Rakhee Ghelani

They don’t call this place Maximum City without good reason. Mumbai is a mile-a-minute sort of place, a full-on experience that isn’t going to wait for you to acclimatise. The best things to do in Mumbai will help visitors get a handle on this place, a raft of serenity in the metropolis. Roadside stalls and fine-dining fusion will tickle all taste buds, while people-watching everyone from Bollywood starlets to rickshaw drivers makes for one of the most captivating things in India. Mumbai is India as it was, as it is, and as it will be in the future. It also happens to be the best night out in India. There, we said it. You’ll never be bored here.

Once known as Madras, this is the centre of India’s cultural and artistic heart, as made apparent on our list of best things to do in Chennai. Classic South Indian fare, fashion and hospitality are on offer from the historic centre of Mylapore to the seaside of Marina Beach. If you’re looking for a party, best head out of town to nearby Mahabalipuram. But if you want to understand how ancient India lives on within a bustling urban city, then Chennai has plenty to see and do. Done something on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDoList and tag @TimeOutEverywhere. Find out more about how Time Out selects the very best things to do all over the world.