When to go

When to go

Best season is from October to February. It’s very hot from March onwards (stay near the sea, to avoid boiling over), and the monsoon is from July to September. For a good festival, come in the post-monsoon celebration of Ganpati, held in honour of Bombay’s favorite god, money-lucky Ganesha. The February/March Holi festival is not a good time to visit horrid crowds, lashings of red paint, and hapless tourists diving for cover all over the place.

ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE
Air –
Bombay has two airports: Sahar International (tel 6366700), 26 km (16 1/4 miles) from the city center, and used by all international airlines including Air India and for Indian Airlines flights to Karachi (Pakistan) and Colombo (Sri Lanka). The international carriers connect Bombay with Africa, the Gulf region, most of Europe, New York, South East Asia, Japan and Australia. The domestic airport is at Santa Cruz (tel 6126343), and is used by Indian Airlines (tel 6114433), Vayudoot (tel 6146583), East West Airlines and other domestic operators. There are two terminals. The newer (1992) handles Indian Airlines Airbus flights while the other, original terminal handles all other domestic traffic.

Airport-city Transport
a) EATS coach service (runs hourly, on the hour, from Sahar airport into city between 2 am and 11 pm; runs hourly, on the half-hour, from Santa Cruz into city between 2.30 am and 11.30 pm; returns hourly, on the hour, from Air India building, Nariman Point, to both airports all day, except 2 to 4 am; journey time can be anything between 1 hour and (in rush-hour chaos) 3-4 hours. If flying out from Bombay, aim for a night flight: traffic out to the airport is much lighter in the evenings.

b) Suburban train (auto-rickshaw from Sahar to Andheri station, from Santa Cruz to Vile Parle station, for cheap 1st-class, 2nd-class trip to Churchgate/Victoria Terminus stations in the heart of the city; best return trains to airports leave Churchgate station every 4 minutes, from platforms 1/2). Quick and comfortable, trains are much more reliable than buses: airport/city journeys by rail rarely take more than 45 minutes.

c) Airport taxi service (Sahar has a well-controlled meter-taxi booth open round the clock that provides pre-paid taxi services on the basis of fixed fares—an average Ambassador car ride to, say, Nariman Point, would be around Rs140). Having state,: your destination, you purchase a coupon for the correct fare and amount of baggage you are carrying—this is handed over to the driver on reaching your destination Alternatively, walk to the auto-rickshaw stand just outside Sahar airport concourse and bargain a ride into town—officially auto-rickshaws are not allowed further in:: town than Mahim but are ideal if going to Bandra or Juhu. Travelling by Fairport coach, taxi or rickshaw, prepare yourself for horrendous traffic, grim slums and ripe garbage dumps lining the highway all the way into the city.

Leaving Bombay by Air
a) Make sure you have the right airport. An alarming number of people miss flights by sitting dreamily in Sahar lounge waiting for a domestic flight (which never comes or in Santa Cruz coffee shop waiting for an international flight (likewise). Discovering your error at the last minute can be horrendous—the two airports are 5 km miles) apart, and you’ll have to forget about the leisurely EATS coach connection favour of a frantic taxi-dash.

b) Late arrivals at airports can lose their reservations. For domestic flights, be at Santa Cruz a good hour ahead of check-in. For international flights, allow 2 hours—and have your Rs300 departure tax ready. You must pay this before checking-in your luggage. Note: For Indian Airlines/Air India reservations, confirmations or cancellations in Bombay, avoid the Air India building in Nariman Point (open 8 am to 6.45 pm Monday to Saturday, 8 am to 5 pm Sunday—but the queues never move). Instead, either pay a travel agent to handle bookings for you, or wait until you reach a quieter centre (e.g. Goa, Cochin, Trivandrum) where you can do them quickly yourself.

Rail
Bombay has two separate railway systems, covering all major tourist destinations. Central Railway services the east and the south Calcutta, Aurangabad, Goa, Gujarat, etc.—and a few places in the north. Reservations are from the special Tourist Booth opposite platform 9, Victoria Terminus (this is also the place to buy your Indrail Pass, if required). Western Railway services most places north and west including Delhi and Rajasthan and has booking offices at both Churchgate (next to Government of India tourist office) for 1st class, and at Bombay Central for 2nd class. The Victoria Terminus booking office has a Railway Tourist Guide, who handles a limited tourist quota of 1st and 2nd class tickets for all routes—he should be your very first option. In high season (October to February), it’s essential to advance-book all rail tickets a few days ahead.

Some useful trains are the Rajdhani Express and the equally fast AC Express to Delhi from Bombay Central (17 hours, air-con seats and 1st class only); the Calcutta Mail (35 hours) from Victoria Terminus; and the Dadar Madras Express (24 hours), leaving Dadar station seven stops up the main line from Victoria Terminus at 2.45 pm daily.

Bus
The State Transport Bus Depot, opposite Bombay Central station, is the place to book long-distance buses. Places covered by road—MTDC luxury coaches are best— include Aurangabad, Panjim (Goa), Hyderabad, Bangalore, Madras, Delhi and Calcutta. MTDC also have booking desks at the Government of India tourist office, and at Air India building, Nariman Point. For destinations like Udaipur, Mt Abu and Ahmedabad, you may in the absence of state buses have to check out the private bus companies at 9th and 11th lane, Khetwadi.

Steamer
The boat for Goa has not operated since the the late 1980s but every year plans to reintroduce it are announced, and fail to materialise. If operable it should leave from Ferry Wharf, about 3 km (2 miles) from the city centre.

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