Mumbai/Fort, Colaba and Churchgate

Fort, Colaba and Churchgate comprise the city centre of Mumbai. It is known for tourist spots like the of Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai. Most of the city's famous landmarks, including the iconic Gateway of India, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) are found here. This district also connects to another nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site of Elephanta. Ferries are available from Gateway of India to the island.

Understand
This district contains some of the oldest parts of the city. For a long time, this was the city, or rather one of the seven islands that were joined to form Mumbai, then called Bombay. This is where the British started on their long quest to build the docks and the city. They built Fort St. George, which no longer exists, but the area is still called "Fort". The Fort area contains many corporate offices and most of the administrative offices of the city and Maharashtra state governments.

Paradoxically, this district contains one of the newest areas of the city, Nariman Point, which was built on land reclaimed between the 1940s and the 1970s. The offices of India's topmost corporate houses are here. The city centre serves as the business capital of the country. Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have their headquarters in this location. Major banks from all over the world operate from this area of Mumbai. Most of these buildings follow different architectural styles including Victorian Gothic, Art Deco and last of all, modern-day skyscrapers.

Altamount Road is an affluent area in this district that features the residences of Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani, amongst others, the latter of which is the most expensive residence in the world. The other famous location is Colaba, which was an island until it was connected to Bombay by a causeway. This area contains a naval base.

Fort, Colaba and Churchgate were the centres of terrorist attacks between the evening of 26 November to 29 November 2008.

By train
All three lines of the Mumbai Suburban Railway terminate here. The Central and Harbour lines end at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus  (CSMT). The Western line ends at Churchgate. Most tourist areas can be reached most easily from CSMT and Churchgate stations. The best way to get here from the airport is to make your way to Vile Parle and take a southbound train to Churchgate, though this method is not recommended during peak hours, especially if you have luggage, as trains become crowded.



By car
It is best to avoid getting your car here, especially on a weekday. While all highways terminate here and traffic discipline is better than almost anywhere else in India, the extraordinary amount of traffic and the near impossibility of finding parking close to your destination make this a bad option to take. Even if you drive down, it is a good idea to park your car at one of the paid parking areas run by the Municipal Corporation (look for "BMC" or "MCGM" on the streets) and then take other means of transport to your destination.

On foot
Since the district is not very spread out, walking is a good option. This allows the opportunity of admiring the architecture, interacting with locals and tasting street food.

See
The area houses several colonial buildings which can be best explored on foot. Today the buildings serve as railway stations, office buildings, departmental stores, museums and libraries. The Interior of office buildings and libraries are usually out of reach of ordinary tourists but the museums do allow visitors. Although the colonial buildings are scattered all over the district, they can be classified under certain geographical areas, like Around Oval Maidan, Mumbai Harbour and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Chowk.



Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus
It is one of the main disembarking stations for suburban and long-distance trains. The road goes further up to Ballard Estate where a lot of corporate offices and Mumbai Port are situated. The station building is designed in the High Victorian Gothic style of architecture. The building exhibits a fusion of influences from Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture and traditional Indian architecture. The skyline, turrets, pointed arches, and eccentric ground plan is close to traditional Indian palace architecture.

The wood carving, tiles, ornamental iron and brass railings, grills for the ticket offices, the balustrades for the grand staircases and other ornaments were the work of students at the Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art. The station stands as an example of 19th-century railway architectural marvels for its advanced structural and technical solutions. The station was constructed using a high level of engineering both in terms of railway engineering and civil engineering. It is one of the first and is considered one of the finest products of the use of industrial revolution technology merged with the revival of the Gothic Revival style in India. The centrally domed office structure has a long platform connected to a  long train shed, and its outline provides the skeleton plan for the building. Its dome of dovetailed ribs, built without centring, was considered as a novel achievement of the era. It has a C-shaped plan which is symmetrical on an east-west axis. All the sides of the building are given equal value in the design. It is crowned by a high central dome, which acts as the focal point. The dome is an octagonal ribbed structure with a colossal female figure symbolising progress, holding a torch pointing upwards in her right hand and a spoked wheel in her left hand. The side wings enclose the courtyard, which opens onto the street. The wings are anchored by monumental turrets at each of their four corners, which balance and frame the central dome. The façades present the appearance of well-proportioned rows of windows and arches. The ornamentation in the form of statuary, bas-reliefs, and friezes is exuberant yet well-controlled. The columns of the entrance gates are crowned with figures of a lion (representing Great Britain) and a tiger (representing India). The main structure is built from a blend of Indian sandstone and limestone, while high-quality Italian marble was used for the key decorative elements.

The interior of the building was conceived as a series of large rooms with high ceilings. It is a utilitarian building and has had various changes required by the users, not always sympathetic. The main interiors are also decorated: the ground floor of the North Wing, known as the Star Chamber, which is still used as the booking office, is embellished with Italian marble and polished Indian blue stone. The stone arches are covered with carved foliage and grotesques. Internally, the ceiling of the booking hall was originally painted blue, gold and strong red on a ground of rich blue with gold stars. Its walls were lined with glazed tiles made by Maw & Co of Britain. Outside, there are statues representing commerce, agriculture, engineering and science, with a statue representing progress on the central dome of the station. A statue of Queen Victoria beneath the central dome has been removed. CSMT has 18 platforms, 7 for suburban trains and 11 for long-distance trains.

Around Oval Maidan


Oval Maidan is a large open space in the heart of Mumbai (for details, see the Parks section). It is flanked on all sides by a series of Colonial buildings, all of which are accessible from Churchgate.

Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Chowk


This road crossing consists of a series of colonial buildings centred around the Wellington Fountain. The area also includes the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya and National Gallery of Modern Art (see details in the Museums and galleries section). It also houses Regal Cinema (see details in the Do section).



Museums and galleries




Churches




Synagogues




Do

 * Harbour cruise — If money is no object, rent Taj's private yacht (which has two sun decks and three bedrooms) for a cruise around the Mumbai harbour, US$300/hour (including drinks and meals).

Clubs and stadiums

 * Cricket:
 * Cricket:
 * Cricket:

Parks






Cinema halls and theatres




Splurge

 * Fenix, The Oberoi, Marine Drive. Located in the lobby of The Oberoi hotel, it serves a selection of pan-Asian cuisine. Excellent breakfast standards both Indian and Western with brunch served on the weekend. Breakfast: ₹1500 pp, Dinner: ₹4000 for two
 * Golden Dragon, Hotel Taj Mahal, Colaba. The upscale Chinese choice for locals and expats.
 * Indigo, located in a bylane of Colaba behind the Taj hotel. This is an upscale restaurant serving global food. It also has a bar that gets lively after 9PM. Fantastic Sunday brunch (food+drinks+live music) at about ₹2000.
 * Khyber, Kala Ghoda. Nice Indian food at steep prices.
 * Lings Pavilion, Colaba behind Taj Hotel. High-end Chinese.
 * The Sassy Spoon, Express Towers behind Air India building. A mix of cuisine including Indian, Asian, and Continental dishes. Eclectic decor. Bakery associated with the restaurant next door. Dinner: ₹4000 for two with drinks
 * Tendulkar's, in Colaba, near the Royal Bombay Yacht Club. Cricket player Sachin Tendulkar's restaurant. A mix of continental and Indian cuisine including Sachin's favourite dishes.
 * Thai Pavilion, The Taj President, Cuffe Parade near Colaba. The only legitimate Thai restaurant in the city.
 * Trattoria, Taj President, Cuffe Parade. 24 hour coffee shop. Excellent pizzas. Can get extremely crowded on Sundays.
 * Wasabi, Hotel Taj Mahal, Colaba. Japanese restaurant with a Nobu Chef.

Drink

 * The Bayview Bar, at the lobby level of The Oberoi. Mumbai has an arresting view of the Arabian Sea and the finest range of single malts and Habanos cigars. “George and Soft Rock Revolution” perform at the bar and sooth you with their charming renditions of Jazz Classics. Open from 5PM-1AM..
 * Gokul, behind the Taj. It is frequented by anyone who wants an inexpensive drink served quickly.
 * Indigo — An exclusive lounge and bar at Colaba causeway behind Taj Mahal Palace Hotel is a not to miss destination. . On the expensive side with an average drink costing ₹250 upwards. Boasts of a large wine collection and also serves superb fusion food. Excellent alcoholic Sunday brunch.
 * Tavern at Hotel Fariyas in Colaba shows music videos and is pretty packed, but don't go there if you don't like Linkin Park, etc.
 * Indigo — An exclusive lounge and bar at Colaba causeway behind Taj Mahal Palace Hotel is a not to miss destination. . On the expensive side with an average drink costing ₹250 upwards. Boasts of a large wine collection and also serves superb fusion food. Excellent alcoholic Sunday brunch.
 * Tavern at Hotel Fariyas in Colaba shows music videos and is pretty packed, but don't go there if you don't like Linkin Park, etc.
 * Tavern at Hotel Fariyas in Colaba shows music videos and is pretty packed, but don't go there if you don't like Linkin Park, etc.