3-Day Mumbai Itinerary: A Day-by-Day Template
Three days across an island city: the colonial Fort and its museums, a sixth-century cave temple an hour offshore, and the sea-facing neighbourhoods where Mumbai actually lives.
Mumbai · 3 days India
Best time: November to February, after the monsoon and before the heat builds.
Fort and the seafrontDay 1
📍8:30 AM
Gateway of India
The 1924 basalt arch on the harbour, built for a royal visit and now the city’s front door; the Taj Mahal Palace hotel faces it across the square.
🚶 ~10 min · 🚗 ~1 min · 0.4 mi
📍11:00 AM
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
The city’s main museum under an Indo-Saracenic dome: miniature paintings, sculpture and arms, formerly the Prince of Wales Museum.
🚶 ~34 min · 🚗 ~4 min · 1.3 mi
📍4:30 PM
Marine Drive
Three kilometres of Art Deco seafront curving to Chowpatty beach; at dusk the streetlights become the Queen’s Necklace.
The island and the terminusDay 2
📍9:00 AM
Elephanta Caves
Rock-cut Shiva temples from around the sixth century on an island an hour’s ferry from the Gateway, centred on the three-faced Trimurti carving.
🚗 ~23 min · 6.5 mi
📍2:30 PM
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus
The 1888 Victorian Gothic railway terminus, UNESCO-listed and still one of the busiest stations in the country.
🚶 ~15 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.6 mi
🍽️5:00 PM
Crawford Market
Fruit, spice and household halls under a Norman-Gothic clocktower, the old city’s produce exchange since 1869.
Malabar Hill to BandraDay 3
📍8:30 AM
Banganga Tank
An ancient temple tank ringed by shrines in Walkeshwar, a pocket of the city older than everything around it.
🚗 ~10 min · 2.8 mi
📍11:00 AM
Haji Ali Dargah
A mosque and Sufi tomb on an islet reached by a low causeway; time the walk for low tide.
🚗 ~15 min · 4.3 mi
📍4:30 PM
Bandra Bandstand and Mount Mary
The sea promenade of the western suburbs, ending below the hilltop Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount.
✈ Live flight status🚶 Travel time between stops🌤 Weather each day📎 Passes & receipts🔗 Share with your group
This is how Petrel lays out a trip. Upload your own confirmations and it builds this for your dates: flights and hotels included, with live flight status and the travel time between stops.
The route, mapped
Every stop below, numbered in the order you would do them.
Make this Mumbai plan yours
Forward your real booking confirmations to Petrel and it builds this exact day-by-day view for you: flights, hotels, reservations, live flight status, and the travel time between stops. Under a minute.
Start your free tripFirst trip free. No account, no credit card.
Best time to goNovember to February, after the monsoon and before the heat builds. June to September brings monsoon rain heavy enough to reorder your plans.
Getting aroundRide-hailing and the black-and-yellow taxis are cheap and everywhere; the local trains are the fastest way north-south but unforgiving at rush hour. South Mumbai’s Fort district is best on foot.
Local tip: The Elephanta caves are closed on Mondays, and the ferries from the Gateway of India stop running mid-afternoon. Make the island the morning it fits and build the rest of the day around the boat times.
Related itineraries
The full plan as text
The same day-by-day plan as text. Times are starting points, not homework.
Day 1: Fort and the seafront
8:30 AM
Gateway of India
The 1924 basalt arch on the harbour, built for a royal visit and now the city’s front door; the Taj Mahal Palace hotel faces it across the square.
11:00 AM
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
The city’s main museum under an Indo-Saracenic dome: miniature paintings, sculpture and arms, formerly the Prince of Wales Museum.
4:30 PM
Marine Drive
Three kilometres of Art Deco seafront curving to Chowpatty beach; at dusk the streetlights become the Queen’s Necklace.
Day 2: The island and the terminus
9:00 AM
Elephanta Caves
Rock-cut Shiva temples from around the sixth century on an island an hour’s ferry from the Gateway, centred on the three-faced Trimurti carving.
2:30 PM
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus
The 1888 Victorian Gothic railway terminus, UNESCO-listed and still one of the busiest stations in the country.
5:00 PM
Crawford Market
Fruit, spice and household halls under a Norman-Gothic clocktower, the old city’s produce exchange since 1869.
Day 3: Malabar Hill to Bandra
8:30 AM
Banganga Tank
An ancient temple tank ringed by shrines in Walkeshwar, a pocket of the city older than everything around it.
11:00 AM
Haji Ali Dargah
A mosque and Sufi tomb on an islet reached by a low causeway; time the walk for low tide.
4:30 PM
Bandra Bandstand and Mount Mary
The sea promenade of the western suburbs, ending below the hilltop Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount.
Make this Mumbai plan yours
Forward your real booking confirmations to Petrel and it builds this exact day-by-day view for you: flights, hotels, reservations, live flight status, and the travel time between stops. Under a minute.
Start your free tripFirst trip free. No account, no credit card.