Gateway of India

On Mumbai's Apollo Bunder waterfront, the Gateway of India frames the Arabian Sea with a 26-metre basalt arch. Morning brings joggers and photographers, afternoon brings families and balloon sellers, and at dusk the arch glows golden as ferries bob in the harbour beside it.

Opposite stands the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, and from the jetty below the arch, boats leave for Elephanta Island, home to the rock-cut Elephanta Caves – a UNESCO World Heritage Site about an hour away by ferry.

The Gateway was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay in 1911. Designed by the architect George Wittet in the Indo-Saracenic style, which mixed Hindu, Islamic and European elements, it was completed in 1924. In 1948 the last British troops left India through the Gateway, giving it a special place in the story of independence.

Once the ceremonial entrance to India for visitors arriving by sea, the Gateway is today one of Mumbai's best-loved public spaces and the city's most famous landmark.

The Gateway is in Colaba, south Mumbai. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Churchgate stations are about 10–15 minutes away by taxi. Mumbai's international airport is roughly an hour's drive depending on traffic.