Officially renamed Mumbai in 1996, Bombay is the capital of Maharashtra and the economic powerhouse of India. Bombay's growth from a string of Koli fishing villages to a booming city of 16 million is due in part to the American Civil War, which temporarily dried up Britain's supply of cotton and sparked Bombay's cotton boom. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the massive expansion of Bombay's docks secured the city's future as India's primary port.

Colaba, Bombay's main tourist enclave, is a melee of street vendors, shops, stalls and cafes that offer an amazing array of international cuisines, from the vegetarian "Hindu hotels" to Iranian lamb and mutton specialties, to fresh seafood dishes at Bombay's oldest Chinese eateries to fiery fish curries.

Must-see places include the new National Gallery of Modern Art; the majestic Taj Mahal Hotel, built in 1903 by J.N. Tata; and Bombay's most famous landmark, the Gateway of India, built in 1924 by George Wittet to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911.

Other highlights are the colorful indoor Crawford Market, where bas reliefs by Rudyard Kipling's father, Lockwood Kipling, adorn the Norman-Gothic exterior, and the frenetic bazaars of Kalbadevi where you can buy everything from bathroom fixtures to Victorian porcelain to jewelry and cloth.