Marine Drive is the arc of road and promenade that follows Back Bay from Nariman Point to the foot of Malabar Hill — about 3.6 km. It was laid out on reclaimed land from the 1920s, and the apartment blocks that line it form one of the world’s great runs of Art Deco seafront.
At night the streetlights trace the curve of the bay, which is why it is called the Queen’s Necklace. At its northern end the sea wall gives way to the sand of Girgaon Chowpatty, the city beach where Mumbai eats its evening snacks and where the largest Ganesh idols are immersed at the end of Ganesh Chaturthi.
What to see and do: Marine Drive & Chowpatty
Walk it at sunset
Start at Nariman Point about an hour before sunset and walk north with the sea on your left. Do as everyone else does: find a place on the sea wall and watch the light go.
Eat at Chowpatty
The stalls at the beach serve the classic Mumbai chaat — bhel puri, sev puri, pani puri — along with pav bhaji and kulfi. See our travel guide for what to order.
Look up at the Art Deco
Between the bay and Churchgate, look for porthole windows, curved balconies and stepped towers on the 1930s and 1940s apartment blocks — part of the same UNESCO listing as the Oval Maidan.
See the necklace from above
For the full curve of lights, climb to Kamala Nehru Park on Malabar Hill, or book a table at one of the rooftop bars of the Marine Drive hotels.
How to get there
- By train: Churchgate, Marine Lines and Charni Road stations on the Western line all sit just behind the promenade; Charni Road is closest to Chowpatty.
- By taxi: ask for “Marine Drive” or “Nariman Point”. The Coastal Road now begins near the northern end of the drive.
- On a tour: most city and night tours include a stop here.
Insider tips
- In the monsoon, high tides send waves over the sea wall — spectacular to watch, but keep back from the edge.
- The sea here is not for swimming.
- Early morning belongs to joggers and walkers and is the coolest time in summer.
- On the final day of Ganesh Chaturthi the area around Chowpatty is closed to traffic and extremely crowded.
Tours that include this stop
These guided experiences cover this place or combine easily with a visit:
Private evening tour from US$15 Mumbai by Night: Private Iconic Sights Tour in Lights
Mumbai is cooler, calmer and arguably better looking after dark. This private tour with an English-speaking local guide takes in the floodlit Taj Mahal Palace, Flora Fountain, the city’s own “Big Ben” — the Rajabai Clock Tower — and a viewpoint over the lights of the bay.
- The Taj Mahal Palace and Gateway of India lit up
- Flora Fountain and the floodlit Gothic buildings
- Marine Drive — the “Queen’s Necklace” — after dark
Evening food walk from US$15 Mumbai: Street Food and Night Markets Tour
An evening walk through Mumbai’s night markets with stops at the food stalls locals queue at. You taste a run of vegetarian and non-vegetarian snacks along the way, and the guide does the choosing — the surest way to eat Mumbai street food without guessing which stall to trust.
- Vegetarian and non-vegetarian snacks at well-known stalls
- Night markets and bazaars lit up after dark
- Stalls chosen by a local guide
