Gateway of India

The Gateway of India is Mumbai's signature landmark. This 1924 arch on the Apollo Bunder waterfront faces the Taj Mahal Palace hotel and is where ferries leave for Elephanta Island.

The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary at Apollo Bunder in December 1911, the first visit by a reigning British monarch to India. The foundation stone was laid in March 1913, George Wittet's design was approved in 1914, and the arch was completed in 1924. It is a basalt memorial arch about 26 metres high, built in the Indo-Saracenic style with elements drawn from 16th-century Gujarati architecture.

Its central dome and side halls can be seen from the plaza, and a commemorative inscription records the royal landing. The monument stands at an angle on the waterfront, facing the Arabian Sea and directly opposite the Taj Mahal Palace hotel. In 1948 the last British troops to leave India departed through it. Today it is the city's best-known landmark and a gathering place for residents, vendors and photographers.

Five jetties lie around the Gateway, two of them used by commercial ferries, including boats to Elephanta Island and harbour cruises. Access to the plaza has been controlled since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, so expect security checks. The Colaba Causeway shopping street, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya and the Kala Ghoda art district are all a short walk away. Early morning and sunset are the calmest times for photographs; evenings and weekends are crowded.