Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra and the economic powerhouse of India. It's an exhilarating city, fuelled by entrepreneurial energy, determination and dreams. Compared to the torpor of the rest of India, it can seem like a foreign country. Mumbai is the finance capital of the nation, the industrial hub of everything from textiles to petrochemicals, and it's responsible for half the country's foreign trade. To many visitors, Mumbai is the glamour of Bollywood cinema, cricket on the maidans on weekends, bhelpuri on the beach at Chowpatty and red double-decker buses. While it boasts an impressive Victoria townscape, a sculptured island cave temple and a national park that's roamed by wild tigers, the city's formal attractions pale in comparison to the nonstop theater of its streets. Flush with money, the city has an established social elite and an entertainment hungry middle class, which mean diversions are never in short supply. Mumbai lives and breathes cinema, enjoy a rollicking nightlife, boasts the best seafood restaurants in South Asia and has more shops and bazaars than you could ever hope to explore.

The seven islands that now form Mumbai were first home to the Koli fisherfolk whose shanties still occupy parts of the city shoreline today. The islands were ruled by a succession of Hindu dynasties, invaded by Muslims in the 14th century and then ceded to Portugal by the Sultan of Gujarat in 1534. The Portuguese did little to develop them before the major island of the group was included in Catherine of Braganza's dowry when she married England's Charles II in 1661. The British Government took possession of all seven islands in 1665 but leased them three years later to the East India Company for a meagre annual rent of 10 pounds sterling.

 Air: There is an extensive network of flights from Mumbai's Sahara (International) and Santa Cruz (Domestic) airports. International flights connect it to all the major cities of the world. There are domestic flights to all the major cities of the country.

 Train: Mumbai has trains connecting it to all the major cities of the country. Intra city trains in Mumbai are very good, and are the fastest and cheapest way to move around in Mumbai.

 Road: Mumbai is well connected to all the cities of Maharashtra by bus. Intra city bus services are also very good.

Mumbai can be visited any time of the year, though the hot and humid months of June, July and August are best avoided.