Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and our planet's 9th largest city with a population over 23 million. Yet, despite Mubai's density, made obvious by a drive through any of its crowded streets, Mumbai is only India's 2nd largest city (behind New Delhi). There's tons to see and do in a city of this size. You're in the right place to find a good curry, and you'll be impressed by the authenticity of Mumbai's Chinese, Thai, and Malay cuisines. However, you'll also be amazed by the "realness" of the city itself, whose inhabitants are vastly divided by their economic realities. Be prepared to witness Mumbai's economic gap. Yet, allow yourself to freely enjoy the culture of India. Live the high-life in one of Asia's finest cities, but remember to live local!
Day 1 — Colaba, Coastline, and the Old Lion of Mumbai
Mumbai teaches you quickly: the past is never dead here. It just puts on new clothes and keeps walking.
Gateway of India & The Taj Mahal Palace - Start where the city’s history and contradictions meet. First, the Gateway of India is a colossal sandstone symbol of imperial swagger, facing the Arabian Sea. Next, Taj Mahal Palace is Mumbai’s beating cultural heart, a hotel that’s seen everything from royalty to reinvention.
Sit on the seawall with chai from a street vendor. Watch ferries drift toward Elephanta Island. Smell the ocean, diesel, and roasted peanuts mixing in the heat.
2. Late Morning: Colaba Causeway
Walk down Colaba’s famous causeway — shops selling everything from leather goods to cheap jewelry to bootleg band tees. Locals weave through tourists, bargaining with precision. Stop at Leopold Café for a lime soda or a beer. Mumbai’s energy hums loud here.
3. Afternoon: National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA)
A quiet break from the manic bustle. NGMA houses bold, emotional works — Indian modernists, sculpture, photography, political commentary. Bright galleries, intelligent curation, and a calm that feels stolen.
**4. Dinner: San Qi (Four Seasons) — High-End Pan-Asian Done Right
Mumbai’s global palate on a plate. Sichuan, Thai, Japanese — each dish balanced, elegant, never overplayed. Try the dim sum, the Thai curries, or the wasabi prawns. Then have a drink upstairs at AER (you’ll do it officially tomorrow).
Day 2 — The Markets & The Mile End: Bread, Beer, and the City’s Beating Heart
Montreal thrives in its markets and neighborhoods — places where people still argue over bagels and know their cheesemonger by name.
Atwater Market - You know a Weekend Pilgrim likes a good market. Farmer's markets are preferred. Montreal, like all cities with clout, hosts a couple good ones. We love Atwater, maybe Montreal's best known spot for tourists and locals to buy fresh produce, meat, cheese, or to sample some local favorites. You can definitely find maple taffy on snow, a local treasure. We prefer sampling the various deli specialties for rare meat and cheese that aren't available in the states. Cheeses that smell like decisions, produce that looks hand-polished, flower stalls, butchers, bakers, and the occasional accordion. Grab a fresh baguette, some cured meats, maybe a pastry. Walk the canal while you eat.
La Banquise (Plateau) — Poutine Institution - Open 24/7, beloved by students, artists, cab drivers, and anyone who’s ever needed cheese curds at 3 a.m. Go classic or get the La Matty (pulled pork) or La T-Rex (meats of questionable necessity but unquestionable joy).
Mile End Stroll - Bookstores, indie cafés, street murals, and the unmistakable Montreal coolness that doesn’t try too hard. Stop by Café Olimpico for espresso, St-Viateur Bagel for fresh sesame bagels and Drawn & Quarterly for comics and art books.
Au Pied de Cochon - Martin Picard’s shrine to decadence. Foie gras on everything. Duck in a can. Poutines with more foie. This is not a light meal — this is an experience. Arrive hungry, leave victorious or defeated.
Day 3 — St. Henri & Griffintown: Wine, Fire, and Montreal’s Creative Side
Montreal is a city of reinvention — factories turned into restaurants, warehouses turned into bars, old neighborhoods reborn with grit and charm.
Lachine Canal Walk (St. Henri) - Start with a peaceful walk or bike ride along the Lachine Canal — the water calm, the path lined with murals and joggers, the kind of quiet that feels earned.
Liverpool House - Joe Beef’s sister spot — equally beloved, slightly less chaotic, still absolutely unforgettable. Patrons often visit due to failed attempts at securing a reservation at Joe Beef, but Liverpool House stands on its own! Lobster spaghetti, oysters, and plates that feel like a warm hug from someone burly. Simple fare becomes a work of art at Liverpool House. Case in point, ham on toast has never tasted this good. This is Montreal hospitality at its finest.
Bar Le Lab (Quartier Latin) — Cocktails With Character - The bartenders here treat cocktails like performance art — flame, smoke, house-made bitters, and unapologetic personality. Try something with maple, something smoky, something that reminds you Montreal is cold enough to justify strong drinks.
Joe Beef (Little Burgundy) - One of the most important restaurants in North America. Meat-heavy, rich, irreverent, imaginative. You'll have to get a reservation months in advance, but this is definately bucket list worthy. The chalkboard menu changes constantly — steak, foie, seafood towers, bone marrow, rabbit. Or, behold, Joe Beef's Double Down- two huge slabs of foie gras eaten together like a hogie. You’ll eat too much, drink too much, talk too loudly. Exactly as intended.
Day 4 — Parks, Culture, and One Last Meal Before Winter Returns
Montreal understands seasons. It celebrates summer like a stolen prize and embraces winter with booze, fat, and good humor.
Mount Royal Park - Climb or stroll to the lookout for sweeping views of downtown and the river. Designed by the same guy who did Central Park, but rougher around the edges — in a beautiful way. Watch locals jog, picnic, or recover from the night before.
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts - A cultural anchor — contemporary galleries, indigenous art, installations that hit you unexpectedly. Locals return again and again because the exhibits actually matter.
Café Myriade - Go to Café Myriade near Concordia — meticulous coffee, pastries worth writing home about, and a crowd of students and creatives. It’s a slice of real Montreal.
Brasserie T - If you want refinement without the tasting menu, head to Brasserie T! — Toqué’s approachable little sister. Charcuterie, tartares, grilled meats, and a view of the Place des Arts crowds drifting by. Order a final glass of Quebec cider. Toast the city. Promise to return when it snows.
