13 Fun Things To Do In Mumbai From Eating Rice-less Biryani To 12 AM Cycling

Witness a dramatic bird's-eye-view of Mumbai with a joy ride in a private plane. High-rise buildings, lively beaches, and the vast Arabian sea — all this and more can be spotted during the ride. It's one of the most thrilling ways to experience the city if you don't mind splurging. Some things that you'll spot during your ride include Film City, Mumbai's Essel World and Water Kingdom, Aksa and Gorai Beaches, and the Global Vipassana Pagoda. 

Timings: 10 AM to 8 PM

Rating: 4/5

Price: INR 13,600 per person for a 15-minute ride.

LBB Tip: You can book yourself a ride via Adventure Nation. You have to arrive at Juhu Airport, where your private Cessna will await to take you on a ride for an aerial view of Mumbai.

G7, popularly Gaiety-Galaxy, is Mumbai's first and hence the oldest multiplex. Located in Bandra, the theatre is old-school to date with its snacks, screens, and seats. But watching a film here is one Mumbai experience that you mustn't ignore, especially if it's a Salman Khan film. Get a ticket for a balcony seat and take in the full Bollywood experience! Till date, most fans dance and cheer when Salman comes on screen. The theatre is also a popular spot to determine the success of a film at the box office and several actors come in garb to see the audience reactions to their film. You might just spot someone, especially if its a first-day first-show.

Timings: As per show timings

Rating: 3.7/5

Sail through the Arabian Sea with Aquasail in Mumbai which offers sailing (tours and lessons) at the Gateway of India. With The Taj Mahal Hotel proving to be a gorgeous backdrop, sail through the sea along with other boats and yachts. You'll get a chance to sail in a Beneteau 7.5, which has a capacity of eight and can include people of all ages. You have to pre-book for a weekday/weekend and pick a time to set sail.

Timings: 7 AM to 5:30 PM

Rating: 5/5

Price: INR 16,000 for a 1 hour 30 minutes ride. 

LBB Tip: Know more about it here.

Located inside Phoenix Marketcity, Kurla, Flight For Fantasy is a flight simulation centre. You can experience flying an aircraft, the Boeing 737. With the guidance of a trained instructor, pilot a plane and take off and land at over 20,000 airports from across the globe. Sit in the cockpit and take flight! You can choose between a 15-minute, 30-minute, or 60-minute flight.

Timings: 11 AM to 9:30 PM

Rating: 4.2/5

Price: INR 1,250 for a 15-minute flight and INR 1,950 for a 30-minute flight. 

A unique tour that you can book via Book My Show, the Mumbai Film City Tour is a must-do if you've never been to Film City. While touring Film City, you might spot sets, and all the behind-the-scenes action too, if a film is being shot that day. The 3-hour guided tour shows you around the Film City, tells you about the history of Hindi Cinema, lets you experience post-production activities, sing in a fully-equipped studio, enjoy a 7D visual simulation, and walk around pre-designed sets like Raj Mahal, court, fort, caves, and more irrespective of an ongoing shoot. There's a Bollywood Cafe to grab snacks inside the Film City.

Timings: 11 AM to 4:30 PM

Rating: 4.4/5

Price: INR 1,099 onwards

What does it take to immerse mammoth-sized idols at a crowded Mumbai beach? You'll be in awe of how well the Ganesh Visarjan is organised by the Mumbai Police, and how safe it is! Head to Girgaum Chowpatty on Ananth Chaturthi and be a part of the crowd or better yet, halt yourself at a viewing deck that's made just in time for the festivities. Throngs of devotees come to the beach to pay their respects or to immerse idols and processions with DJs and dhols are abundant. You'll get a chance to view idols of several iconic pandals who have been hosting Ganesh every year, ever since Tilak first brought in the concept of sarvajanik pandals.

Timings: Open 24 hours

Rating: 4.3/5

Price: Free of cost

LBB Tip: Ensure that you know the routes and the timing of visarjan for iconic idols so that you don't miss out. For example, Lalbaugcha Raja is immersed on the following day at 5 AM. You can stay updated about routes and timings via newspapers, every year.

Mumbai city, especially South Mumbai, can be chaotic during the day. So, how about you explore the city that never sleeps at midnight? There are several midnight bicycle tours around Mumbai that you can sign up for and see the city in a different light - quieter, calmer, and well-lit. Sign up for a tour by The Legend of Bombay Bards, a unique midnight bicycle tour, which tells you lesser-known stories of Bombay and narrates different tales throughout the cycling tour of South Mumbai.

Timings: 10 PM to 1 AM

Facebook Rating: 5/5

Price: INR 999 onwards

LBB Tip: You can check their Instagram page for the latest tour booking links.

Mumbai's indigenous communities have somehow gotten lost as the city has become more and more cosmopolitan. To get back to Mumbai's original culture and routes, take a tour of Sanjay Gandhi National Park and spend time with the Warli tribe that lives there to learn more about Mumbai's original heritage and culture. Go Hallu Hallu is a unique touring company that helps you discover people, birds, plants, and waterbodies and tries to put you in their shoes to know and understand the culture better. The company hosts a Dahisar River Walk/Dahisar Monsoon River Walk regularly. This walk helps you understand the oldest inhabitants of Mumbai, the Warlis, better and learn more about how they co-exist with wild animals (as there are 40 free leopards in the park!) and understand their sustainable livelihood. This walk includes breakfast and lunch at a tribal household, a walk along the Dahisar River which runs through SGNP, a Warli art workshop, and even sustainable fishing (when the season permits). The walk is hosted by Aslam, who is Go Hallu Hallu's co-founder, and Dinesh, who's part of the Warli tribe. 

Timings: Sundays, 8 AM to 2 PM

Price: INR 1,800

LBB Tip: You can check their Instagram page for the latest tours.

Firoz Farsan, a small farsan shop in Bohri Mohalla is popular for a very unique item. They serve Patrel Biryani, which is a biryani without rice! Made with patra (also known as aluwadi) which is made of steamed colocasia leaves and buff meat, this biryani is a unique family recipe. The meat is slow-cooked in masalas and later the patra is added to it. The mixture is called Patrel Biryani and has made the farsan shop famous!  Firoz Farsan cooks up this specialty every day and the biryani is available 11 AM onwards.

Timings: 7 AM to 9 PM

Rating: 4.4/5

Price: INR 50 for 100 grams

If history and adventure are what make your life thrilling, Elephanta Caves is somewhere you have to go! Elephanta Caves, housing the prehistoric wonders of Hindu and Buddhist iconography, is one of the three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the city of Mumbai. But the highlight of your visit will be the majestic three-faced sculpture of Lord Shiva in Cave 1, an architectural marvel that has stood the test of time. But even before you reach the caves, the ride by speedboat from the Gateway of India will introduce you to spectacular views of the coastline of Mumbai, making your trip there as or even more exciting as the destination itself!

Timings: 9 AM to 5 PM

Rating: 4.3/5

Price: INR 550

Mumbai's Parsi cafes are really the reminiscences of the past and more so, great places to eat your heart out. These eateries began years ago, most during the British era, and serve the quintessential food items that have become a part of the spirit of Mumbai. We recommend you try the soft and buttery Bun Maska with Irani chai, rich and comforting Dhansak, and probably the legendary Berry Pulao at any one of the Irani cafes in Mumbai.

Price: INR 400 for two

Pro Tip: If you want to know about the must-try Parsi/Irani cafes in Mumbai, check out this article.

Mumbai is not only the city of dreams, it is also filled with architectural wonders. Most of these that you'll witness in South Mumbai, are British-era structures, Art Deco buildings, and Indo-Saracenic masterpieces that rise high and are a sight to behold. You can begin with the iconic Gateway of India monument, then move on to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, where you can enjoy a high tea, walk your way through Horniman Circle, and finally Flora Fountain, one of Mumbai's most cherished heritage sights.

Timings: Open 24 hours

Price: Free of cost

Did you know you could take a tour of Mumbai on a bus? While there are only a handful of double-decker buses that ply Mumbai's streets, the Hop On Hop Off bus has some that are well-maintained and great for private tours. You can choose between the Sealink Tour or the Heritage Tour, and let them know whether you prefer Upper Deck or Lower Deck seating. You can carry your own snacks and take along speakers to connect to your phone for some music while you take a tour around Mumbai (the route is pre-decided). It's an experience like no other! 

Timings: 5 PM to 10 PM

Price: INR 450 for the Upper Deck and INR 360 for the Lower Deck

Contact: 9870802643