Experience City Tours in Mumbai with Withlocals

"It is difficult to put into words what a privilege it was to be guided through the maze of backstreets by Shrikanth, to witness what life is like in the largest slum area in the world, Dharavi, of over a million people. We experienced the extremely loud hussle and bustle of market day before diving into a maze of narrow backstreets finding countless small factories run by hard working people. Busy non-stop in the textile & leather industry, recycling metal & plastic, carpentry and pottery. Seeing how religious communities live directly alongside each other yet in cramped and squalid conditions you would find impossible to imagine until you are actually there. We understand the future of the slums is uncertain now since the government has plans to make a new smart city intended to help, but which may change everything, dividing some who may struggle with the change, but hopefully retaining the strong communities who have so far made the impossible possible still transition and continue to survive. Shrikanth was exactly the right relaxed person you needed to inform and pace you smoothly on this unforgettable journey which certainly has put our own fortunate lives back into the right perspective. "

"The walking tour far exceeded my expectations. WithLocals promise that the tours can be tailored to an individual’s interests and this works well in practice. Shrikanth and I are both keen photographers, and we quickly agreed that we would spend the 3 hours partly to see the sights and hidden sights of Mumbai and partly as a photo-walk, and both parts were very enjoyable. Shrikanth was able to pass on historical facts about the buildings we saw, and also to point out interesting things about what the people were doing and reasons behind them, bringing me closer to the people of Mumbai , which is more interesting than any Sight. He also assisted me in finding some good photos. Shrikanth is very easy to get along with and obviously has a great deal of knowledge and love for his city, which he passes on generously. His English is excellent, so there were no communication problems. Importantly, I always felt he was there to make sure I had an enjoyable and safe time, and not just to run quickly through a pre-conceived schedule. The three hours passed much too quickly, and ended with him organising a tuk-tuk to a restaurant he had recommended. Needless to say the restaurant was excellent. Thank you WithLocals for a great concept and thank you Shrikanth for being such a great guide."

"I highly recommend Shrikanth. We had a wonderful day exploring an area of Mumbai we would have simply not known existed and the love and pride he has in his city shines through and he is a most willing and generous and knowledgable host. A lovely interesting day. Thank you Shrikanth and all the very best to you ! "

"We really enjoyed taking this tour with Kiran and his driver. As a first time visitor to Mumbai, Kiran ticked all the right boxes - all the must see sites, with excellent commentary plus a visit to one of the slum areas for Masala Chai tea with a local family. When you visit Mumbai, be sure to book his tour. You will not be disappointed!"

"We did the 'Full Coverage' tour last week (sorry for the delay in reviewing, Purvi!). We deliberately put the tour bang in the middle of our week in Mumbai (What a week!). This meant that we had already seen some of the big sights and so we were hoping for a bit more of a 'so what's it like here then' experience. We couldn't be happier. A brief message exchange later and we were riding the train and getting amongst it over at the markets, albeit briefly (quite enough first time-wise!). Everything we visited was accompanied by an insightful and often funny commentary/view/related story. We chatted about stuff. I had a masala chai (not really into tea, surprisingly delicious). We did loads of zipping about in the ubiquitous battered yellow and black cabs. I think that both of us could do that all day. I learned about a Tower of Silence overlooked by an Ambani obscenity. When we stopped for lunch my cheese masala pav is lodged deep in the pleasure centre of my brain (and not as spicy as they feared). I bought cheese powder (cheese dorrito dust on steroids) and Mumbai spice in Crawford Market. This is the beauty of this kind of tour - you pay (and it isn't cheap, relatively) for that window of individualism. There is a blind date nervousness before you meet but this dissipates very quickly as Purvi is good at this. As well as the standard informative stuff you get chat and opinion, a segue into why chicken tikka may NOT be the UK's national dish, why a beeping vehicle is speaking a language of it's own and so many other great topics. And on top of this we were inspired by additional confidence - we walked 2 miles a couple of days later through the bazaars and markets and avoided getting completely rinsed (we hope) when buying stuff, which we may not have considered in quite the same way without our tour. There is not much I/we would change, to be honest. It was exactly what we wanted - it felt like looking around town with a mate. I think if you were visiting for a day or 2, the regular tour might just do it. If you're are staying longer, do 10 minutes reading around and tweak a few bits to make this a personal experience that you will enjoy as much as we did. Thanks Purvi, it was ace - just wish I had bought pav bhaji masala as well as cheese powder."

"Purvi was an amazing tour guide who showed us around Mumbai and many temples. Her knowledge of the city was just what we needed and her relaxed style and good humour were the perfect combination. We ended our tour with train ride back downtown which was something that we would not have done otherwise. Thank you Purvi, enjoy your adventures!"

"I had a wonderful experience on this temples tour with Purvi. She is kind, knowledgeable, and passionate about Mumbai’s history and culture. She explained everything in a clear and engaging way, giving me meaningful context that made each temple visit special. What truly stood out was how much she went the extra mile. After the tour, she sent me a long list of thoughtful recommendations so I could continue exploring on my own, including food spots, concept stores, and other local gems. I ended up following all of her recommendations and every single one was excellent. If you’re looking for a guide who is both informative and genuinely caring, Purvi is fantastic. Highly recommend this experience."

"Chandramohan did a tour for me and my family this week. This was fabulous! It was a virtual tour as we live in Canada. Everybody really enjoyed it. He provided very interesting and unique knowledge about Mumbai, and we learned so much. Also, he made it a fun experience. I highly recommend Chandramohan ! "

"We went on a Tasting tour with Chandramohan. He took us to very interesting places with really tasty and varied foods - and lots of it! He was such good company and told us all about the areas we visited and the history of the surrounding areas. We then booked the ‘off the beaten track’ with him & had such an interesting tour. We really got to know how things worked in Dharavi & see how it contrasted to other parts of the city. Chandramohan is obviously well liked by locals and has a real passion for his home city which allowed us to get the very best from our tours. Thank you Mohan - we can’t recommend taking a tour with you strongly enough."

"Purvi was very helpful and insightful; Practical and straight the point, she guided me through the shopping landmarks and had a heaps of patience :) Kindly recommend Purvi as knowledgable and up to the beat guide❤️"