Marine Drive is the long curved seafront of South Mumbai, running from Nariman Point to Girgaon Chowpatty. In the evening its streetlights form the arc known as the Queen’s Necklace, and the sea wall fills with people watching the sunset.
It is also one of the city’s cultural centres. The National Centre for the Performing Arts sits at the Nariman Point end, with concerts, theatre and dance most nights, and the restored Royal Opera House is a short walk from Chowpatty. Hotel rooftops along the drive look down over the whole curve.
At the northern end, Chowpatty beach has a row of stalls selling bhelpuri, pav bhaji and kulfi. An evening here can cost almost nothing, or it can be a full night out with dinner and a show.
Places we have checked here
Theatre or comedy club
National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA)
Marine Drive and Nariman Point, Mumbai, India
India's first multi-venue, multi-genre arts centre, opened in 1969 at Nariman Point and staging more than 700 events a year.
Theatre or comedy club
Royal Opera House
Marine Drive and Nariman Point, Mumbai, India
India's only surviving opera house, a restored Baroque building near Girgaon Chowpatty with 575 seats across three levels.
Street food
Girgaon Chowpatty street food
Marine Drive and Nariman Point, Mumbai, India
The city beach at the northern end of Marine Drive, where a row of stalls sells chaat, bhelpuri, pav bhaji, kulfi and ice cream.
Viewpoint
Marine Drive (Queen’s Necklace)
Marine Drive and Nariman Point, Mumbai, India
A 3.6 km C-shaped seafront boulevard in South Mumbai whose evening streetlights earn it the name Queen's Necklace.
Rooftop bar or lounge
Dome, InterContinental Marine Drive
Marine Drive and Nariman Point, Mumbai, India
An open-air cocktail lounge and terrace restaurant on the eighth-floor roof of the InterContinental, looking out over Marine Drive.
Other areas
Area guide
Colaba
India
South Mumbai's harbourfront district, home to the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Palace.