Mumbai Neighbourhoods, Locations and Districts

(Mumbai / Bombay, Maharashtra, India)

Often regarded as the country's capital of commerce, finance and the Bollywood film industry, Mumbai is split into a series of different districts. Within Mumbai are a number of major financial institutions, such as the National Stock Exchange and the Reserve Bank of India. The main regions can be broadly grouped as north, south and suburbs, together with Mumbai's beach resorts.

Located within the state of Maharashtra, Mumbai is often known locally as India's Island City, due to its peninsula-type setting, with the Mahatma Gandhi Road (better known as MG Road) being amongst the city's main thoroughfares. Mumbai's districts, neighbourhoods and most notable locations are explained below.

South District and Colaba

South Mumbai is often referred to as simply the 'Town' and features a number of particularly affluent areas. Nariman Point is a definite highlight and is the city's main business district, being located at the southern end of Marine Drive and often called the 'Manhattan of Mumbai'. A major promenade lines much of the waterfront and offers great views of the area. Marine Drive dates back to the 1920s and stretches for around 5 km / 3 miles, next to the Arabian Sea and Chowpatty Beach, being close to Malabar Hill and the Hanging Gardens (Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens). The Colaba district lies within southern Mumbai and is considered to be the city's number one shopping district, also being full of art galleries. The Colaba Causeway dominates much of this area and is lined with places of interest.

North District

The city expanded into this area fairly recently and this is considered to be a particularly separate part of Mumbai. Boasting many residential areas and an appealing coastline, highlights include Juhu Beach, many modern shopping malls, upmarket accommodation and a host of eateries. Many visitors also come to this district for its exciting nightlife and many clubs. Particularly notable in the North Mumbai district is the Bandra suburb, where many of India's leading film stars reside, alongside many glitzy corporate buildings and apartment blocks.

Suburban District

The Mumbai Suburban district lies on the outskirts of Mumbai city centre and is amongst India's largest districts, with a population of more than eight million people. Many of the region's main attractions lie within the Suburban district, including a number of theme parks, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Tulsi Lake, and Film City, the true hub of the country's Bollywood film industry, full of studio complexes, gardens and theatres.