Things to do — Maharashtra

Mumbai offers exceptional tourist diversity. South Mumbai (Colaba and Fort) is the historic heart. Gateway of India (1924, yellow basalt arch 26 m high commemorating King George V's visit in 1911). Facing it: Taj Mahal Palace Hotel (1903, one of Asia's most prestigious hotels). Colaba walk: Causeway Market, iconic restaurants Leopold Café 1871.

Fort: UNESCO Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST, ex-Victoria Terminus, Victorian-Indo-Saracenic railway station 1888), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya museum, Asiatic Society Library, University of Mumbai and Bombay High Court (UNESCO 2018 Victorian Gothic ensemble), Crawford Market (1869).

Marine Drive: Mumbai's emblematic 4 km crescent promenade along Back Bay nicknamed "Queen's Necklace" for its nighttime lighting. Iconic sunset. Chowpatty Beach at the northern end.

UNESCO Elephanta Caves: essential excursion from Mumbai. Ferries from Gateway of India 9am-3pm, 1h crossing — 6th-8th century Hindu rupestrian temples dedicated to Shiva, including the famous Trimurti (3-faced bust of Shiva, 6 m height).

Bandra and Worli: Bandra-Worli Sea Link (5.6 km sea bridge opened 2009, Mumbai's modern icon), trendy Bandra, Bandstand Promenade (sea view, Bollywood villas including Shah Rukh Khan's Mannat).

Aurangabad and UNESCO caves: Ellora (30 km from Aurangabad, open 6am-6pm, closed Tuesday, 600 INR foreigners — 34 caves over 2 km, plan 3-4h, focus on caves 10 Vishvakarma Buddhist, 16 Kailasa monolith, 32 Indra Sabha Jain), Ajanta (100 km from Aurangabad, open 9am-5:30pm, closed Monday, 600 INR foreigners — 30 Buddhist caves in cliff, plan 4-5h, focus on caves 1, 2, 16, 17 for best-preserved murals).