India's financial and Bollywood capital, a megacity of 20 million on the Arabian Sea: the Gateway of India, the UNESCO-listed Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the rock-cut temples of Elephanta Island and evenings on Marine Drive. For Mongolian Buddhists the 2,000-year-old Buddhist monastery caves of Kanheri and the Global Vipassana Pagoda at Gorai are of special interest. There is no direct flight from Ulaanbaatar — fly Hunnu Air to Delhi, then about 2 hours on a domestic flight; the e-visa is free for Mongolian citizens.
🛂 Visa: e-Visa · 30 days✈ Flight: 11h☀ Best months: November, December, January, February
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: November, December, January, February.
Things to see (12)
🧸 for kids
Gateway of India & Taj Mahal Palace hotel★ 4.6 (300,000)
CityFree24 hours (lit up at night)
A 26 m basalt arch built in 1924 to welcome the British king, and the symbol of Mumbai. Next door is the 1903 Taj Mahal Palace hotel — you can have tea or take photos in the lobby. Boats to Elephanta Island leave from here. Crowded in the evening, so keep children close.
CultureForeigners ₹600 (₹550 cashless), free under 15; return boat ~₹260
Travel guide
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goThe Indian e-visa is free for Mongolian citizens — but you must get it in advance and fill in the e-Arrival card.+
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e-Tourist Visa
Apply at indianvisaonline.gov.in at least 4 days before arrival. For Mongolian citizens the fee for the 30-day, 1-year and 5-year options is 0 (a bank charge may apply). The 30-day visa is multiple-entry and cannot be extended. Upload a photo on a white background and a scan of your passport page; check that the ETA says 'GRANTED' and print it. Your passport must be valid for over 6 months with 2 blank pages.
Tip: Use only the .gov.in site — look-alike private sites charge for a visa that is free.
Since October 2025 every foreigner fills in the e-Arrival card online or in the 'Indian Visa Su-Swagatam' app within 72 hours before arrival: passport, flight and hotel address. If you connect in Delhi, enter Delhi airport as your first point of arrival in India.
There is no direct flight: take Hunnu Air's Monday UB–Delhi flight and a domestic flight on to Mumbai, or connect with MIAT via Hong Kong or Bangkok. Floods and flight delays are common in the June–September monsoon, so go November–February. Get insurance that covers medical care and flight delays.
🛬Arrival and getting into townInternational flights arrive at Terminal 2 (T2); the underground Aqua Line metro runs straight to South Mumbai.+
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Immigration
If you connect in Delhi, you clear immigration there, collect your bags and check in again at the domestic terminal. Arriving via Hong Kong or Bangkok, show your printed ETA and passport at Mumbai T2 and give your fingerprints.
There is a metro station beneath T2: the Aqua Line runs traffic-free to CSMT, Churchgate and Cuffe Parade (Colaba) for ₹10–80. Domestic Terminal 1 also has a metro station. With lots of luggage, take a prepaid taxi or Uber.
Tip: The new Navi Mumbai airport (NMI) is far from the centre — when booking the domestic leg from Delhi, check whether it lands at BOM or NMI.
There are operator counters in the T2 arrivals hall and many official Airtel and Jio stores in the city: you need your passport, visa and a photo, and activation takes a few hours. If you connect in Delhi, you can buy one at Delhi airport.
If your phone supports eSIM, an international eSIM (e.g. Airalo) installed before you fly needs no paperwork. Without an Indian number, some apps cannot send you OTP codes.
The city's lifeline: cheap and fast but extremely crowded at rush hour. Buy a first-class or air-conditioned ticket; there are women-only carriages. Avoid rush hour and don't stand by the doors.
Tip: For Kanheri and the Vipassana Pagoda, take the Western line from Churchgate to Borivali.
Uber and Ola show the fare upfront. Black-and-yellow taxis are metered — insist the meter is switched on. Auto-rickshaws only operate in the northern suburbs (from Bandra north), not in South Mumbai.
The currency is the Indian rupee (INR). Bank ATMs are plentiful in the city; foreign cards are charged a fee. Markets, street food and taxis need cash, so carry small notes.
Almost everywhere in India pays by QR code (UPI). Foreign visitors can open a UPI One World wallet with their passport and visa, top it up with a foreign card and pay by scanning QR codes; the unused balance can be refunded.
Elephanta Caves cost foreigners ₹600 (₹550 cashless), plus ~₹260 for the return boat. The CSMVS museum is ₹700, children ₹200. Many temples, the seafront and the markets are free.
🍜FoodMumbai is famous for its street food — but protect your stomach.+
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What to eat
Vada pav (Mumbai's 'burger'), pav bhaji, bhel puri, seafood curries, and chai with bun maska in the old Irani cafés. Most food is spicy — say 'less spicy'. Vegetarian places are everywhere.
Drink only sealed bottled water; be careful with ice, raw salads and the water in pani puri. Eat street food where it is busy and cooked in front of you. Carry stomach medicine and oral rehydration salts.
Tip: With children, eat mostly at hotel and chain restaurants.
🛡️SafetyAll emergencies: 112. Monsoon floods, crowded trains and pickpockets are the three main things to watch.+
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Monsoon and floods
June–September downpours flood streets and railway tracks and halt transport. On red-alert days stay in your hotel and never wade through floodwater (leptospirosis).
Pickpocketing is common on local trains, at Colaba Causeway, Crawford Market and temple queues: keep your phone and wallet in a front pocket. Women should avoid going out alone at night and share app-taxi trips.
Remove your shoes and cover shoulders and knees at temples, shrines and pagodas; cover your head at Haji Ali. Don't take photos during worship, and keep silent at the Vipassana Pagoda.
Mumbai One — QR tickets for metro, trains and buses; Uber, Ola — taxis and rickshaws; IRCTC Rail Connect — long-distance trains; Indian Visa Su-Swagatam — e-Arrival card.
Find restaurants and order food with Zomato and Swiggy (an Indian number may be needed). In the monsoon, check the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warnings.
Tickets and passports are checked at the terminal door, so have your ticket ready. If connecting in Delhi, flying Mumbai–Delhi the day before Hunnu Air's Monday morning departure is the safe choice. Allow for traffic and take the metro or an early taxi.
Rupees are hard to exchange outside India — spend them or change them back at the airport. Refund your UPI One World balance to your card. Overstaying your visa means a fine and an exit ban.
AI answer: double-check anything beyond our researched facts with an official source.
9:30–17:30, closed Mondays; boats from the Gateway of India 9:00–14:00
A UNESCO site: 5th–7th-century rock-cut cave temples to Shiva with the 6 m three-faced Maheshmurti sculpture. About an hour by boat from the Gateway of India, then around 120 steps up on the island (palanquins and a toy train are available). Monkeys grab food. Allow at least half a day.
CultureFree to view from outside; guided heritage museum tour ₹200Station 24 hours; museum tour Mon–Fri 15:00–17:00 (closed weekends)
An 1888 Victorian Gothic railway station and UNESCO site — still used by over a million passengers a day. Inside is a heritage museum; book the guided tour in advance. Loveliest when lit up in the evening. Crawford Market (1869) is nearby.
A 3.6 km curving seafront boulevard whose lights at night look like the 'Queen's Necklace'. At sunset the whole city strolls here. At the northern end, Girgaon Chowpatty beach serves bhel puri, pav bhaji and kulfi; don't swim (dirty water and currents).
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS museum)★ 4.6 (30,000)
CultureForeigners ₹700 (audio guide included), children up to 15 ₹20010:15–18:00, daily
The former Prince of Wales Museum: an Indo-Saracenic building with Indus Valley finds, Buddhist sculpture, Mughal miniatures and a Tibetan and Nepalese collection. It has a children's section and a shady garden.
CultureFreeHaji Ali ≈5:30–22:00; see Dhobi Ghat from Mahalaxmi bridge in the morning
A white 15th-century Muslim shrine reached by a 500 m causeway through the sea; at very high tide the path can be submerged. Near Mahalaxmi station is Dhobi Ghat, an open-air laundry where over a thousand washermen wash clothes by hand — view it from the bridge.
See the 5.6 km cable-stayed bridge from the Bandstand seafront promenade; the 17th-century Portuguese Bandra Fort and Bollywood stars' homes (Shah Rukh Khan's 'Mannat') are nearby. Bandra itself has cafés, street art and the Hill Road shops.
Mumbai's most famous Hindu temple, dedicated to Ganesh and visited by Bollywood stars and politicians. Queues are long and security is strict — bring as few bags and devices as possible. Remove your shoes.
Over 100 Buddhist caves in forest inside the city, used from the 1st century BC to the 10th century AD — monks' cells, stupas and 7 m standing Buddhas. Of special interest to Mongolian Buddhists. About 6 km by bus or car from the park gate. Bring water and a hat; beware of monkeys.
A golden pagoda modelled on Myanmar's Shwedagon, with the world's largest stone dome built without pillars; inside are a meditation hall for 8,000 people and relics of the Buddha. You can join a free 10-minute meditation. Reach it by ferry across Gorai Creek from Borivali or by road; the EsselWorld amusement park is next door.
KidsPrivate tours ₹599–1,699 (depends on the tour)≈10:00–17:00
Dadasaheb Phalke Film City in Goregaon, where Bollywood films and TV series are shot. Entry is only on an organised bus tour: sets, a mock village and a dance show, and with luck a live shoot. Visitors may not leave the bus to wander alone.
Bargain for clothes, jewellery and souvenirs at Colaba's street market, with famous cafés such as Leopold Café and Café Mondegar. To the north, the 1869 Crawford Market (Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Market) sells fruit, spices, dried fruit and homeware. Open at about half the asking price; watch for pickpockets.
