Private Mumbai by Night Tour of Iconic Sights

Gateway of India and Colaba by night

The Gateway of India, the yellow basalt arch completed in 1924 on the Apollo Bunder waterfront, is even more striking after sunset, when floodlights pick out its carved domes and lattice windows against the dark harbour. The promenade fills with families, balloon sellers and street photographers, and the lights of anchored boats flicker across the water. Facing the arch, the domed heritage hotel of 1903 glows with warm light along its long facade.

On this Mumbai night tour your guide gives you time to walk along the seafront, take photos and hear the history of the Gateway, from the royal visit it was built to commemorate to the departure of the last British troops in 1948. Evenings are cooler and livelier than the middle of the day, which makes this one of the best times to visit the Gateway of India.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and the Municipal Corporation building

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the Victorian Gothic railway station completed in 1888 and listed by UNESCO in 2004, is the star of Mumbai by night. In the evening its domes, turrets, pointed arches and carved stone details are bathed in colour-changing lights, and the station stays busy as commuters hurry to their trains for the suburbs.

Directly opposite stands the headquarters of the Municipal Corporation, finished in 1893, whose tall central tower and Gothic gables are also illuminated, so the two buildings face each other like a pair of lanterns. The junction between them is one of the most photographed views in the city, and your guide shows you the safest spot to take pictures of both facades while explaining how they were built.

Flora Fountain and the Fort heritage district

A short drive brings you to Hutatma Chowk, the square at the centre of the old Fort district, where Flora Fountain has stood since 1864. Carved in Portland stone and painted to look like marble, it is crowned by a statue of the Roman goddess of flowers and decorated with mythological figures. Nearby, a memorial honours those who died in the movement that created the state of Maharashtra in 1960.

Around the square, stone banks, insurance houses and offices from the nineteenth century line streets that are quieter at night, so you can admire their facades without traffic. Depending on time and your interests, our driver can also pass the floodlit Rajabai Clock Tower and the Bombay High Court on the edge of the Oval Maidan, part of Mumbai's UNESCO-listed Victorian Gothic and Art Deco ensemble.

Marine Drive and the Queen's Necklace

Marine Drive sweeps for about three and a half kilometres around Back Bay from Nariman Point to Girgaon Chowpatty. Built in the 1920s and lined with one of the largest groups of Art Deco buildings in the world, it becomes magical at night, when its curving line of street lights looks like a string of pearls. That is why people of Mumbai call it the Queen's Necklace.

In the evening the long sea wall fills with couples, joggers and families enjoying the breeze, and snack sellers gather on Chowpatty beach at the far end. Your guide can stop for a short stroll along the promenade before the car climbs the hill for the classic view. The best time to visit Marine Drive is just after sunset, when the sky still holds some colour above the lights.

Malabar Hill viewpoint over Mumbai

The tour reaches its high point, literally, at a viewpoint on Malabar Hill, the green ridge at the northern end of Back Bay. From the gardens on the hilltop you look down over the whole curve of the Queen's Necklace, the skyscrapers of Nariman Point and the dark water of the Arabian Sea, one of the most famous night views in India.

Malabar Hill is the city's most exclusive residential area, with old mansions, embassies and the ancient Banganga Tank hidden among the trees. On the way back your guide can point out other illuminated landmarks along the route, including a giant old banyan tree, before our driver returns you to your hotel. Because the car is private, you decide how long to stay at the viewpoint.