Marine Drive

Marine Drive is a curving seafront road and promenade that runs for about 3.6 kilometres along Back Bay in South Mumbai, from Nariman Point to Girgaum Chowpatty beach. At night Marine Drive's streetlights form a glittering arc that gave it the nickname the Queen's Necklace, and the road is lined with one of the largest collections of Art Deco buildings in the world.

Marine Drive, officially Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road, was built on land reclaimed from the sea in the 1920s and 1930s. The apartment blocks along it, with curved balconies, porthole windows and pastel facades, went up in the same years, and in 2018 they became part of the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai UNESCO World Heritage Site. Marine Drive is Mumbai's favourite place to walk, jog and sit on the sea wall watching the sun set over the Arabian Sea. At the northern end, Girgaum Chowpatty beach is the stage for the city's biggest Ganesh Chaturthi immersions each year.

What to see

• Sunset from the sea wall, with the sun dropping into the Arabian Sea
• The Queen's Necklace after dark, best seen from the Malabar Hill end
• Art Deco apartment blocks along the road, with their curved balconies and names in period lettering
• Girgaum Chowpatty beach and its food stalls at the northern end
• Nariman Point and the tetrapods of the sea wall at the southern end

What to wear

There is no dress code on Marine Drive; light cotton clothing is best in Mumbai's humidity. Bring an umbrella in the monsoon, when waves crash over the sea wall and the spray can soak you. Comfortable walking shoes help on the long promenade. On festival days you will see Maharashtrian women in nauvari sarees with nose rings called nath, and men in white kurtas with saffron pheta turbans.

Local food to try

Girgaum Chowpatty, at the northern end of Marine Drive, is one of the best places in Mumbai for bhelpuri, sev puri and pani puri, with pav bhaji cooked on large griddles and kulfi, a dense Indian ice cream, to finish. Stalls are mostly vegetarian. Near the Churchgate end, the old Irani cafes of the Fort area serve bun maska, a buttered bun, with chai, and berry pulao. Vada pav is sold from carts across South Mumbai.

Good to know

• Best time: November to February; sunset and after dark for the lights
• Open at all times
• Free
• Allow an hour for a walk, longer with dinner at Chowpatty
• In South Mumbai, walking distance from Churchgate station; about 25 km from the airport
• Do not climb onto the tetrapods; waves are strong, especially in the monsoon

Nearby places

Marine Drive is close to much of South Mumbai: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus is about 2 km away, the Gateway of India about 3 km, and Haji Ali Dargah a short taxi ride north past Malabar Hill.