48 Hours In: Mumbai, India

WHY GO NOW?

Because India's throbbing commercial heart, formerly known as Bombay, is at its coolest and driest. This year's monsoons, among the most destructive seen in the Maharashtra state, have passed and the city is restored to its normal frenetic pace. Get here before 2020, when the population is predicted to reach 28.5 million ­ making it the world's most populous city.

TOUCH DOWN

You can fly non-stop from London Heathrow on Air India (020-8560 9996; www.airindia.com), BMI (0870 60 70 555; www.flybmi.com), British Airways (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com), Jet Airways (020-8970 1525; www.jetairways.com) or Virgin Atlantic (0870 380 2007; www.virgin-atlantic.com). Connecting flights are available on a wide range of airlines, including Emirates (0870 243 2222; www.emirates.com) from Gatwick, Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow via Dubai.

Chhatrapati Shivaji airport is 20 miles north of the city. The easiest way into the city is with a pre-paid taxi, costing around Rs800 (£10).

GET YOUR BEARINGS

Mumbai was once a collection of seven islands occupied by fishing communities. It is now India's commercial capital. You will spend most of your time on the tongue of land that pokes into the Arabian Sea. To the west is the arc of Back Bay, which includes Chowpatty Beach and Marine Drive; to the east, the overgrown colonial relic that is the Gateway of India (1), which welcomed thousands of expatriates to the country. In between is the Fort area, and just south of that Colaba.

CHECK IN

The most opulent and eye-catching accommodation can be found at the neo-Gothic splendour of the Taj Mahal (2) on Apollo Bunder (00 91 22 5665 3366; www.tajhotels.com ). The official rate for a double room is $155 (£85) a night, excluding breakfast. The staff are so dedicated that the hotel's four miles of banisters are dusted daily. Rumour has it that its Victorian builders got the plans the wrong way around and built it back to front.

A cheaper option is the clean and friendly Chateau Windsor Guest House (3), located in a (relatively) quiet part of town at 86 Veer Nariman Road (00 91 22 2204 3376); expect to pay around Rs2,500 (£31) for a double room with balcony.

TAKE A HIKE

Immerse yourself in the tide of humanity that swirls around its broad boulevards and tumbling markets. Start at the Victoria Terminus (4), now officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. This railway station, loosely modelled on St Pancras in London, is both a glorious monument to Raj Victoriana and a tribute to 21st-century India with its highly efficient urban rail network.

Wander north through the hawkers and stop for a juicy Alfonso mango at the Crawford produce market (5) before cutting diagonally across Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Road to the cloth market (6), to be dazzled by colour. Meander further and you get joyfully tangled in a web of alleyways and street vendors, temples and mosques.

LUNCH ON THE RUN

See how far you can get through the teeming streets before you succumb to your first helping of fast food. Try masala dosa, the crispy, light rice-flour pancake full of potato and spices; or the local speciality, bhelpuri ­ lentils, chick peas, potato, onion, mint and coriander. While you nibble, watch out for dopa wallahs: a small army of delivery men who bring workers' aluminium lunch pails from their home kitchens in the suburbs to the city's offices.

WINDOW SHOPPING

The boutiques along Colaba Causeway (officially Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg) sell high-quality European branded gear that is manufactured in India and has prices tailored to the local market ­ in other words, much cheaper than at home. The street also boasts boutiques offering excellent crafts.

TAKE A RIDE

From the quayside next to the Gateway of India (1), board one of the frequent ferries across to Elephanta Island. On this wooded offshore retreat, you can climb 300 steps and visit temple caves with astounding carvings. These date back a millennium before the Portuguese introduced the fisherfolk of Mumbai to European culture by using this artistic treasure for target practice with cannons.

AN APERITIF

Watch the sun set over the Arabian Sea with a glass of Kingfisher beer at one of the fancy hotels, such as the Oberoi Towers (7) on Back Bay ­ or, if there is no sunset (quite likely at this time of year), the magnificent Taj Mahal (2). Should your funds not run to five-star opulence, try Cafe Mondegar (8) near the Regal Cinema on Colaba Causeway. Here you can sip a cold beer to a soundtrack of trading disputes and squawking parakeets in the trees.

DINNER WITHTHE LOCALS

For good food in entertaining company visit Trishna (9) at 7 Rope Walk Lane (00 91 22 2267 2176), a restaurant specialising in superb seafood. Or, to make the most of the vegetarian tradition of Gujarat, try the Samrat (10) at Prem Court on Tata Road (00 91 22 2282 0942).

SUNDAY MORNING: GO TO CHURCH

St Thomas's Cathedral (11) celebrates the apostle who settled his doubts by touching Christ's wounds, and then set out to evangelise. In AD52, he arrived on the west coast of the Indian subcontinent to spread the Word. The interior is solidly imperial, full of the great achievements and heroic misfortunes of the British in India.

OUT TO BRUNCH

The Leopold Cafe (12) is on the corner of Colaba Causeway and Nawroji Road. Like the Pudding Shop in Istanbul, this is one of the great fixtures on the backpacking trail. The menu will comfort anyone missing treats like egg on toast.

CULTURAL AFTERNOON

Mumbai is India's film capital, so take a trip to Bollywood. Book in advance on 00 91 22 2840 1533 for a visit to Film City at Goregaon East; take a taxi. Here the back lots of the world's most prolific movie houses can be seen and, with luck, you may glimpse a Bollywood star. Alternatively, join the dancing in the aisles during a Bollywood showing at one of Mumbai's magnificent Art Deco cinemas: the Eros (13) on Churchgate or the Metro (14) on Dhobi Talao.

A WALK ONTHE BEACH

Forget about bathing or catching rays on Chowpatty Beach (15). The time to head down here is in the early evening when the populace descends for an Indian passeggiata among the entertainers, balloon sellers and bhelpuri vendors. The glare of stall lights amid the Hindi songs and the heady perfumes make for a sense of circus at the heart of the city. To disengage just a little, try the Kamala Nehru Park just above the beach.

ICING ON THE CAKE

Nothing can quite prepare a Westerner used to their tatty local laundrette for the Mumbai "dhobi ghat" ­ a vast al fresco washing machine. Take a taxi to Dr E Moses Road, near Mahalakshmi Station, and watch from a flyover as an army of men and women pummel, soap and soak a vast array of garments in stone troughs before hanging them up to dry. The clothes are then delivered back to their owners and the next dirty batch collected for one rupee per item.

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WHY GO NOW?

Because India's throbbing commercial heart, formerly known as Bombay, is at its coolest and driest. This year's monsoons, among the most destructive seen in the Maharashtra state, have passed and the city is restored to its normal frenetic pace. Get here before 2020, when the population is predicted to reach 28.5 million ­ making it the world's most populous city.

TOUCH DOWN

You can fly non-stop from London Heathrow on Air India (020-8560 9996; www.airindia.com), BMI (0870 60 70 555; www.flybmi.com), British Airways (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com), Jet Airways (020-8970 1525; www.jetairways.com) or Virgin Atlantic (0870 380 2007; www.virgin-atlantic.com). Connecting flights are available on a wide range of airlines, including Emirates (0870 243 2222; www.emirates.com) from Gatwick, Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow via Dubai.

Chhatrapati Shivaji airport is 20 miles north of the city. The easiest way into the city is with a pre-paid taxi, costing around Rs800 (£10).

GET YOUR BEARINGS

Mumbai was once a collection of seven islands occupied by fishing communities. It is now India's commercial capital. You will spend most of your time on the tongue of land that pokes into the Arabian Sea. To the west is the arc of Back Bay, which includes Chowpatty Beach and Marine Drive; to the east, the overgrown colonial relic that is the Gateway of India (1), which welcomed thousands of expatriates to the country. In between is the Fort area, and just south of that Colaba.

CHECK IN

The most opulent and eye-catching accommodation can be found at the neo-Gothic splendour of the Taj Mahal (2) on Apollo Bunder (00 91 22 5665 3366; www.tajhotels.com ). The official rate for a double room is $155 (£85) a night, excluding breakfast. The staff are so dedicated that the hotel's four miles of banisters are dusted daily. Rumour has it that its Victorian builders got the plans the wrong way around and built it back to front.

A cheaper option is the clean and friendly Chateau Windsor Guest House (3), located in a (relatively) quiet part of town at 86 Veer Nariman Road (00 91 22 2204 3376); expect to pay around Rs2,500 (£31) for a double room with balcony.

TAKE A HIKE

Immerse yourself in the tide of humanity that swirls around its broad boulevards and tumbling markets. Start at the Victoria Terminus (4), now officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. This railway station, loosely modelled on St Pancras in London, is both a glorious monument to Raj Victoriana and a tribute to 21st-century India with its highly efficient urban rail network.

Wander north through the hawkers and stop for a juicy Alfonso mango at the Crawford produce market (5) before cutting diagonally across Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Road to the cloth market (6), to be dazzled by colour. Meander further and you get joyfully tangled in a web of alleyways and street vendors, temples and mosques.

LUNCH ON THE RUN

See how far you can get through the teeming streets before you succumb to your first helping of fast food. Try masala dosa, the crispy, light rice-flour pancake full of potato and spices; or the local speciality, bhelpuri ­ lentils, chick peas, potato, onion, mint and coriander. While you nibble, watch out for dopa wallahs: a small army of delivery men who bring workers' aluminium lunch pails from their home kitchens in the suburbs to the city's offices.

WINDOW SHOPPING

The boutiques along Colaba Causeway (officially Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg) sell high-quality European branded gear that is manufactured in India and has prices tailored to the local market ­ in other words, much cheaper than at home. The street also boasts boutiques offering excellent crafts.

TAKE A RIDE

From the quayside next to the Gateway of India (1), board one of the frequent ferries across to Elephanta Island. On this wooded offshore retreat, you can climb 300 steps and visit temple caves with astounding carvings. These date back a millennium before the Portuguese introduced the fisherfolk of Mumbai to European culture by using this artistic treasure for target practice with cannons.

AN APERITIF

Watch the sun set over the Arabian Sea with a glass of Kingfisher beer at one of the fancy hotels, such as the Oberoi Towers (7) on Back Bay ­ or, if there is no sunset (quite likely at this time of year), the magnificent Taj Mahal (2). Should your funds not run to five-star opulence, try Cafe Mondegar (8) near the Regal Cinema on Colaba Causeway. Here you can sip a cold beer to a soundtrack of trading disputes and squawking parakeets in the trees.

DINNER WITHTHE LOCALS

For good food in entertaining company visit Trishna (9) at 7 Rope Walk Lane (00 91 22 2267 2176), a restaurant specialising in superb seafood. Or, to make the most of the vegetarian tradition of Gujarat, try the Samrat (10) at Prem Court on Tata Road (00 91 22 2282 0942).

SUNDAY MORNING: GO TO CHURCH

St Thomas's Cathedral (11) celebrates the apostle who settled his doubts by touching Christ's wounds, and then set out to evangelise. In AD52, he arrived on the west coast of the Indian subcontinent to spread the Word. The interior is solidly imperial, full of the great achievements and heroic misfortunes of the British in India.

OUT TO BRUNCH

The Leopold Cafe (12) is on the corner of Colaba Causeway and Nawroji Road. Like the Pudding Shop in Istanbul, this is one of the great fixtures on the backpacking trail. The menu will comfort anyone missing treats like egg on toast.

CULTURAL AFTERNOON

Mumbai is India's film capital, so take a trip to Bollywood. Book in advance on 00 91 22 2840 1533 for a visit to Film City at Goregaon East; take a taxi. Here the back lots of the world's most prolific movie houses can be seen and, with luck, you may glimpse a Bollywood star. Alternatively, join the dancing in the aisles during a Bollywood showing at one of Mumbai's magnificent Art Deco cinemas: the Eros (13) on Churchgate or the Metro (14) on Dhobi Talao.

A WALK ONTHE BEACH

Forget about bathing or catching rays on Chowpatty Beach (15). The time to head down here is in the early evening when the populace descends for an Indian passeggiata among the entertainers, balloon sellers and bhelpuri vendors. The glare of stall lights amid the Hindi songs and the heady perfumes make for a sense of circus at the heart of the city. To disengage just a little, try the Kamala Nehru Park just above the beach.

ICING ON THE CAKE

Nothing can quite prepare a Westerner used to their tatty local laundrette for the Mumbai "dhobi ghat" ­ a vast al fresco washing machine. Take a taxi to Dr E Moses Road, near Mahalakshmi Station, and watch from a flyover as an army of men and women pummel, soap and soak a vast array of garments in stone troughs before hanging them up to dry. The clothes are then delivered back to their owners and the next dirty batch collected for one rupee per item.

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