Mumbai Hotels

Mumbai beats Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai for international air traffic. It also has the busiest network of domestic flights, including flights to Aurangabad near the Ellora and Ajanta caves. National carrier Indian Airlines has been joined by various private carriers which are often more reliable - Jet, Air Sahara and Kingfisher Airlines are all good companies. The international terminal (Chhatrapati Shivaji) and the domestic terminal (Santa Cruz) are 30km (19mi) and 26km (16mi) respectively from downtown Mumbai. There are regular free shuttle buses between the two terminals. Long-distance buses depart from the state road transport terminal opposite Mumbai's Central railway station. It's fairly chaotic, and there are almost no signs or information available in English. The state bus companies of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh all have offices here. Two railway systems operate out of Mumbai. Central Railways handles services to the east and south, plus a few trains to the north. Western Railways has services to the north from Churchgate and Central stations. Trains travel frequently between Mumbai and Agra, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Pune and Varanasi. Taxis operate 24 hours a day from the airport, though they add a surcharge at night. A taxi from either airport to Colaba costs around INR - be ready to bargain and pay extra for your luggage. Autorickshaws are a cheaper option - it's only a ten minute ride from either airport to Andheri or Vile Parle railway station, where you can catch a train into the centre. Minibuses outside the arrival hall offer free shuttle services to the domestic airport and Juhu hotels.

Mumbai has one of the best public bus systems of any major Indian city. However, its red double-decker buses must run the gauntlet of the city's unbelievable traffic congestion. More useful, though no less crowded, is Mumbai's extensive network of suburban electric trains, but avoid rush hours when trains carry five times their maximum safe limit of passengers and you may be carried off several stops early, or miss your stop entirely, because of the heaving mass of humanity. Mumbai has a huge fleet of metered black-and-yellow taxis but, contrary to the practice in most other Indian cities, no autorickshaws are allowed in the city centre. Taxi meters are invariably out of date, so fares are calculated by using a conversion card. Note that taxis outside tourist sites and entertainment venues may ask for flat rates or refuse short journeys.