Filming locations in Mumbai

Mumbai is India's film capital, and one rags-to-riches epic shows you why the city itself is the star. Slumdog Millionaire is woven from the place, and two of its landmarks anchor a walk through the old fort district. The exuberant closing dance number unfolds across the platforms of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the vast Victorian-Gothic railway station whose stone fretwork looks more like a cathedral than a commuter hub.

A short walk away on the waterfront stands the other half of the film's vision, the grand and the unreachable. The Taj Mahal Palace, the seafront grande dame, and the Gateway of India arch beside it frame the glittering Mumbai the story's hero can only dream of. The arch is free to stand under, and from the quay beside it boats set off across the harbour to the cave temples of Elephanta Island.

The pleasure here is the texture of the streets between these two poles. Both sit in the busy Fort quarter, dense with grand colonial architecture, with Crawford Market and the cafes of Colaba close at hand. This is a city to read on foot, loud and warm, where the screen locations are simply the high points of a much bigger picture.

A few practical notes keep it smooth. The terminus is a working UNESCO station you can admire from outside at any hour, with heritage tours of the interior on limited days only, so check before you go. The Taj is a landmark hotel rather than a museum, but non-guests can book afternoon tea or a drink to see inside. Base yourself in Colaba and you can fold the whole circuit into one unhurried day.