Marine Drive, Mumbai

Marine Drive is Mumbai's classic seafront walk. The 3 km promenade curves around Back Bay past Art Deco apartment blocks and lights up at night as the Queen's Necklace.

Marine Drive is the 3-kilometre promenade and six-lane road that curves along Back Bay from Nariman Point in the south to Girgaon Chowpatty in the north. Its official name, rarely used, is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road. The road was built on reclaimed land and completed in 1940. Seen from above at night, its arc of street lights resembles a string of pearls, which gives it the nickname Queen's Necklace; the view is best from Malabar Hill at the northern end.

The inland side is lined with apartment blocks built mostly in the 1930s, including Kapur Mahal, Zaver Mahal and Keval Mahal, and these Art Deco buildings form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai. The broad seaside walkway, protected by concrete tetrapods, is used by joggers and walkers in the morning and fills with families and couples at sunset.

Girgaon Chowpatty beach at the north end is known for bhel puri and other street snacks, and Wankhede Stadium, the Brabourne Stadium and several gymkhanas lie nearby. Churchgate and Marine Lines stations are within walking distance. During the monsoon from June to September, waves can crash over the sea wall at high tide, so heed police instructions and keep back from the edge.