Exploring South Mumbai with Two Travellers from Spain

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In August 2016, I received an email from a couple in Spain named Iris and Angel. They had been reading my travel blog while planning their trip to India and wanted some advice on exploring Mumbai and trekking in Maharashtra.

They were travelling on a modest budget and were looking for a more local experience instead of the usual tourist itinerary.

I remember reading that email two or three times before replying. My first thought was, “Is this real?” I wasn’t a well-known travel blogger, and I certainly wasn’t a tour guide. I remember showing the email to Sarah and asking her what she thought. Her reaction was almost the same as mine.

“Do we even reply?”

We exchanged a few more emails over the next couple of days. The more we spoke, the more comfortable we felt. They weren’t asking us to organise a tour or book hotels. 

They simply wanted to meet locals who could help them understand Mumbai a little better and point them in the right direction for the rest of their trip.

I replied honestly and told them I didn’t organise trekking trips because I was a travel writer, not a tour operator. I enjoyed planning my own journeys, researching destinations and sharing those experiences through my blog. 

But if they were comfortable meeting us, Sarah and I would be happy to spend a day showing them around South Mumbai and help them plan the rest of their journey.

We agreed to meet outside their hotel in Colaba. I already had a walking route planned in my head. It was simply the Mumbai that Sarah and I knew and loved.

Meeting Iris and Angel in Colaba

A few days later, Sarah and I reached their hotel in Colaba early in the morning. Since they were staying in South Mumbai, it made sense to explore the area on foot instead of spending time travelling across the city. 

Before leaving home, I had already planned to cover some of my favourite landmarks and heritage buildings in Kala Ghoda.

When we reached their hotel, Sarah and I had one small surprise waiting for us. Based only on the emails and their names, we’d somehow convinced ourselves that Iris and Angel were two women. Within seconds of meeting them, we realised Angel was Iris’s boyfriend. It still makes me smile whenever I think about how confidently wrong we were.

The introductions were quick, and within a few minutes it felt surprisingly comfortable. Whatever hesitation we had while exchanging emails disappeared almost instantly. 

They were friendly, curious and eager to learn more about Mumbai than what they had read in guidebooks. Rather than rushing from one attraction to another, we decided to take our time, walk through the neighbourhood and let the city unfold naturally.

After a few introductions, we started walking. It was the first time Sarah and I had shown our city to visitors from another country, and although I was still a little nervous, that feeling disappeared within the first few minutes.

Exploring South Mumbai on Foot

Being in Colaba, exploring South Mumbai on foot felt like the perfect way to introduce them to the city. There was no fixed itinerary or rush to tick off famous landmarks. We simply started walking, allowing the conversations to decide where we paused and how long we stayed.

As we made our way through Colaba Causeway and towards Regal Cinema, I realised they weren’t interested in hearing dates or memorising historical facts. They wanted to understand what everyday life in Mumbai was really like. 

Every building, every busy street and every old landmark became a reason to stop and talk about the city’s history, culture and the people who call it home.

Somewhere along the walk, we naturally split into pairs. Angel and I found ourselves chatting about travel, while Sarah and Iris were busy with their own conversations. 

They told us about their journey through Rajasthan before arriving in Mumbai and admitted they had spent far more on shopping than they had expected. I explained that bargaining was a normal part of shopping in many parts of India and that knowing when to negotiate could make a big difference when travelling on a limited budget.

As we continued through Kala Ghoda, we stopped at places that have always fascinated me. Passing Elphinstone College brought back memories of my own student days, while Watson’s Hotel became one of the biggest surprises for Iris and Angel. 

They found it hard to believe that such an important piece of Mumbai’s history still stood quietly in the middle of a busy neighbourhood. 

We also wandered past Jehangir Art Gallery, David Sassoon Library, Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue, the University of Mumbai and Flora Fountain, with every stop leading to another conversation rather than feeling like another item on a sightseeing list.

One thing I remember most about that morning wasn’t any particular monument. It was how curious they were. They asked thoughtful questions, listened with genuine interest and wanted to understand the city beyond what guidebooks usually tell you. 

By late morning, the August humidity had started to catch up with all of us. Although the monsoon had been kind enough to stay away that day, we had already spent hours walking through South Mumbai. Lunch was beginning to sound like a very good idea.

Lunch, Laughter and Local Flavours

By the time we finished exploring South Mumbai, we had walked for several hours and the August humidity was beginning to take its toll. A good lunch was exactly what we needed, and Sarah and I already knew where we wanted to take our guests.

Cream Centre wasn’t just another restaurant on our route. It held a special place in my memories because I had worked there during my college days. 

Walking through its doors after almost sixteen years brought back plenty of memories, and it felt nice to share a place that had once been a small part of my own life.

Since it was their first proper Indian meal with us, we wanted them to experience familiar North Indian flavours without making the food overwhelmingly spicy. 

We ordered dishes like Chana Bhatura, Paneer Makhanwala, rotis and naan, talking about Indian food, regional flavours and how different every state can be when it comes to cuisine. 

Over lunch, our conversation drifted from travel to food. When we mentioned that the chana in the Chana Bhatura was a staple ingredient in Indian cooking, Iris and Angel told us that garbanzo beans were just as common in Spanish cuisine. 

Despite living thousands of kilometres apart, we realised we had more in common than we expected.

Lunch wasn’t rushed. Like the rest of the day, we spent more time talking than eating, exchanging stories about our lives, cultures and travels.

Instead of ending the meal with a regular dessert, we walked to New Kulfi Centre, a place that Sarah and I had enjoyed visiting for years. It was their first time trying traditional kulfi, and introducing them to another small part of Mumbai’s food culture felt just as rewarding as showing them its historic buildings.

By the time we finished lunch and dessert, it no longer felt like we had only just met that morning.

Helping Them Plan the Next Leg of Their Journey

After lunch, our plans changed slightly. Iris and Angel were travelling onwards to Aurangabad to visit the Ajanta Caves, and needed to book their train tickets. Since we were already in South Mumbai, stopping at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) made perfect sense.

Looking back, I realised how confusing India’s railway reservation system can seem to someone visiting the country for the first time. Between reservation forms, waiting lists and different ticket classes, it’s easy to feel uncertain if you’ve never used it before.

Sarah and I helped them complete the reservation process and made sure their seats were confirmed for the next day’s journey.

When they looked at the ticket price, both of them seemed surprised.

“Are you sure this is the actual fare?” one of them asked.

In our conversations throughout the day, they had told us how they had unknowingly overpaid while shopping & travelling during their time in Rajasthan. After that experience, they had started questioning almost every price they came across. 

Seeing the official railway fare in front of them was reassuring because, for the first time in a while, they knew they were paying exactly what everyone else paid.

With the train tickets sorted, one more worry disappeared from their journey. We stepped out of CSMT knowing they could now enjoy the rest of their time in Mumbai without wondering whether the next part of their trip would go according to plan.

Ending the Day at Marine Drive

With the train tickets sorted, we returned to exploring South Mumbai at a much slower pace. We spent some time visiting St. Thomas Cathedral, admired the beautiful architecture of the Asiatic Library and wandered through a few more familiar streets before deciding to head towards Marine Drive.

No visit to Mumbai ever feels complete without spending some time there. As the sun slowly began to set, we found a place to sit along the promenade and simply watched the city go by. 

There was no rush to get anywhere and no list of places left to cover. After spending the entire day together, the conversations came naturally.

We spoke about life in Spain and India, our families, food, travel and the little cultural differences that make every country unique.

We also shared a few practical travel tips that we hoped would make the rest of their journey through India a little easier. Looking back, those conversations are what I remember most from that evening, far more than the view itself.

As daylight faded, we knew it was time to call it a day. We wished them all the best for the rest of their journey, exchanged contact details and headed home. We have stayed in touch ever since via our social media handles.

Retrace Our Walk Through South Mumbai

Although this walk happened back in 2016, South Mumbai remains one of my favourite parts of the city to explore on foot. 

Over the years, I’ve written detailed guides about many of the places we visited that day. 

If you’re planning your own walk through this historic neighbourhood, these guides will help you explore them in greater detail. 

• Architecture & Heritage Buildings of Kala Ghoda
• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
• Saint Thomas Cathedral: A History Tour
• Marine Drive Mumbai: A Complete Guide to the Queen’s Necklace
• Art Deco Buildings in Mumbai: Overlooked Architectural Gems
• 25 Old Theatres in Mumbai
• Rhythm House Mumbai: The Story of an Iconic Music Store
• Best Places to Cool Off in Mumbai (Ice Cream, Falooda & More)

I hope you enjoy exploring Mumbai as much as we enjoyed sharing it with Iris and Angel.