# Mumbai layover guide To leave Mumbai airport you need an Indian visa before you fly, and the e-Visa takes days to come through, so this is a decision to make at home. With one, 5.5 hours is enough for Juhu Beach by taxi, and from 7 hours Metro Line 3 takes you under the traffic to Marine Drive and the Gateway of India. Without one, stay airside in Terminal 2, where Niranta has rooms by the hour. - Web page: https://mumbailayover.com/ - Guide: [Mumbai Layover](https://mumbailayover.com/), an independent layover guide to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM), part of City Layover - Updated 10 November 2026; facts checked 8 November 2026 ## Can you leave Mumbai airport on a layover? Yes, if you have an Indian visa before you fly and at least 5.5 hours. For US, UK, EU, Canadian and Australian passports that means the e-Visa, applied for online no later than 4 days before landing, since approval can take 72 hours or more. With a visa, a taxi reaches Juhu Beach in about 40 minutes, and from 7 hours Metro Line 3 takes about 45 minutes to Churchgate for Marine Drive and the Gateway of India. Without one, stay inside Mumbai airport's Terminal 2, where changing between international flights on one ticket needs no visa. Be back 90 minutes before departure. ## Every layover length - **Under 5.5 hours** (Stay airside): Stay at the airport: once you've cleared immigration both ways, there's too little time in town. Changing between international flights on one ticket needs no Indian visa, and Niranta's airside rooms in Terminal 2 take you by the hour. - **5.5 to 7 hours** (Possible but tight): About 1 to 2 hours in town, and only with an Indian visa already approved. Take a taxi to Juhu Beach, the nearest sand to the airport, or from 6 hours to the sea front and fort at Bandra. - **7 to 10 hours** (Go into Mumbai): About 2 to 4.5 hours in town. Take Metro Line 3 to Churchgate for Marine Drive and the Gateway of India; from 8.5 hours, add the CSMVS museum, open every day. - **10 to 24 hours** (Go into Mumbai): Most of a day in south Mumbai: the museum, the Gateway of India and Marine Drive by Metro. Landing at night? Sleep at Niranta in Terminal 2, then take a taxi to Juhu Beach in the early morning. - **Over 24 hours** (Go into Mumbai): Book a hotel and see Mumbai over two days: the 30-day e-Tourist visa covers it. A ferry from the Gateway of India to the Elephanta Caves, about an hour each way, fills a second day (closed Mondays). **Landing late at night:** The first Metro Line 3 (Aqua Line) metro from the airport leaves about 6:03am and the last one back from Churchgate about 10:34pm. Outside those hours, a taxi or app cab takes about 75 minutes. If no plan into Mumbai fits around those hours, the verdict is to sleep near the airport. ## Time in town Worked out with this guide’s allowances: about 1h 30 from landing to a metro, the ride each way, and back at Mumbai 90 minutes before departure. | Layover | In town, about | On the plan | | --- | --- | --- | | 5.5 hours | 1 hour | Juhu Beach by taxi | | 6 hours | 1.5 hours | Juhu Beach by taxi | | 7 hours | 2 hours | Marine Drive and the Gateway of India by Metro | | 8 hours | 3 hours | Marine Drive and the Gateway of India by Metro | | 10 hours | 5 hours | Marine Drive and the Gateway of India by Metro | | 12 hours | 7 hours | Marine Drive and the Gateway of India by Metro | ## Layover plans Every plan on the overview, in the order it lists them. On the web page each plan's route is timed from your layover length and landing time. ### Juhu Beach by taxi - **Hint**: Closest sea and sand - **Layover**: 5.5 hours or more - **Cost**: $ - **Ride**: Taxi or app cab, about 40 minutes there; leave town 2 hours 10 minutes before your flight 1. **Juhu Beach**: A public beach 7 to 8 km from Terminal 2: free, nothing to book, no opening hours. Allow an hour from leaving the taxi to getting back in. ### Bandra Bandstand and Bandra Fort by taxi - **Hint**: Sea views - **Layover**: 6 hours or more - **Cost**: $ - **Ride**: Taxi or app cab, about 45 minutes there; leave town 2 hours 15 minutes before your flight 1. **Bandstand Promenade**: Bandra's sea-front walk, free, with no opening hours. 2. **Bandra Fort**: A watchtower the Portuguese built in 1640 over Mahim Bay, at the end of the promenade. No published hours or fee: go in daylight. ### Marine Drive and the Gateway of India by Metro - **Hint**: Cheapest - **Layover**: 7 hours or more - **Cost**: $ - **Ride**: Metro Line 3 (Aqua Line), about 55 minutes there; leave town 2 hours 45 minutes before your flight 1. **Marine Drive**: A 5-minute walk from Churchgate station. The promenade is free and always open; come in the evening for the sunset. 2. **Gateway of India**: About 15 minutes by taxi from Marine Drive, and 15 back to Churchgate. The 1924 arch on the waterfront is free and always open. 3. **Churchgate station**: Metro Line 3 back to Terminal 2, about 45 minutes. The last train leaves at about 10:34pm. ### Colaba Causeway and the Gateway of India by taxi - **Hint**: Shopping, and no last train - **Layover**: 8 hours or more - **Cost**: $ - **Ride**: Taxi or app cab, about 75 minutes there; leave town 2 hours 45 minutes before your flight 1. **Colaba Causeway**: A shopping street of shops and stalls, officially Shahid Bhagat Singh Road. The shops keep their own hours. 2. **Gateway of India**: About a 20-minute walk from the Causeway; free and always open. 3. **Taj Mahal Palace, from outside**: The hotel across from the Gateway, open since 1903; not a sight with tickets. ### CSMVS and the Fort area by Metro - **Hint**: Museum - **Layover**: 8.5 hours or more - **Cost**: $ - **Ride**: Metro Line 3 (Aqua Line), about 55 minutes there; leave town 2 hours 45 minutes before your flight 1. **Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS)**: About 15 minutes from Churchgate on foot or by taxi. Open every day 10:15am to 6pm, tickets until 5:45pm; closed 26 January, 1 May, 15 August and 2 October. Bags and suitcases go to the luggage counter. 2. **Gateway of India**: About 20 minutes from the museum on foot or by taxi, then about 15 by taxi back to Churchgate. 3. **Churchgate station**: Metro Line 3 back to Terminal 2, about 45 minutes. The last train leaves at about 10:34pm. ### A night at Niranta, then Juhu Beach - **Hint**: For night arrivals - **Layover**: 12 hours or more · overnight - **Cost**: $$ - **Night**: rest near the airport, then head in for the morning - **Ride**: Taxi or app cab, about 40 minutes there; leave town 2 hours 10 minutes before your flight 1. **Juhu Beach**: Sleep first at Niranta's landside rooms in Terminal 2, then take a taxi at about 6:30am to be on the sand by about 7:15am. ### Niranta airside, for passengers changing planes - **Hint**: A room in the transit area, no Indian visa needed - **Where**: Airside - **Niranta airside rooms, inside T2 next to the duty-free food court**: By the hour or overnight, for passengers flying from one international flight to another, with no Indian visa. Book only on nirantahotels.com; prices aren't published. ### Niranta landside, for anyone with a T2 ticket - **Hint**: After immigration, 24-hour check-in - **Where**: Landside · needs India entry - **Niranta landside rooms, below the arrival hall in T2**: By the hour or overnight, after immigration, so with an Indian visa and a Terminal 2 ticket. Book on nirantahotels.com or AdaniOne; prices aren't published. ### Aviserv sleeping pods in Arrivals - **Hint**: Open 24 hours, in the arrivals hall - **Where**: Landside · needs India entry - **Aviserv Lounge West, T2 Arrivals, Level 2 west, near Arrival Gate A**: Open 24 hours, with sleeping pods, for up to 3 hours. It's in the arrivals hall, so plan on needing a visa. Book on AdaniOne; prices aren't published. ### Lounges in international departures - **Hint**: Airside, from 4 hours before departure, with showers - **Where**: Airside - **Adani lounges, T2 international departures, Levels 3 and 4**: Open 24 hours; entry up to 4 hours before your flight; all have showers. Two are for first and premium business passengers. Book on AdaniOne; prices aren't published. ## At a glance - **Airport**: Mumbai (BOM); international flights use Terminal 2 - **Metro to Churchgate**: About 45 min, about ₹40 to ₹50; about every 4.5 min at weekday peaks - **Last train back**: About 10:34pm from Churchgate; matters only for flights after about 1:20am - **Minimum to leave**: 5.5 hours, with an Indian visa already approved - **Be back**: 90 minutes before departure, boarding pass and passport in hand - **Sleep airside**: Niranta's airside rooms in Terminal 2, by the hour, no Indian visa - **Currency**: Indian rupee (₹) - **Don't forget**: e-Visa at least 4 days ahead; free e-Arrival card in the 72 hours before landing ## Arrivals A Mumbai layover is worth leaving the airport for from 5.5 hours, but only if you have an Indian visa before you fly. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) is in the suburbs north of central Mumbai, about 8 km from Juhu Beach and 28 km by road from the Gateway of India in the south of the city. Every international flight uses Terminal 2, and Metro Line 3 has a station right beside it. - **Bags.** When you check in for your first flight, ask for your bags to be checked through to your final destination. If they can't be, or you're on separate tickets, collect them at the belt and leave them at the left-luggage counter on Level 1 of Terminal 2, east side, by the P4 ground transport area. It doesn't publish its prices. - **Tickets.** For the Metro, buy a QR ticket at the counter or a machine in the station: fares go by distance, about ₹40 to ₹50 into south Mumbai. Change a little money at the exchange counter in the arrivals hall first, in case the machine won't take your card. - **Phone.** The airport's Wi-Fi is free: enter your mobile number, foreign or Indian, and the login code comes by text. With no roaming, show your passport at an information desk or Wi-Fi kiosk, such as the desk by belt 8 in arrivals, for a code. Airtel sells SIM cards on Level 2 of arrivals, and an eSIM set up before you fly keeps maps and ride apps working in town. Left luggage, lounges and rooms: [at the airport](https://mumbailayover.com/airport/). ## Border Staying in Terminal 2 between two international flights on one booking needs no visa; going into Mumbai needs one, and for most passports it has to be approved before you fly. - **Staying airside.** Your airline takes you from the arrival gate to the transit area, with your bags tagged through, and you never reach immigration: no visa, no arrival card. Two separate bookings mean collecting your bags and checking in again, so you go through immigration and need a visa. - **US, UK, EU, Canadian and Australian passports** need the e-Visa to go into town: there's no visa-free entry to India for them. Apply on indianvisaonline.gov.in no later than 4 days before you land, since approval can take 72 hours or more. The 30-day visa is US$25 for most nationalities (US$10 from April to June), plus a 3% bank charge. - **Visa on arrival at Mumbai** is for Japanese and South Korean passports only, at ₹2,000. - **Indian passports** go through as citizens, and OCI cardholders show their OCI card in place of a visa. - **The e-Arrival card.** If you'll go through immigration and aren't Indian, fill in this free online form in the 72 hours before you land, on indianvisaonline.gov.in or the Indian Visa Su-Swagatam app. It doesn't replace a visa. - **Time.** Mumbai publishes no arrival queue times. Allow 90 minutes from landing to sitting on the Metro, our own figure for the desks, customs and the footbridge to the station. A slow queue eats into your time in town, never your flight: the time you head back stays fixed. Who needs which visa: [visa and transit rules](https://mumbailayover.com/visa-and-transit/). ## Into Mumbai Metro Line 3, the Aqua Line, runs from Terminal 2 under the city to south Mumbai in about 45 minutes for about ₹40 to ₹50; for Juhu Beach and Bandra, take a taxi. | Ride | Into town | Fare | | --- | --- | --- | | Metro Line 3, for south Mumbai | About 45 minutes to Churchgate, for Marine Drive | ₹10 to ₹70 by distance; about ₹40 to ₹50 to south Mumbai | | Taxi | About 40 minutes to Juhu, 75 to south Mumbai in daytime traffic (our estimates) | On the meter | | Uber, Ola or Rapido | As a taxi | Shown in the app | After customs, follow the signs for the Metro: a covered footbridge of about 100 metres runs from the terminal to the station, CSMI Airport T2, beside the P5 entrance, and you can push an airport trolley along it. Take a train from platform 1, towards Cuffe Parade. The first train of the day leaves the far end of the line at 5:55am and reaches Terminal 2 at about 6:03am; the last train back leaves Churchgate at about 10:34pm. Metered taxis wait at P4, Ola and Rapido pick up at P5 and Uber at P6, at any hour. Every way in, compared: [getting into the city](https://mumbailayover.com/getting-to-the-city/). ## What to do Juhu Beach and the sea front at Bandra are short taxi rides from the airport; the Metro reaches Marine Drive, the Gateway of India and the CSMVS museum in south Mumbai. ### The fastest plan for a short layover 1. Take a metered taxi from **P4**, or an Uber, Ola or Rapido from its pickup point, outside Terminal 2. 2. Ride about 40 minutes to **Juhu Beach** (our estimate; less when the roads are clear). 3. Walk on the sand for about half an hour. It's a public beach, free, with nothing to book. 4. Take a taxi back 2 hours 10 minutes before your flight. It needs 5.5 hours, which gives you about an hour at the beach. With 7 hours or more, take the Metro to Churchgate instead and walk along Marine Drive. Would you rather have a guide? Neither the airport nor Air India advertises a transit tour, but private guides do. GetYourGuide lists a 5-hour private layover tour that picks you up at the airport. On Viator, a 3-hour layover tour with airport pickup starts from about US$29 (seen November 2026). You still need an Indian visa for a tour. ### Watch the calendar - **No weekly closing day.** CSMVS opens every day, and Marine Drive, the Gateway of India and the beaches are open spaces with no opening hours. - **Four national days.** CSMVS is closed on 26 January, 1 May, 15 August and 2 October. - **Festivals.** Public holidays such as Diwali (in October or November), Guru Nanak Jayanti (24 November) and Christmas bring crowds and shut shops, and the Metro publishes no holiday timetable. - **Weekends.** The Metro keeps a separate weekend timetable, so trains may come less often than on weekdays. Our times allow for about 10 minutes on the platform. - **The monsoon.** The rains usually arrive in Mumbai around 11 June and ease by about 8 October. The beach plans are best in the dry months; in the monsoon, choose a Metro plan. Timed plans from 5.5 to 24 hours, including Bandra, Colaba Causeway, the museum and a plan for night arrivals: [itineraries](https://mumbailayover.com/itineraries/). ## Head back Be back at Mumbai airport 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass and your passport. - **Time.** Leave Churchgate station 2 hours 45 minutes before your flight, or Juhu Beach by taxi 2 hours 10 minutes before: that covers the wait or the traffic, the ride, the footbridge and 90 minutes at the airport. That makes **5.5 hours** the realistic minimum, with about an hour at Juhu; 8 hours gives about 3 hours in south Mumbai by Metro. - **The terminal door.** Guards at the entrance check your ticket or boarding pass and your ID before you go in, so keep both on you, not in a bag. Mumbai doesn't publish how early they'll let you in. - **Why 90 minutes is enough.** With your boarding pass already issued and no bag to drop, you only need departure immigration and security. The airport's advice to arrive 4 hours early is for check-in. If you still have a bag to drop, come back sooner: Air India's international counters close 60 minutes before departure. - **Late at night.** The last Metro back leaves Churchgate at about 10:34pm, and it matters only for a flight after about 1:20am. After it, take a taxi or app cab: allow 75 minutes from south Mumbai (our allowance; less on empty roads). - **Check the airport code.** Some flights are moving to the new Navi Mumbai airport (NMI): Air India Express from December 2026, domestic routes first and then its Gulf ones, and IndiGo's Gulf, Dhaka and Jakarta flights from February 2027. This guide covers Mumbai (BOM): if either of your flights says NMI, it leaves from a different airport, and changing between the two means passing immigration. Time in town at each layover length: [how much time you'll have](https://mumbailayover.com/getting-to-the-city/#timing-your-return). ## Departures Staying at the airport instead: without a visa, you can rest airside in Terminal 2, in a Niranta room or a lounge. - **Niranta's airside rooms.** Next to the duty-free food court in Terminal 2, by the hour or overnight, for passengers going from one international flight to another. You need no Indian visa, only tickets for flights at Terminal 2, and you book on Niranta's own website. It doesn't publish its prices. - **Niranta's landside rooms.** Below the arrivals hall, after immigration, so only with a visa: the same hourly and overnight stays, for anyone with a Terminal 2 ticket. - **Lounges.** The airport's international lounges, on Levels 3 and 4 of departures, let you in up to 4 hours before your flight and have showers. Book on AdaniOne, the airport's booking site; walk-in prices aren't published. - **Sleeping pods.** The Aviserv lounge in Terminal 2 arrivals is open 24 hours and has sleeping pods, for up to 3 hours. It's in the arrivals hall, so plan on needing a visa to reach it. - **No free hotel.** Neither Air India nor the airport advertises a free transit hotel or stopover at Mumbai. Rooms, lounges and showers: [at the airport](https://mumbailayover.com/airport/). ## Questions people ask ### Can I leave Mumbai airport during a layover? Yes, with an Indian visa arranged before you fly and at least 5.5 hours. US, UK, EU, Canadian and Australian passports have no visa-free entry to India, so apply for the e-Visa online at least 4 days ahead. Without a visa, stay in the transit area of Terminal 2: changing between international flights on one ticket needs none. ### How long a layover do I need to see Mumbai? 5.5 hours for Juhu Beach by taxi, with about an hour on the sand, and 7 hours for Marine Drive and the Gateway of India by Metro. With 8 hours you'll have about 3 hours in south Mumbai. These allow 90 minutes to get out of the airport and being back 90 minutes before departure. ### What time is the last Metro back to Mumbai airport? About 10:34pm from Churchgate, by our reckoning from the line's published times: the last train leaves Cuffe Parade, two stops before, at 10:30pm. You leave Churchgate 2 hours 45 minutes before your flight anyway, so it matters only for a flight after about 1:20am. After it, take a taxi or app cab: allow 75 minutes. ### Can I sleep at Mumbai airport? Yes, in a room. Niranta has rooms inside Terminal 2 by the hour or overnight: its airside rooms are for passengers changing between international flights and need no Indian visa, and its landside rooms below the arrivals hall are for anyone with a visa and a Terminal 2 ticket. Prices aren't published. ### How early can I go into Mumbai airport before my flight? Mumbai airport doesn't publish a limit. Guards at the door check your ticket or boarding pass and your ID, and the airport's advice is to arrive 4 hours before an international flight, so don't count on getting in much earlier than that. Coming back 90 minutes before departure, as this guide plans, is well within it. ### Is Navi Mumbai airport the same as Mumbai airport? No. Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI) is a separate airport. Air India Express starts moving flights there in December 2026, domestic ones first and its Gulf routes during 2027, and IndiGo follows with its Gulf, Dhaka and Jakarta flights from February 2027. This guide covers Mumbai (BOM). Check the airport code of both your flights: changing between the two means passing immigration, with a visa. ## Sources (checked 8 November 2026) - [MMRCL: Mumbai Metro Line 3, first and last trains (last trains for November 2026, checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://mmrcl.com/) - [MMRCL: Line 3 stations (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://mmrcl.com/line-details) - [MMRCL: FAQs, train hours (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://mmrcl.com/passenger/pages/faqs-about-trains) - [MMRCL: FAQs, luggage (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://mmrcl.com/passenger/pages/faqs-about-rules) - [MMRC on X: 337 weekday trips and the peak-hour gap from 2 November 2026 (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://x.com/MumbaiMetro3/status/2117548277835137135) - [MMRCL: FAQs, tickets (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://mmrcl.com/passenger/pages/faqs-about-product) - [Mint, reporting MMRC: Line 3 opening, fares, timings and journey time (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.livemint.com/news/india/mumbai-metro-line-3-inaugurated-check-stations-fares-timings-and-other-details-11759924342142.html) - [MMRC: the footbridge from Terminal 2 to the Metro, trolleys allowed (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://www.facebook.com/mmrcmumbai/posts/%EF%B8%8F-even-more-convenience-for-flyerstrolley-movement-is-now-allowed-along-the-dire/1162612052567453/) - [Mumbai airport: transit guide (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://csmia-mumbai.adaniairports.com/en/passenger-guide/transit-guide) - [Mumbai airport: departure guide (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://csmia-mumbai.adaniairports.com/en/passenger-guide/departure-guide) - [Mumbai airport: transport, taxis and Metro (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://csmia-mumbai.adaniairports.com/en/airport-facilities/transport) - [Mumbai airport: lounges and sleeping pods (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://csmia-mumbai.adaniairports.com/en/airport-services/lounges) - [Mumbai airport: left luggage (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://csmia-mumbai.adaniairports.com/en/airport-services/left-luggage-facility) - [Mumbai airport: Wi-Fi (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://csmia-mumbai.adaniairports.com/en/airport-facilities/wifi-service) - [Mumbai airport: SIM card services (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://csmia-mumbai.adaniairports.com/en/airport-services/sim-card-services) - [Air India: transfers, customs and baggage (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.airindia.com/in/en/travel-information/visa-documents/custom-immigration-baggage-transfer.html) - [Air India: international check-in (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.airindia.com/in/en/experience/airport/international-checkin.html) - [Niranta Airport Transit Hotel & Lounge: home page (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.nirantahotels.com/) - [Government of India: e-Visa (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/) - [Government of India: e-Tourist visa fees (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/images/Etourist_fee_final.pdf) - [Government of India: visa on arrival (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/visa-on-arrival.html) - [Government of India: e-Arrival card (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/) - [CSMVS: visit us, hours, closures and tickets (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://www.csmvs.in/visit-us.html) - [Archaeological Survey of India: Elephanta Caves (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://asi.nic.in/pages/WorldHeritageElephantaCaves) - [Maharashtra Tourism: Elephanta, the ferry from the Gateway of India](https://maharashtratourism.gov.in/cave/elephanta/) - [India Meteorological Department: monsoon onset and withdrawal normals (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://internal.imd.gov.in/press_release/20200515_pr_804.pdf) - [Maharashtra (MMRDA): public holidays 2026 (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://mmrda.maharashtra.gov.in/en/public-holidays) - [Adani Airports: IndiGo's move of international departures to Navi Mumbai (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://www.adani.com/newsroom/media-releases/indigo-and-adani-airports-announce-phased-expansion-of-international-flight-operations) - [Air India Group: Air India Express transition to Navi Mumbai (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://www.airindia.com/in/en/newsroom/press-release/air-india-group-adani-airports-navi-mumbai-transition.html) - [Viator: Mumbai layover tours (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://www.viator.com/Mumbai-tours/Layover-Tours/d953-g12-c32046)