Film City, Mumbai

Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum, invites many curious eyes because of the sheer vastness of it. It is counted among one of the places to visit in Mumbai because of the slum houses as many as a million people crammed in pint-sized houses, dirty bylanes, open drains, and extremely filthy living conditions in average.

Located in the very heart of Mumbai, the Dharavi slum stretches between two of Mumbai’s major rail lines, which is what makes it such a convenient location to travel for work for the folk who live here. In a city where rents are sky high, Dharavi offers rather low rent for people who move into the city.

You can find a room complete with a cooking gas and a small colour TV for as low as 185 rupees a month. Dharavi has many small-scale businesses thriving, manufacturing everything from garments to pots and pans. The products are sold in local as well as international markets, where they are exported.

The annual turnover for these products is as much as 650 million dollars a year. Visit Dharavi to see the lifestyle of those living here, for it is not every day you get to step inside Asia’s largest slum.

Location: Spans over 500 acres in the heart of Mumbai

Best Time to visit: October-March

Entry fee: No entry fee

Timings: Not applicable

Distance from Mumbai Bus Stand: 10.4 km from MSRTC Mumbai Central

The Elephanta Caves are a major attraction in Mumbai because of its archaeological significance. This is where the caves are located, must have seen early settlements from 2nd century BC. The caves, however, are estimated to have been constructed sometime between 5th and 6th century AD.

One of the biggest caves here measures about 39 metres from the front to the back. The main body of the Elephanta Cave is about 27 square meters, supported by six rows of pillars. The caves show distinct artistic features from the time of its construction.

The caves feature rock-cut architecture, which makes the entire layout of the caves very interesting. The Elephanta Caves have a combination of sculpture art and aesthetic beauty carved into the rock formations.

This is what makes it popular among archaeologists as well as historians, who wish to find out more about the natives who moved on the Gharapuri Island (Elephanta Caves) in 2nd century BC. Come here to experience the ruins of an ancient world on the Elephanta Island, and see the caves and sculptures in their natural surroundings.

Location: Gharapuri, Maharashtra 

Best Time to visit: October-March

Entry fee: INR 10 (Indian), INR 250 (foreigner), free (child)

Timings: 9AM-5.30PM

Distance from Mumbai Bus Stand: 7.3 km from MSRTC Mumbai Central

As the name suggests, the Red Carpet Wax Museum is one of those tourist places in Mumbai that one simply cannot miss because the museum showcases lifelike statues of celebrities and prominent people from all walks of life, such as socialites, politicians, world leaders, scientists, social workers etc. The statues are made to be completely alike the person they have been constructed after, giving a very authentic feel to the statue.

Each statue is surrounded by the necessary ambience to give the statue and its theme a complete look and feel. Any individual can pose with the statues in the museum. The museum was constructed over a period of five years after which it opened its doors to the public in December 2016. The wax museum is one of a kind monument in the city of Mumbai, so make sure you drop by and catch a glimpse of it.

Location: 1st Floor, R City Mall, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, Amrut Nagar, Ghatkopar West, Mumbai, Maharashtra

Best Time to visit: Any time of the year

Entry fee: INR 250 (weekday), INR 350 (weekend)

Timings: 9.45AM-9.30PM

Distance from Mumbai Bus Stand: 20.5 kms from MSRTC Mumbai Central

A place that’s as unique as it can be, Mumbai’s Dhobi Ghat maintains and lives up to its 140-year-old tradition and profession in the heart of Mumbai city. There are as many as 1026 open “ghats” for washermen to wash clothes in, and almost all of them are occupied at the same time as they beat the dirt out of hundreds and thousands of dirty clothes from the city.

The Mumbai Dhobi Ghat is located very close to the Mahalaxmi railway station. The place is also famed to be the world’s largest washing centre because there’s no such other place for washing clothes in the world. Most of the clothes being washed here come from Mumbai’s hospitals, and hotels.

You can see likes of cleaned clothes and sheets being hung to dry in the open air after they have been thoroughly cleaned. Come here to see a very different face of the city of Mumbai. Lately, it has become a place for tourists to flock in out of sheer curiosity. 

Location: Dr E Moses Road, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai, Maharashtra 

Best Time to visit: October-March

Entry fee: No entry fee

Timings: 4AM-7PM

Distance from Mumbai Bus Stand: 2 km from MSRTC Mumbai Central