Local Transport & Dabbawallah Tour: Explore Mumbai's Working Class and Engaging Markets

Experience the local transport and Dabbawallah tour in Mumbai. Ride the iconic suburban train, red bus, and black and yellow taxi while exploring vibrant markets and witnessing the Dabbawallahs in action.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Regal Cinema - Meet your tour guide at Regal Cinema, one of Mumbai’s oldest movie theatres.
  • Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus - See one of the busiest railway stations in the country at rush hour! CST is Mumbai’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site and it was featured in the final song from the award-winning movie, Slumdog Millionaire.
  • SHYAM STALL - In India, flowers are used everywhere – in temples, in taxis, at home, in women’s hair, and for all kinds of worship. Here, you will see more flowers in one place than you’ve ever seen before!
  • Dhobi Ghat - The world’s largest outdoor laundry! See the dhobiwallahs, or washermen, scrubbing sheets from Mumbai’s largest hospitals and hotels at this busy outdoor laundry area.
  • Chor Bazaar - The “Thieves Market” is one of the largest and busiest flea markets in the whole country and sells almost anything. Taste some local sweets, take home delicious home-made pickles and chutneys, or shop for a colourful vintage Bollywood film poster!
  • Churchgate Railway Station - View the famous dabawallas and see how they are able to organize the delivery of 200,000 lunchboxes every single day. Enjoy your own vegetarian dabawallah lunch at the Oval Maidan nearby
What's Included
  • Bottled water included
  • Expert local guide
  • All transportation during the tour provided
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Embark on the renowned urban rail journey, board a quintessential red bus, traverse the city in a standard black and yellow cab, and observe as Mumbai’s workforce commences their daily routines. Our exploration goes beyond the well-known tourist attractions in Mumbai; we’ll visit various markets and the globally recognized Dabbawallahs (employees in India’s complex lunch delivery network). This perspective of the Maximum City will provide you a glimpse into the hardships and obstacles faced by the working community, along with their indomitable spirit.

Location
Regal Cinema
The tour will start at Regal Cinemas, one of Mumbai's oldest movie theaters.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(32 Ratings)
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Simon
Mar 23, 2024
An opportunity to see the real side of Mumbai whilst supporting a valuable charity - We were looking for a slightly different tour and this proved perfect Travelling by train, bus and shared cabs we explored southern Mumbai taking in a variety of produce markets, bazaars, the Dohbi Ghat and finishing with the Dabbawala A good tour always needs a good guide and Rishi was excellent Moreover the tour operator - Reality Gives - is an NGO supporting education in Mumbai’s slum community - so you felt your tourist pounds were going to a very worthwhile cause
Review provided by Tripadvisor
834akol
Feb 9, 2024
Excellent tour - I did this tour in December 2023. It was excellent. I am grateful that I was informed in advance that the day that I originally wanted didnt work because the markets would be closed. Our guide was knowledgeable, funny, the tour was quite easy, we saw some interesting parts of Mumbai. I would highly recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Theseniornomads
Nov 17, 2023
A Great Way to Experience Mumbai - What an excellent way to get a flavor for life in Mumbai! We traveled by bus, taxi and trains to several destinations that included local markets, the massive laundry yard, and landmarks; as well as a glimpse at the busy lives of the lunch delivery men. Our guide Raj made sure we were safe and well looked after and told good stories about life in this massive city. A worthwhile experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marsp777
Feb 9, 2023
Reality Tours is fantastic. - Under the guidance of Chetan, I so enjoyed using the various public transportations found in Mumbai. Chetan is a great guide and I’m sure the company’s other tour guides and options are just as good. Don’t hesitate to book a tour. You’ll see and learn a lot
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Atomcat
Mar 30, 2020
A perfect morning in Mumbai - My husband & I met our guide, Jenna, outside the art deco Regal Cinema in Colaba (a stone's throw from the YWCA IGH where we were staying). From there, we bussed to the magnificent Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja Terminus - fabulous on the outside & even more stunning on the inside. And we watched the hundreds of commuters disgorging from the many trains. From there, we trained to the Dadar Flower Market with its kaleidoscope of colours. Onto Dhobi Ghat - a highlight to see the many hued colours flapping in the wind with a backdrop of a clear blue sky (& odd skyscraper). Taxied to Chor Bazaar & finally to see the amazing Dhabawallas at Churchgate Station. So many highlights in such a short time! Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Murachur
Jan 16, 2020
Experience the charm of Mumbai! - I joined because Elephanta Island was closed. The meeting place is near the Indian Gate. You can experience the charm of Mumbai by bus and city rail. Explore places that symbolize the dynamic city of Mumbai. It was impressive that the guide said, "This is Mumbai!"
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anna65sweden
Jan 8, 2020
Good choice of tour! - So happy we did this tour and also had a private guide. The guide was excellent and very nice too. It was an experience taking local buses and trains. We visited interesting places and it was a good opportunity to ask questions about everything when having a private guide. It was well worth it and I wish I could have more time to visit other places with this company.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thierryt678
Dec 23, 2019
Great experience - Mumbai is a very wide and spread-out city. So, it’s difficult to walk to every point of interest. I was lucky enough to spend half a day with Janna. He provided very interesting and entertaining info. We negotiated beforehand what I wanted/did not want to see. And time went very fast. I strongly recommend this organization, that refunnels 80% of the most-tax income to social projects linked to Dharavi, the most important slum in Mumbai.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fernweh2018
Dec 11, 2019
Excellent Mumbai Tour - Truly exceptional experience with Reality Tours! Would recommend the Half Day by Public Transport Tour without hesitation to anyone looking to become aquatinted with Mumbai. Our guide Nano was very kind and knowledgable about all things Mumbai and answered all of our questions with enthusiasm! The tour itself was very interesting and the local transportation was much more efficient than we anticipated. Don't hesitate to book with this company!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alegomessp
Feb 22, 2024
Havent picked me up - They havent appeared to pick me up. I had to have the tour reorganized by viator. I dont recommed at all.
Review provided by Viator
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September 2024
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