Nonsense – and Mumbai is an especially fine place to visit in October and November. Beam Down You can fly non-stop from Heathrow to Mumbai on Air India (020-8560 9996, ) and British Airways (0845 77 333 77, ). From Manchester, Singapore Airlines (0870 608 8886, ) flies non-stop twice a week. Direct flights are usually expensive – typically around £550. It is much cheaper, and easier to find a seat, if you are prepared to change planes in Europe or the Middle East. I paid £470 return from Edinburgh on KLM via Amsterdam through Trailfinders (020-7938 3939).
Through Expedia ( ), Alitalia has a special for November of £362. Get Your Bearings Chhatrapati Shivaji airport is 20 miles north of the city. During the day it is a long, traffic-congested ride to your hotel, but since most international flights arrive late at night, you’ll get to the centre in around an hour. A pre-paid taxi from the airport costs about Rs300/£4 to the centre of town. If you don’t want to battle with traffic on the way back, get a train from Churchgate station to Vile Parle (Rs76/£1 first class, Rs7/10p second) and an auto-rickshaw from there to the airport (Rs72/£1). Mumbai spreads south past the trendy suburbs of Juhu, Bandra and Breach Candy to Chowpatty beach.
To the west is glamorous Marine Drive, to the south the travellers’ hangout of Colaba, to the east the colonial Fort area and, in the middle, frenetic Crawford Marketand Victoria Terminus (now, like the airport, renamed in honour of Chhatrapati Shivaji, founder of the Hindu kingdom). Check In The best hotel in town is the grandiose Taj Mahal (00 91 22 202 3366, ). It stands next to the Gateway of India, through which, ironically, the last colonial soldiers left the country. The hotel is currently undergoing a revamp ready for its centenary next year. It was built by the industrialist Jamsetji Tata when Watson’s, previously the best hotel in town but now a squatter-filled ruin, refused him entry.
Doubles in the Taj Mahal’s heritage wing start at $255 (£164) but discounts are often available. A mid-range option is nearby Bentley’s Hotel at 17 Oliver Road (00 91 22 284 1474) – shabby but characterful old rooms with antique furniture start at Rs1,120 (£15), with an en-suite bathroom. A clean but cupboard-like room with a bathroom down the hall can be found at the noisy Hotel Volga II, Nawroji F Road (00 91 22 288 5341), for R600 (£8). Take A Ride In 1853, Asia’s first railway started running the 33 miles between Victoria Terminus and Thane. Today the 40-minute journey isn’t particularly scenic, and Thane isn’t worth more than a quick wander before catching a train back, but, stuffed with sweaty commuters as it passes from genteel suburbs to barren slums, it’s a reminder of how most Mumbaiites live compared to the glitz of the city centre (Rs18/25p return in second class, or Rs204/£2.70 first).