# 12-ish hours in Mumbai/Bombay **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 1, 2007, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-ish-hours-in-mumbai-bombay/406287 "2007-06-01T01:51:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ender\_Will](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Ender\_Will](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ender_Will)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-ish-hours-in-mumbai-bombay/406287/1 "2007-06-01T01:51:14Z")
My travels this summer will take me from Europe to Malaysia via Mumbai (f/k/a Bombay) with a minimum of a ten hour layover, with the option to extend it to a few days if I’d like to spend time in India. First off, should I give it a couple of days? I’m leaning towards not, since my travel buddy is on a semi-tight schedule. However, my India knowledge can be summarized thusly: There are a lot of people there; they rather like cows; the Taj Mahal is there. The first two points don’t hold any particular interest for me, and the Taj Mahal is nowhere near Mumbai. If we do spend a few days there, any recommendations on what to do, see, eat or stay? If we don’t stay any longer than the ten hour layover, is there anything close to the airport to see? Or is there any system to allow us to get a ways from the airport, see/do things and make it back in time? I have a sinking feeling that India may join Taiwan as places that I’ve “been” in that I have passport stamps, but never seen any of. ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-ish-hours-in-mumbai-bombay/406287/2 "2007-06-01T11:33:39Z")
There really isn’t much to see in Bombay at all. And absolutely nothing anywhere near the airport. It depends on what time of the day you have your 10 hours. If you’re landing very early in the morning, you could probably take a cab to the Gateway of India, and catch a ferry to the Elephanta Island for a look at some ancient cave temples (overrated, IMO). The entire return trip will take about 6-7 hours. If you will end up travelling during peak hours, you can add 2 hours to this time. Bombay’s got some decent nightlife, if you know where to go. **xash** is in Bombay, so you could probably get in touch with him. IIRC, his office isn’t too far from the airport. If you don’t mind staying a couple of days, and travelling a little bit, there are some nice towns in outside of Bombay - Lonavala and Matheran in the hills, and Alibaug on the coast. This time of the year, the weather is beautiful. You’d best find out from your travel agent/airline about the formalities for getting out of the airport for a few hours. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-ish-hours-in-mumbai-bombay/406287/3 "2007-06-01T14:05:20Z")
And, as **Gouda** ’s post suggests, most people still call it “Bombay.” ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-ish-hours-in-mumbai-bombay/406287/4 "2007-06-01T15:44:23Z")
Elephanta Caves (day trip because you have to take a boat out there) Chhor Bazaar Chowpatty Beach Marine Drive and Malabar Hill (very beautiful) Gateway to India (I guess, I mean, it’s like the Arc de Triomphe, “wow, there’s an arch”…I’d go to Elephanta if I were you) FOOD…geez, I would not recommend you eat the famed street food. But you can get excellent Indochinese, Parsi…go take advantage of the exchange rate and eat in an upscale restaurant. Victoria Terminus SHOPPING. Man, if you decide to stay PM me, the shopping in this city is bloody incredible. I protest strongly that there’s nothing to do in Mumbai. But I’m Marathi (1/2, the other 1/2 is Goan if you want to wander down there) and almost all of my family is from there, even the Goan half, so I’m biased. Even _I_ have yet to see the Elephanta caves and to the best of my recollection they’re listed as a UN something something heritage whatchamacallit. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-ish-hours-in-mumbai-bombay/406287/5 "2007-06-01T16:00:31Z")
For the record, I enjoyed the Elephanta Caves. But it does take a whole bleeding hour to get there by motorboat. ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-ish-hours-in-mumbai-bombay/406287/6 "2007-06-01T17:26:26Z")
[QUOTE=anu-la1979] I protest strongly that there’s nothing to do in Mumbai. But I’m Marathi (1/2, the other 1/2 is Goan if you want to wander down there) and almost all of my family is from there, even the Goan half, so I’m biased. Even _I_ have yet to see the Elephanta caves and to the best of my recollection they’re listed as a UN something something heritage whatchamacallit. [/QUOTE] Goa rocks!! FTR, I was born in Bombay, and lived there till I was 18 (Malabar Hill :)). I love the city to bits, but c’mon.. If it weren’t for the distances and the crazy traffic, I could see all that is worth seeing in Bombay in a day - nightlife excluded. ---
**Author:** ![Ender\_Will](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Ender\_Will](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ender_Will)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2007, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-ish-hours-in-mumbai-bombay/406287/7 "2007-06-01T19:14:29Z")
Thanks everyone! The Elephanta caves do look impressive, but that looks like it would be cutting it fairly close, time wise. I’m not sure how I managed to forget this in my OP, but I will also have a 10-ish hour layover in Madras/Chennai. Extending that one isn’t an option, so is there anything to do in the “Detroit of South Asia” (according to Wikipedia)? ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2007, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-ish-hours-in-mumbai-bombay/406287/8 "2007-06-02T04:00:20Z")
No idea about Madras… never been been, don’t know anyone there. The Detroit of South Asia thing seems exaggerated. Madras has a large automotible and components industry, but it is small in comparison to the one present in and around Poona (near Bombay).