India Travel
Information of Mumbai
The best source of information in Mumbai is the excellent Government of India tourist office (Mon-Fri 8.30am-6pm. Sat 8.30am-2pm; 022/203 3144) at 123 M Karve Rd, opposite Churchgate station’s east exit. The staff here are exceptionally helpful and hand out a wide range of leaflets, maps and brochures both on Mumbai and the rest of the country. There are also 24hr tourist information counters at Sahar International (022/832 5331) and Santa Cruz (022/615 9320) airports.
Maharashtra State Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (MTDC) main office, on Madam Cama Road (Mon-Sat 8.30am-7pm; 022/202 6731), opposite the LIC Building in Nariman Point, sells tickets for city sightseeing tours and can reserve rooms in MTDC resorts. They too have information counters at Sahar International and Santa Cruz airports, as well as at VT and Dadar railway stations and near the Gateway of India.
If you need detailed listings, ask at any tourist office for a free copy ot the slick Mumkai This Fortnight, which is user-friendly and has a wealth of useful information, despite being a commercial venture. If you want to spend any time in the city, invest in a copy of the Pocket Mumbai Guide (Rs20), which, although badly produced, contains more detailed information on bus and local train services as well as a useful rail map.
For what’s on you’re better off checking out the “The List” section of Mid-Day (Mumbai’s main local rag), the “Metro” page in the Indian Express, or the “Bombay Times” section of the Times of India. AW are available trom street vendors around Colaba and the downtown area and cost Rs2-3.
For a detailed map of Mumbai, look for Karmarkar Enterprise’s Most Exhaustive A-Z street plan (Rs60). It’s fiendishly hard to find in bookstores (Crossword, on Bhulabai Desai Road, usually have one or two in stock), but the pavement guidebook- and magazine-wallahs along VN Road, between Churchgate and Flora Fountain, may have copies. Otherwise, the Discover India Series has produced a good, up-to-date map and listings book called the Road Guide to Mumbai (Rs60), that is widely available.
Related Properties from Gurgaon
Arrival and information of Mumbai
Unless you arrive in Mumbai by train at Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus), be prepared for a long slog into the centre. The international and domestic airports are north of the city, way off the map, and ninety minutes or more by road from the main hotel areas, while from Mumbai Central train or bus station, you face a laborious trip across town. Finding a place to stay can be even more of a hassle; phone around before you set off into the traffic.
Traveling from Goa To Mumbai
If you're heading north to Mumbai, the quickest and easiest way is by plane. Between three and six planes leave Goa's Daboiim airport daily. One-way fares for the forty-minute flight range from $53 with Indian Airlines, or $83 with Sahara, to $93 ($72 for under 30s) with swisher Jet. In addition, Air India operate an Airbus service to Mumbai on Mondays and Thursdays. Few people seem to know about this flight, so you can nearly always get a seat on it; the one drawback is that you have to check in three hours before departure as Air India is an
Information of the Agra in the Uttar Pradesh
Agra has two tourist offices, one run by the Government of India, at 191 The Mall (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat 9am-1pm), and one run by UF Tourism, close to the darks Shimz, at 64 Taj Rd (same hours); there is also an information booth at Cantonment station. The Government of India office is better organized and provides information about other destinations, though both supply information on hotels and local sights, and details of tours that start and end at Agra Cantonment railway station.
Moving on from Mumbai
Most visitors feel like getting out of Mumbai as soon as they can. Fortunately, Mumbai is equipped with "super-fast" services to arrange or confirm onward travel. All the major international and domestic airlines have offices in the city, the railway networks operate special tourist counters in the main reservation halls, and dozens of travel agents and road transport companies are eager to help you on your way by bus.
Information, websites and maps
The Indian government maintains a number of tourist offices abroad, where you can pick up a range of pamphlets. Their main purpose is to advertise rather than inform, but they can be extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Other sources of information include travel agents (who are in business for themselves, so their advice may not always be totally unbiased), and the Indian Railways representatives listed. Inside India, both national and local governments run tourist information offices, providing general travel advice and handing out an array of printed material, from city maps to glossy leaflets on specific destinations. The Indian government's tourist department,
Downtown Mumbai
Aldous Huxley famously described Mumbai as "one of the most appalling cities of either hemisphere", with its "lavatory bricks and Gothic spires". The critic Robert Byron, although a wholehearted fan of New Delhi, was equally unenthusiastic, feeling moved to refer to downtown Mumbai in 1931 as "that architectural Sodom", claiming that "the nineteenth century devised nothing lower than the municipal buildings of British India. Their ugliness is positive, daemonic." Today, however, the massive erections of Empire and Indian free enterprise appear not so much ugly, as intriguing.
Information about Calcutta
The efficient and friendly Government of India Tourist Office, Shakespeare Sarani (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-lpm, is your best bet for information on Calcutta,'West Bengal and destinations further afield, and can assist with itineraries and booking tours.The Government ofWest Bengal Tourist Bureau. 3/2 BBD Bagh East, arranges tours of Calcutta and package trips around West Bengal. They also issue permits and book tours and accommodation at the Sunderbans and Jaldapara wildlife parks. Tourist information counters at the airport and Howrah Station offer the same services. English-language newspapers such as the
Information on Calcutta
The efficient and friendly Government of India Tourist Office, 4 Shakespeare Sarani (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-1 pm;) is your best bet for information on Calcutta, 'West Bengal and destinations further a field, and can assist with itineraries and booking tours. The Government of West Bengal Tourist Bureau, 3/2 BBD Bagh East (©033/248 8271), arranges tours of Calcutta and package trips around West Bengal. They also issue permits and book tours and accommodation at the Sunderbans and Jaldapara wildlife parks. Tourist information counters at the airport and Howrah Station offer the same
Eating in Mumbai
In keeping with its cosmopolitan credentials, Mumbai (and Colaba above all) is crammed with interesting eating places, whether you fancy splashing out on a buffet lunch-with-a-view from a flashy five-star revolving restaurant, or simply tucking into piping-hot roti kebab by gaslight in the street.
Moving on from Vadodara in Gujarat
Vadodara railway station js often rather crowded and queues for tickets can be long (the reservation office is upstairs); you can bypass the hassle for a Rs15-25 fee if you buy your ticket from Vogikrupa Travel Service opposite (daily Sam-8pm; 0265/794977), All trains travelling along the main Delhi-Mumbai line stop here. New Delhi is reached by at least ten daily trains (12-24hr), via Kota and Sawai Madhopur, with one train a day to Jaipur (11hr 50min). There are at least fourteen daily services to Ahmedabad (1hr 55min-2hr 30min), some of which continue to Rajkot, Jamnagar and Porbandar and one each
Lonavala in Southern Maharashtra
Just thirty years ago, the town of LONAVALA, 100km southeast of Mumbai and 62km northwest of Pune, was a quiet retreat in the Sahyadri hills. Since then, the place has mushroomed to cope with hordes of holiday-makers and second-home owners from the state capital, and is now only of interest as a base for the magnificent Buddhist caves of Karle. Bhaja and Bedsa, some of which date from the Satavahana period (second century BC). Frequent buses arrive at Lonavala's central bus stand, just off the Mumbai-Pune Road (NH-4), but the tram is infinitely preferable. Lonavala is on the main railway
Leaving India in Mumbai
In spite of its prominence on trans-Asian flight routes, Mumbai is no longer the bargain basement for international air tickets it used to be. Discounted fares are very hard to come by — a legacy of Rajiv Gandhi's economic reforms of the 1980s. If you do need to book a ticket, stick to one of the tried and tested agents listed. All the major airlines operating out of Mumbai have offices downtown where you can buy scheduled tickets or confirm your flight; see p.781 for a list of addresses. The majority are grouped around Veer Nariman Road, opposite the Ambassador Hotel,
Moving on from Aurangabad in Maharashtra
Daily flights from Aurangabad to Mumbai (40min; $75) are operated by Jet Airways (8.45pm) and Indian Airlines (5.30pm). The Indian Airlines flight also carries on to Delhi ($175). Their office is on Jalna Road (3 0240/485421). Ail the state transport corporation (MSRTC) buses leave from the Central bus stand and the MTDC buses depart from the MTDC Holiday Resort. The MSRTC run good-value "luxury" daily night-buses to Mumbai. If you feel like a little more comfort, there are a couple of companies running more expensive a/c buses to most of the larger destinations; tickets can be booked through travel agents. Getting
Moving on from Rajkot in Gujarat
Of Rajkot's two train services to Mumbai, by far the better is the Saurashtra Mail #9006, leaving late afternoon and arriving 8.10am the next morning. There are also three expresses and several passenger trains to Jamnagar (2-3hr) and Porbandar (4hr 30min-6hr), two expresses and three fast passenger trains to Dwarka (5hr 30min-7hr) and Okha (6hr 30min-8hr), an overnight fast passenger train to Bhavnagar (8hr 30min}, and four trains a day (one fast) to Junagadh (3hr 15min-4hr) and Veraval (5hr 15min-6hr). For those in a hurry to get to south India, there are weekly trains to each of Secunderabad,
Information of Lucknow in Central UP
The national government's regional tourist bureau, close to the railway station at 10 Station Rd (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, closed 2nd Sat of each month), provides information only; they also operate a stand at the railway station. The UP Tourism office, at 3 Newal Kishore Rd, has an information counter. Lucknow's GPO is onVidhan Sabha Marg. Among banks for foreign exchange are Punjab National Bank, Ashok Marg, Hazratganj, and State Bank of India, also on Ashok Marg and at Mod Mahal Marg. Top-range hotels such as the Taj Mahal also have foreign exchange facilities.
Central Madhya Pradesh Arrival, information and city transport
Most of Bhopal's principal places of interest are so far apart that the best way of getting around has to be by metered auto-rickshaws, all of which sport smart interior upholstery and uniformed drivers (perhaps the reason for their slightly above average fares). Taxis can be found outside all of the top hotels, or else arranged through MPTDC. There's also a prepaid taxi and auto-rickshaw booth outside the station on Hamidia Road. MPTDC has helpful tourist information counters in the arrivals hall at the station (platform 1 exit), and on the fourth floor of the Gangotri Building on TT Nagar, New
Moving on from Mount Abu in Rajasthan
Buses leave Mount Abu for Abu Road every hour until 9pm; Jeeps leave when full (from opposite the bus stand), and taxis are available on request (from the junction at the southeastern corner of the polo ground; Rs200 for a full car). For train travellers, there's an information and booking office, or "Out Agency" (Mon-Sat 9am-1pm S 2-4pm) directly opposite the police station, next to the bus stand. It has quotas for services to Delhi, Jaipur, Ajmer, Ahmedabad and Mumbai, but not Jodhpur, so if you're heading northeast towards Jaisalmer, you'll have to head back down to Abu Road railway station
Flights to and from Andhra Pradesh
Hyderabad to: Ahmedabad (4 weekly: 1hr40min): Bangalore (2-3 daily; 1hr); Calcutta (1-2 daily; 2-3hr); Chennai (3-4 daily; 1hr-1hr 45min); Cochin (2 weekly; 2hr 40min); Delhi (3 daily; 2hr-2hr10min|; Mumbai (6-7 daily; 1 hr 15min-3hr); Tirupati (1-2 daily; 55min-1hr 20min); Vishakapatnam (2 daily; 1 hr-1 hr 30min). Puttaparthy to: Mumbai (2 weekly: 1 hr 20min). Vishakapatnam to: Bhubaneswar (4 weekly; 55min); Calcutta (4 weekly; 2hr 20min); Chennai (4 weekly; 1hr 5min); Delhi (4 weekly; 3hr 35min); Hyderabad (2 daily; 1 hr-1 hr 30min); Mumbai (1 daily; 2hr45min).
Pune (Poona) and beyond Arrival and information in Southern Maharashtra
Pune's Lohagaon airport, 10km northeast of the centre, is served by nights from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and Bangalore. Prepaid taxis (Rs200), auto-rickshaws (Rs100) and regular "Ex-Servicemen" buses (Rs20-25) are on hand for the fifteen-minute trip to the city centre. Pune is an important staging point on southern express-train routes from Mumbai (3hr 30min-4hr 30min); the main railway station is in the centre of town, south of the river. Auto-rickshaws and tourist taxis wait outside the station - locals often use the shared long-distance taxis to get to Mumbai. Of the three main bus stands, the City Bus Stand next to
Uptown and the outskirts in Mumbai
Greater Mumbai has crept inexorably northwards to engulf villages and swampland in a pall of chimneys, motorways and slums. These grim industrial areas hold few attractions, but possibilities for full- or half-day excursions include the quirky Victoria and Albert museum and botanical gardens in Byculla, and the beach at Juhu. All lie within reach of a suburban railway station, although you will, in most cases, have to take a rickshaw or taxi for the last few kilometres. Beyond them to the north lie the Buddhist caves chiselled out of the hillside at Kanheri, and the crumbling Portuguese fort at Bassein.