Airport Mumbai’s international airport Chattrapati Shivaji (or Sahar airport in common parlance, website: www. airportsindia.org/aai/mumbai) is 30kms from the city centre and should take about an hour’s travel time, depending on traffic. The airport is undergoing a massive facelift, as it’s quite dilapidated. The pace of work is rather slow and can cause delays in movement to and from the airport, so factor in extra time. Expect long but fast-moving immigration queues. Be wary of hefty customs duties if you are carrying anything that might incur them. While laptops and personal effects are exempt, duty on liquor (over 1 litre) and cigarettes (over 200) are heavy. If you hire a porter, remember to negotiate the price per bag beforehand—and don’t fall for the old scam where the porter suddenly loses his command of English and is only able to say “Give me $10, please.”

Mumbai’s domestic airport, confusingly also named Chattrapati Shivaji, is 26kms north of the city centre. It’s also commonly called Santa Cruz Airport. Unlike its international counterpart, it’s more modern and clean, but still relatively small given the volume of traffic. Over 6 million passengers use the airport every year.

Car hire The best way to get from the airport to the city is to get your hotel to send you a chauffeur-driven car. If you do decide to hire a car, these are the main agencies: Europcar (Tel: 2640 3243), Avis (Tel: 2285 7419), Hertz (Tel: 5696 1573), Car Hirers (Tel: 2283 4191).

Taxis Black and yellow taxis are available outside the airport, as are blue, air-conditioned ‘cool cabs’. The ride from the airport to the city can take anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes, depending on the traffic. Another good option is to take a prepaid taxi—buy a ticket at the airport. Public transport There are no trains or buses that directly service the route to the airport. In any case, because taxis are so economical, it is wise to avoid the overcrowded mass transport systems.