In a City That Never Sleeps, What To Do When Night Falls? Find Out The Best Things To Do in Mumbai at Night in This City Guide (2020)

Mumbai is well known as ‘Mayanagri’ or ‘The City of Dreams’, not only in India but across other continents as well. The reason lies in the simple fact that Mumbai is not only the economic capital and the most revenue generating city in India, but also because of the world famous Bollywood Film Industry, which till date attracts thousands of visitors and migrants to Mumbai. Every year, huge numbers of migrants from other states of India flock in to earn a decent living and this city rewards everyone, who is willing to work hard. The beautiful architectures of Mumbai and the tall skylines present a splendid view of the city, especially in the evening when Mumbai is glowing and its streets are buzzing with crowd. Its not only the skyscrapers and modern marvels that Mumbai boasts of, but also some glories from the past like monuments, religious places or archaeologically significant sites This city has preserved its roots nicely. Besides entertainment, Mumbai also includes attractions for arts and art lovers which include different institutes and art galleries.

Mumbai, also called Bollywood, has well established itself as the film capital of India and produces the largest number of movies in India, generating direct and indirect employment for thousands of people. Not only the film industry, but Mumbai has many famous media houses, Television production houses, ad agencies and music production companies. They all have their roots in this city. Many famous art galleries, like Jehangir Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Modern Art, are also present in Mumbai and famous artists present and auction their creations in these galleries.

The Head or Corporate Offices of most of the Banks, NBFC’s, Insurance Companies and Financial Institutions and Financial Regulators like Reserve Bank of India, National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange etc. are located in Mumbai. Apart from this, the business tycoons of the likes of Reliance Industries, Tata Group, Aditya Birla Group, Essel Group and most of the well known names of Indian Corporate are based in Mumbai.

Talking about the architectural wonders; few mention worthy names are the Bandra-Worli Sealink, Marine Drive, Hotel Taj, Gateway of India and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. Few of them are almost a century old and have seen everything; from India’s fight for independence to terror attacks to floods in Mumbai, but they stand tall to tell the tale of this city’s fighting spirit. Few other ancient structures include the Elephanta Caves, Haji Ali Dargah, Mount Mary Church and Asiatic Society Library of Mumbai. Mumbai has been a city where the country’s first movie screening took place in 1896, the first five star hotel “Taj Mahal Palace” was opened, the first civil aviation airport opened at Juhu in the year 1928 and even the first passenger train ran in 1853 hence making this a city which was truly ahead of its time. With the newly planned bullet train track between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, the trend still continues.

Mumbai, being a cosmopolitan city has people from all parts of the country and few from outside India as well;. Hence the city has its own charm and spirit. But, Mumbai has not lost its original culture and there is still a display of language, culture, traditions and festivals which clearly prooves that the city is very much intact to its roots. People celebrate all the festivals like Holi, Diwali, Eid, Christmas etc. with great pomp and pleasure. Ganesh Chaturthi is considered one of the biggest festivals in Mumbai and the celebrations last for about a week. Men and women wear traditional Maratha clothes and accessories during the festivals and traditional folk songs are played in the praise of Lord Ganesha, thanking him for coming home every year.

Mumbai is a hugely populated city and to cater such an ocean of people, there are many local markets and malls across the city. Mumbai has many local markets where you can get various items at very economic price. Mumbai is also a fashion and textile hub and ready-made fabrics, clothes and fashion apparels are also exported to other parts of the country as well as outside India. Few markets in Mumbai where you can get good deals after exploring few options and little bit of negotiation are mentioned below.

The most famous markets include - Chor Bazaar (you’ll get few antique objects in this market, which are rarely available in big shops), Fashion Street (on M.G. Road in Mumbai has an array of 150 shops lined on both sides of the road and gives the feel of a typical flee market, which provides you the best and trendiest in fashion), Linking road (Indian traditional clothes, western clothes, trendy clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, belts, caps and much more can be purchased here with a little bit of clever bargaining), Dharavi Market (numerous options to choose from when it comes to leather goods, be it wallets, bags, backpacks, Jackets, belts, leather goods with traditional motifs, shoes, boots, and gift items or even customised goods) and Colaba Causeway (officially known as Shahid Bhagat Singh Road), you will get everything from artefacts to carpets, electronic items or vintage movie posters; but the Jewellery shops are the one’s which sets this market apart from the other markets in Mumbai.

Mumbai has its own charm and it’s a modern city, yet still it is proud of its roots and culture. Mumbai has numerous places to explore which include a mixture of concrete structures to ancient monuments. But we have researched the places which are best to visit in the evening or the night to get a feel that “Mumbai is a city which never sleeps”.

Carter Road, also known as Sangeet Samrat Naushad Ali Marg, in the memory of Naushad Ali, a popular and very talented music director of the Hindi film industry is a 1.25 km long road along the sea on the western coast of Mumbai. It’s a great place to take a stroll in the night when there is hardly any traffic on the road. The lanes are illuminated by the street lights and the mesmerising sound of the waves from the adjoining sea is clearly audible. Also, the cool breeze makes the perfect atmosphere to take a long late night walk with your loves ones.

If you like non-vegetarian food, then Bademiya is the right place to visit during night time. Set up in 1946 as a small make shift seekh kabab shop, it has today evolved into the restaurant that serves several varieties of Kebabs, Tandoori items, Biryanis, Phirni, Legendary Bademiya, Mutton Seekh Roll, and Paneer Bhurji Roll. The mouth watering dishes are prepared from premium quality ingredients and authentic Indian spices. The restaurant is open till 1:00 a.m. in the night.

Watching a stand-up comedy by a rising comedian or a live performance by the local band or may be a face to face encounter with your favourite pop star at an event ending with an autograph and a selfie (if you are lucky) are few of the activities which can be considered to be planned in night during your stay in Mumbai. You can arrange advance booking of the shows of your interest and as per your convenience on bookmyshow.com.

There are various Cycling Clubs in Mumbai which offer Midnight cycling tours at affordable prices. If you are a fitness enthusiast, then it’s a fun way to meet like-minded people and explore the city enjoying a slow ride on the bicycle. Most of the clubs provide cycles on rent at very reasonable rates. You can have a clear view of the city during night-time as the roads are devoid of traffic and pollution levels are also low, thus providing better visibility. It’s better to make a list of the places you want to visit before starting the trip, as it will help you make the most of your time. Do visit places like Marine Drive, Nariman Point and The Gateway of India. You can check the popular cycling clubs here.

Famous since the 1930’s, Bachelorrs is an all time favourite place for the ice-cream lovers. So if you have a sweet tooth, then there is no better place than Bachelorrs, located in Chowpatty, for a post dinner hangout. It’s open till 2:00 a.m. and average price for two is Rs.750. Apart from ice-cream and variety of shakes, they also have various bakery products and fresh juices available with them. The place is a roadside joint and parking space can be a problem, so it’s better to use public transport to reach the shop.

Visit to Mumbai is incomplete without checking out the Marine Drive, where the wide open beach with roadside food stalls stand, welcoming the visitors with their delicious local and experimental recipes, and would keep you spell bound for hours. This boulevard is a famous sunset point and a favourite place for the couples to relax and talk their hearts out. Sitting in the night for few hours at this place provides the much needed calmness where the natural sound of the ocean waves is like music to the ears.

One of the few destinations in Mumbai, where you can eat, party and play all in one place is “Smaaash”. As cool as the name sounds, it has the best entertainment options together at one joint. There is a separate gaming zone where you can enjoy games like air hockey, go-karting, foosball, laser blast, and many other thrilling games. And once you are tired and hungry, the food section have plethora of authentic cuisines to relish your taste buds. The place is located at Kamala Mills Compound, Lower Parel and is open till 1:00 a.m. in the night.

Want to have an unforgettable and different experience of Mumbai? Then head out to one of those Bar’s which also offer fine dining. Few of them are open-air terrace bars overlooking the city. Then there are also the traditional and beautifully decorated closed bars with music performances or DJ’s playing the latest chart busters. Most of the bars are open till 1:00 or 1:30 a.m.. This includes some of the famous names: Aer, Dome, Harbour bar, Gadda Da Vida, Kala Ghoda, Bonobo and Olive Bar and Kitchen.

Be it a friend’s birthday, your anniversary or just a casual get together with friends or family, celebrating at one of these Karaoke Bars is definitely a unique and delightful way to party. You can let your inner ‘Indian Idol’ shine and let your guests be impressed by your singing skills at these bars. The crowd here is mostly playful and are undisturbed by your celebrations. The famous Karaoke Bars of Mumbai are Soul Fry in Bandra, Copa in Juhu, Wise Monkeys in Khar, Road House Bluez and The Little Door, Versova. Most of these bars provide dining and have various cuisines to cater to their guests. Do book your tables in advance to avoid any last minute disappointment.

Launched in 2017 by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), in association with Maharashtra Maritime Board and WB International Consultants; AB Celestial is first of its kind floating hotel cum restaurant in Mumbai. The ship has been designed and imported from USA and is a three story floating hotel with a sky deck. It has a 24 hour coffee shop apart from the regular restaurant, where you can enjoy local and international cuisines. Reservations can be made on the official website of the cruise abcelestial.com.

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