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Starting from the Gateway of India, walk up Chhatrapati Shivaji Marg past the members-only colonial relic Royal Bombay Yacht Club on one side and the Art Deco residential and commercial complex Dhunraj Mahal on the other towards Regal Circle/SP Mukherji Chowk. Dodge the traffic to reach the car park in the middle of the circle for the best view of the surrounding buildings, including the Old Sailors Home, the Art Deco Regal Cinema and the old Majestic Hotel.
Continue up MG Rd, past the beautifully restored façade of the Institute of Science. Opposite here is the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum; step into the front gardens to admire this grand building. Back across the road is the 'Romanesque Transitional' Elphinstone College and the charming David Sassoon Library, a good place to escape the heat of the day.
Cross back over to Forbes St to visit the Kenesethe Eliyahoo Synagogue before returning to MG Rd and continuing north along the left-hand side so you can admire the vertical Art Deco stylings of the New India Assurance Company Building. In a traffic island ahead lies the pretty Flora Fountain, named after the Roman goddess of abundance, erected in 1869.
Turn east down Veer Nariman Rd walking towards St Thomas' Cathedral. Ahead of here lies the stately Horniman Circle, an arcaded ring of buildings, laid out in the 1860s. The circle is overlooked from the east by the neoclassical Town Hall. Retrace your steps back to Flora Fountain and continue west past the Venetian Gothic-style State Public Works Department to the august High Court and the equally venerable and ornately decorated Bombay University. The façades of both buildings are best observed from within the Oval Maidan, entered at GS Churve Chowk opposite the university's Rajabai Clock Tower. Turn around to compare the colonial edifices with the row of Art Deco beauties lining Maharshi Karve Rd, culminating in the wedding cake tower of the Eros Cinema. End your walk at Churchgate station.
A Top Day in Mumbai
Days in Mumbai start early, with coffee and a muffin at the nearest branch of Barista or with a plate of idli (steamed rice cakes) at one of Colaba's south Indian dining halls. Then stroll along Colaba Causeway to watch the vendors setting up market stalls laden with t-shirts, incense, soapstone elephants, discount electronics and faux antiques. Take a ride in one of Mumbai's charming old taxis - modelled on 1950s Fiats - to the bizarre colonial fantasy that is Victoria Station, followed by a wander round the faded but still stately streets of the old British quarter. For the second half of the morning, I'd be torn between visiting the splendid Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum or a jaunt to Chowpatty Beach for a promenade on the sands and a plate of Mumbai's famous bhelpuri salad. Or i could have lunch at the phenomenally popular Cream Centre - assuming I can get a table. After lunch, I'd head back to Colaba for a boat ride to the famous Hindu cave temples on Elephanta Island (not before making sure anything that looked edible was hidden from the eyes of hungry monkeys). The tail end of the afternoon would be spent shopping for ethnic knick-knacks and Indian fashions on Dr DN Rd in Fort or Linking Rd in Bandra. A shower and a change of clothes would be essential for dinner at Khyber, Mumbai's best eatery, styled after an Afghan palace and serving food fit for a Mughal emperor. Belly full, I'd drift back to Colaba for an ice-cold Kingfisher beer and a chat with interesting punters at the energetic Leopold Cafe. Suitably refreshed, there might still be time for a late showing of a Bollywood blockbuster at the swish Inox cinema at Nariman Point.
Author: Joe Bindloss
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