Megacities like Mumbai often earn a bad reputation for not offering many heritage and cultural sites, especially when a lot goes with infrastructure development and other enmities provisions. Still, on the flip side, Mumbai surprised you regarding sightseeing, activities, and heritage. The Mumbai heritage is monumental; you can't stay idle once you explore it.
Mumbai's rich cultural and historical significance makes maneuvering around the city more fun; you will be mesmerized by exploring it on foot. The heritage walk in Mumbai is packed with iconic monuments, sights, and exuberant city life. The hustle and bustle of Mumbai itself is exciting and adventurous for travel enthusiasts.
The city of Mumbai is a tale of many stories comprised of various aspects and is best discovered on foot; some of you may wonder how to do it. To your surprise, many walking tours offer their services, providing you with the experience to explore this vibrant city; you need to wear comfortable shoes and discover the history, culture, and people's stories in every corner.
Heritage Walk: The best way to discover Mumbai
Mumbai is called the "city of dreams," a place that depicts and feels like it when you start exploring it. Currently, Mumbai is divided into two parts, New Mumbai and Old Mumbai; the New represents the modern city, whereas the Old reflects the time, bringing you back to the colonial era, history, and heritage.
The old areas are studded with many appealing attractions from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus to White Town, from the University library to an enormous marine drive, and much more; you cannot miss any of these spectacular sights and the best way to tour all these places and many more is by heritage walk tour.
All the walking tours that arrange the walks for tourists or residents come under the Mumbai Heritage Walks groups established by Abha Bahl and Brinda Gaitonde, Mumbai-based architects, in April 1999. The sole purpose of establishing Heritage Walks is to raise awareness among Mumbai and Tourists about the city's heritage, architecture, and monuments.
These tours can be personalized, educate you on historical facts, and equip you with ornamental details vital to understanding the city's social and cultural history. The walking tours help bridge the old heritage of Mumbai with the new contemporary Mumbai; it's a delight for you, creating a memorable and meaningful experience.
Types of Heritage Walks
Plenty of heritage walks are available; you can book them online or discover them in Mumbai. Different walks offer different kinds of services and focus on a specific genre. You can avail a general walking tour to visit all the known and famous places or book a tour focusing on just one aspect of the city and explore it. It all depends on your interest and liking. Generally, your heritage walk itinerary includes the following:
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus: It is a UNESCO heritage site, India's most beautiful train station, with the most spectacular architecture and history.
- Town Hall (Asiatic Society Library): It is one of the city's oldest libraries, giving you a glimpse of colonial architecture.
- St Thomas Cathedral: It is one of the oldest Churches in North India, a more than 300-year-old cathedral church.
- Flora Fountain: A fountain depicting the Roman Goddess Flora built in 1864.
- The University of Mumbai is one of India's oldest and premier universities
- Bombay High Court: The High Court of Mumbai is one of the oldest high courts in India
- Kala Ghoda: Its district in Mumbai that hosts most of the heritage buildings in a crescent-shaped arrangement
- Watsons Hotel: The hotel is the earliest surviving architecture in India made with cast iron.
- Hotel Taj Mahal Palace: It's a five-star luxury hotel, a heritage site in Colaba.
- Gateway of India: An early 20th-century arch monument of Mumbai
If you are interested in particular sights or places or want to explore the food scene of Mumbai, several walking tours focus on one domain; you can book one of those and enjoy the tour around the city. Following are more focused walking tours offering a particular aspect.
Architecture Walk
It's an exclusive walking tour focusing on the city's architecture, especially the "Art Deco of Oval. "Mumbai has the second largest collection of these buildings after Miami, making it worth exploring them.
Heritage Walks
These heritage walks are a bit different from the mainstream ones; they can take you to places less explored yet worth your time. You can walk through Dharavi to learn about the heritage of Banganga, wander along the lazy fishing villages in the Bandra area, and experience all the bygone eras. Sassoon Docks Dadar Flower Market is also worth visiting.
Food and Heritage Walks
Due to the port city, Mumbai's food scene is on another level; from Kebab to Curry, the variety of food and cuisines are very diverse. You start from the historic and popular lanes of Muhammad Ali Road and can go for the Worli fishing village tour. It will give you a sneak peek of Mumbai's oldest and most authentic communities—other attractions including the Khau Gully.
Art and Wonderment Walk
The Art landscape of Mumbai gives you a unique perspective and helps you dive deep into the Art side of the city and Indian Artists. The walk includes exploring different Art Galleries and Art Cafes.
Walk into the World's Largest Slums
Like no other slums in the world, Mumbai slums are one of the densest yet have an incredible ecosystem that exists on this planet. The slums hold many small industries with a collective turnover of $600 or more annually; you can visit numerous small factories and see the local community and living.
Conclusion
Heritage Walk Mumbai is an excellent way to explore this mega city; the walks cover all the heritage sites with historical, cultural, and social importance. Other than that, you can also book a walking tour focusing on a particular aspect of the city, including architecture, Arts, and Food, and exploring the slums of Mumbai to understand the social fabric of the city.
