Mumbai

“Mumbai is a city; Bombay is an emotion” or so the saying goes. It’s difficult not to have an emotional reaction to this frenetic city. Home to an underestimated 22 million people, it is officially India’s most populous city: life exists on the streets here. The penniless seek shade in the shadows of skyscrapers owned by India’s one per cent. The ‘Gateway to India’ (a must visit site in itself) it is many a traveller’s first stop in India. From the billion-dollar Bollywood industry, to the country’s finest colonial architecture, the Grand Dame being The Taj Mahal Hotel. Take an early morning walking tour of Dadar Flower Market or join on one of its culinary tours; Mumbai boasts a long list of ‘Must Dos’. Very humid pre-monsoon and absolutely soaking during it, the best time to visit is between November and February.