Mumbai/North Central

North Central Mumbai consists of Dadar, Dharavi, Matunga, Wadala, Sion and Mahim. It is a solidly middle-class district, which developed due to immigration after independence (in 1947). The non-Muslim Sindhis and Punjabis were refugees from the partition. They settled in Sion and parts of Matunga. Another prominent community to settle here was the South Indians, especially the Tamils. They settled in Matunga and Vadala areas. The poorer migrants from Tamil Nadu settled in Dharavi, which was essentially a drained-out swamp. So Dharavi turned into one of Asia's largest slums.

The district is not a tourist haunt, but if you want a slice of Chennai in the city, you could visit the King's Circle, Matunga and explore some of the bylanes.

By train
All three of Mumbai's local railway lines pass through this district. The Central Line stations are Sion and Matunga. The Western Line stations are Matunga Road (not to be confused with the Matunga station on the Central line) and Mahim. The Harbour Line stations of Vadala Road, Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar and Chunna Bhatti also lie in this district. In addition, the Western-Harbour link runs through this region and there has a stop at King's Circle.

By car
The Eastern Express Highway runs as far as Sion and runs into a perennial traffic jam at one point. Then it changes over to the Dr Ambedkar Road that runs all the way to South Mumbai. Road connectivity with the Central Line is not that good. The roads exist, but are very crowded. BEST buses in the series 1-199 that serve South Mumbai also serve this district and are very frequent.

On foot
North Central Mumbai is a rare district where the roads are actually walkable, as the footpaths in the Sion Circle and King's Circle areas are well-maintained and free of hawkers and other encroachments.

Buy

 * Sarees — The best place to buy them is Dadar. The place is buzzing 12 months a year. Good shops to buy sarees are Dadar Emporium, Lazaree, and RoopSangam.

Drink

 * Cafe Coffee Day, Matunga. For the coffee lovers.