Mumbai: 8-Hour Private Customized Tour
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Visit the major colonial era sites of Mumbai, including the Gateway of India, the Prince of Wales Museum, Elphinstone College, Bombay High Court, the Flora Fountain, and more. Private guide ensures the personal attention, optimum information and safety.
Start the walking tour after meeting Guide at meeting point/ hotel lobby who happens to be a city expert. Get to know the colonial era city of Mumbai on 4-hours walking tour. Private guide ensures the personal attention, optimum information and safety during walk.
Walk to the Gateway of India, a triumphal arch to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay in December 1911. Built next to the Taj Mahal hotel, it was the symbol of power and majesty of the British Empire. Today, it serves as a monumental memento of colonization and subjugation by the British over the people of India.
Walk toward the Regal Theatre, opened in 1933, was the only Art Deco cinema in India when it opened. The Governor of Bombay formally inaugurated the Regal Cinema in 1933. It was fully air conditioned, had an underground parking lot for patrons, and a lift up from the parking at that time.
Continue walk to the Prince of Wales Museum, (outside). Designed by George Wittet, the foundation stone was laid in 1905 by the Prince himself. The building was completed in 1914, converted to a military hospital during World War I, and finally opened in 1923 by Lady Lloyd, the wife of Sir George Lloyd, then governor. The museum collection comprises of 50,000 artefacts.
Located opposite to the Museum is the majestic facade of the late 19th-century Elphinstone College, a Gothic-Victorian-style university campus replete with stone balconies, balustrades, turrets, and gargoyles. It is one of the oldest colleges of India. Also on Mahatma Gandhi Road, slightly further north of the college, walk through the 19th-century David Sassoon Library which houses some very rare old books. Adjacent to the library on the same road is the Army and Navy Building, worth a look for its fine mid-19th-century Neo-classical facade. This building was originally used as a British army navy store.
Walk further to visit the University of Bombay. Established in the year 1857 at Town Hall, it is one amongst the first 3 universities in India. It was relocated in 1874 to the new complex near Oval cricket ground. One of the esteemed universities of the country, it is ranked among the top 500 universities of the world.
Next to the University is the High Court of Mumbai, or Bombay High Court. It was inaugurated on 14 August 1862 and designed by British engineer Col J.A. Fuller. The architecture of the building is Gothic revival in the early English style. The first sitting was on 10 January 1879.
Keep walking to the Flora Fountain. Built in 1864, the beautifully adorned stone fountain is located in the Fort area in the heart of South Mumbai. The fountain depicts the Roman goddess Flora, "the goddess of abundance."
Proceed to the Victoria Terminus Railway Station, also called the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, a historic railway station that serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways. The station was designed by Frederick William Stevens, a consulting architect in 1887-1888. The station stands as an example of 19th-century railway architectural marvels for its advanced structural and technical solutions. It was put on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 2 July 2004.
Walk back to the start point or consider hiring a taxi (on your own expanse) if you are tired.
Hotel lobby (for private car only) / Starbucks - The Taj Mahal Palace, The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Lobby Level, Apollo Bunder, Colaba, Mumbai.
