Marine Drive, Mumbai – Everything You Need to Know
Marine drive is a be-all and end-all place for people staying in and around the south Mumbai area. Whether people are sad, happy, stressed or relaxed, they prefer to spend their time out here in Marine drive than any other place.
This place is perfect for people of all ages. You can come here alone, with a close friend, with parents or with your significant other. Although there’s plenty of things to do, the best part is staring at the ocean while standing on the edge of the promenade.
The promenade is adjacent to a street called Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road, hence there’s no barrier to entry. You can step right in without having to wait in a queue or buy a ticket.
The promenade is also called the Queen’s Necklace as the street lights resemble a string of pearls in a necklace when viewed from an elevated place at nighttime.
Basically, it is a broad, well-paved and landscaped thoroughfare spanning 3 kms. The road connects Nariman point with other key areas such as Malabar hill, Churchgate, Sonapur, and Kalbadevi.
Marine drive, Mumbai History
The Marine drive was built in 1937 by Pallonji Mistry, a Indian-Irish businessman. Mr. Pallonji comes from a well-to-do Parsi family from Mumbai.
He inherited a construction company that built landmark buildings in Mumbai such as the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank, Reserve Bank of India, and many more.
Furthemore, Mr. Pallonji is originally from the fort area of Mumbai, but he later moved abroad in search of more business opportunities. Recently, he won the prestigious Padma Bhushan Award for his contributions to the field of trade.
Mr. Pallonji sadly passed away in June, 2022.
Marine drive, Mumbai architecture and engineering
The Marine drive is a C-shaped six-lane road along the coast of back bay (that directly connects to the Arabian sea). The back bay is a recessed body of water that sits between the 3 kms arch.
It is due to the bay that the waves that arrive at the Marine drive are subdued and calmer. The bay cuts off the speed at which the waves arrive at the beach area. By the way, this particular back bay also has a beach called Girgaon Chowpatty.
It is interesting to know that the Marine drive is built on reclaimed land. As a part of British governments Back Bay Reclamation Scheme, stone, sand and other materials were dumped on the sea to create a solid land.
The process of landfill is not new. People have been reclaiming lost land since the 16th century. There are several methods that can be implemented to regain lost land, or join broken up islands together.
The British engineers reckoned filling up the area with rocks, sand, cement, and clay was a suitable procedure for this type of the land.
Lastly, the promenade (also known as esplanade) was constructed in 1937, which was also made open to joggers, walkers, photographers, and outdoorsy people in general.
Timings
The promenade is open all day long. Although the best time to visit is early in the morning or evening (just before sunset). One must remember that Mumbai has tropical weather, and it can get scorching hot during the afternoo. Besides, you can always visit in the late evening (after dinner). There are no restrictions as to how late you can stay.
Entry Fee
You don’t have to pay to visit. It’s totally free of cost.
Popular restaurants around Marine drive
You will find both high-end and budget restaurants around the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road area. There is a street food area about 2 kms away called “khau galli” (which means street food area in the local dialect “Marathi”).
Following are popular street food stall on the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road:
- Bachelorr’s – Chowpatty
- Gupta Snacks Corner
- Amar Fast Food & Juice Center
- Badshah Pani Puri
- Famous Pav Bhaji
Also, check out the following high end restaurants:
- Pizza By The Bay
- The Bay View
- L&S Bistro & Pizzeria
- Geoffrey’s
- Kebab Korner
- Foo Town
- Flavors at The Ambassador
- Cafe Silver Point
- Dome
How wide is the promenade? Can I perform yoga or other fitness related activities?
The promenade is approximately 20-25 meters wide. And as I mentioned before, it is 3 km in length. There’s plenty of space for yoga, pilates, and other fitness related activities. You can perform several types of solo exercises.
Having said that, you might need to seek permission from the authorities to conduct group exercise. The space is reserved for the public, and the authorities might object if you perform commercial level activities on the promenade.
Does the Mumbai Coastal Road Project interfere with the promenade?
As of August 2022, the coastal road project is 60 percent completed. In case you didn’t know the coastal road is an under construction 8-lane, 22.2-km long freeway that runs along the western coastline from South Mumbai to North Mumbai (till Kandivali)
At present, there’s a lot of construction going on in the Marine drive and adjacent areas. There’s noise, dust, and wet floors all along the western coastline of Mumbai.
The construction work won’t interfere with your visit to the promenade. The work begins right when the promenade ends. I don’t recommend walking towards the chowpatty area as the road is mostly wet with water used in construction.
How to reach Marine drive? Which is the nearest railway station?
You can reach Marine Drive from western, central and harbor railway line. For those coming via western line, the nearest station is Churchgate, which is also the last station on the western line.
Likewise, CSMT is the nearest station for people arriving via central or harbor railway line.
The promenade is two minutes walking distance from Churchgate railway station, and 10 min (2.6 km) drive via Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Rd. The taxi fare from CSMT station to Marine lines is around ₹40.
Thanks for reading this article. I hope now you know a few key details about Mumbai’s iconic venue. Do you have any questions? Let me know in the comments below.
