 5G coverage is good across the city.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Mumbai good for solo travellers?
Mumbai is one of India's more comfortable cities for solo travellers, with a strong café culture, hostels in Colaba and Bandra, women-only train carriages and food and heritage walks that make it easy to meet people.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Mumbai?
Bandra West: Seafront promenades, cafés, street art and Bollywood homes.