From afar, Mumbai might seem like an urban jungle only. But if you look closely, the city offers unique experiences and things you can do only in Mumbai. Whether you're a big spender or want to keep your pocket tight, there are several things to do in the city regardless of your budget.
We've hunted for a few unique experiences in Mumbai that you can try!
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.
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.
Price: INR 13,600 per person for a 15-minute ride. You can book yourself a ride via Adventure Nation.
G7, popularly Gaiety-Galaxy, is Mumbai's first and hence the oldest multiplex. Located in Bandra, the theatre is old-school till 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 react to their film. You might just spot someone, especially if its a first-day first-show.
Tickets at the theatre start at INR 100, snacks are priced at INR 50
Experience the Arabian Sea in a unique way. Sail through it! Aquasail in Mumbai 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 6 and can include people of all ages. You have to pre-book for a weekday/weekend and pick a time to set sail.
Price: INR 10,000 for a boat of 6 on weekdays, INR 14,000 on weekends
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, it's as close to flying a plane!
You can choose between a 15-min, 30-min or a 60-min flight.
Price: INR 1,250 for a 15-min 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, let's 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 at inside the Film City too.
Price: INR 999 onward
Did you know you could hire a BEST bus and take a tour of Mumbai in it? While there are only a handful BEST double decker buses that ply Mumbai's streets, the BEST still has some that are well-maintained and rented out for private tours and parties.
You can choose from a single deck, double decker, open deck or an AC bus, all of which can be booked via the BEST for a minimum rate, above which a per kilometre rate is charged.
You can carry your own snacks and take along speakers to connect to your phone for some music and party on the bus while you take a tour around Mumbai (the route has to be pre-decided). It's an experience like no other! And, a great way to celebrate birthdays or special occasions.
Price: INR 2,600 for single deck and INR 65/km; INR 4,000 for double deck/open deck/AC bus and INR 100/km
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 the 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.
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 South Mumbai.
The tours are usually held on Saturday nights from 10 PM to 1 AM. You can check their Instagram page for the latest tour booking links.
Price: INR 999 onward
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 know 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 to 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.
You can check their Instagram page for the latest tours. This tour is conducted on Sundays from 8 AM to 2 PM.
Price: INR 1800
Mumbai's diverse communities bring forward interesting food always. And, that's the beauty of this city, no? 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 everyday and the biryani is available 11am onwards.
Price: INR 50 for 100gms