India GOWhat to buy in Mumbai
Mumbai is a trading city, so the best souvenirs are the things it trades in: fabric by the metre in Kalbadevi, silver in Zaveri Bazaar, spices at Crawford Market, chappals on Linking Road. The lightest good gift is block-printed paper from a shop in Fort. Below is what to bring home, where to buy each thing, and how to bargain where bargaining is expected.
What to bring home
Each item comes with the place in the guide where it is bought best.
Block-printed paper
Chimanlals in Fort has traded since the 1950s and is one of the last places making block-printed letter paper, wrapping sheets, boxes and cards on Indian handmade stock, with elephants, paisley and peacocks in flat bright colour. Generations of Mumbai families have ordered wedding invitations here. It packs flat and weighs nothing.
Kolhapuri chappals
Linking Road in Bandra is the city's shoe hunt: Kolhapuri chappals and whatever is in fashion this season, most of it a few hundred rupees.
Fabric by the metre
Mangaldas Market in Kalbadevi, trading since the 1890s, has about three thousand stalls of silk, cotton, sari and suiting fabric at wholesale rates, and the tailors nearby will stitch whatever you carry out. Closed on Sundays.
Gold and silver
Zaveri Bazaar, India's largest jewellery bazaar, runs from century-old family houses to silver stalls the size of a cupboard. Closed on Sundays; Mumba Devi temple is right there.
Spices, tea and dried fruit
Crawford Market is the classic bazaar for spices, tea and dried fruit, along with fabrics, leather goods and kitchenware: loud, with hard bargaining and a huge choice.
Parsi sweets
At Parsi Dairy Farm on Princess Street, a dairy and sweet shop from around 1916, the fine sutarfeni is the sweet to carry home. Bombay Sweet Shop in Byculla makes modern takes on mithai, among them a chikki bar. More on sweets in Mumbai.
Books
Kitab Khana in Fort is a calm independent bookstore with a small cafe; in Bandra, Title Waves is a large boutique bookstore with events most weeks, and Trilogy is a two-floor bookshop and lending library of small presses and translations.
Antiques and vintage
Chor Bazaar, the "thieves' market", piles antiques, vintage objects and oddities together; the pleasure is in digging.
A Warli painting you made
Warli is the wall art of the Adivasi communities of the hills north of Mumbai, painted in white rice paste on a dark ground. In a workshop with a Warli artist (about ₹1,500–3,000) you take home the piece you make. See workshops in Mumbai.
Cheap clothes and trinkets
Colaba Causeway is south Mumbai's tourist market for clothes, jewellery, accessories, leather goods and souvenirs; Fashion Street on MG Road has some 150 stalls of export-surplus clothing.
How to buy without regret
Prices in Mumbai range from fixed in the shops to wide open on the street.
- Bargain where it is expected — On Fashion Street the first price usually halves; on Linking Road open near half the asking price and meet in the middle. At Colaba Causeway and Crawford Market haggling is part of the deal.
- Check before you pay — Quality on Fashion Street swings from decent to disposable and labels are often imitations, so check the stitching. At Mangaldas compare a few stalls before committing.
- Mind the days — Mangaldas Market and Zaveri Bazaar are closed on Sundays. Linking Road is far easier on a weekday afternoon than on a weekend evening.
- Carry small notes — Small notes and a little patience go a long way on the street stalls.
- Plan by area — Kalbadevi and Bhuleshwar put Mangaldas, Zaveri Bazaar, Mumba Devi and Crawford Market within one walk; Fort has Chimanlals and Kitab Khana; Bandra has Linking Road and the bookshops. More on markets in Mumbai.
FAQ
What is Mumbai famous for to buy?
Fabric by the metre from Mangaldas Market, gold and silver from Zaveri Bazaar, spices and dried fruit from Crawford Market, Kolhapuri chappals from Linking Road and block-printed paper from Chimanlals.
What is a good gift from Mumbai?
Block-printed stationery from Chimanlals, which packs flat and weighs nothing, or sutarfeni from Parsi Dairy Farm if you want something to eat.
Which market is best for shopping in Mumbai?
It depends on what you want: Crawford Market for spices and dried fruit, Mangaldas for fabric, Zaveri Bazaar for jewellery, Linking Road for shoes, Colaba Causeway for souvenirs and cheap clothes.
What food can I bring back from Mumbai?
Spices, tea and dried fruit from Crawford Market, and Parsi sweets such as sutarfeni from Parsi Dairy Farm.
Do I need to bargain in Mumbai?
On the street, yes: on Fashion Street the first price usually halves, and on Linking Road start near half.
Are Mumbai markets open on Sunday?
Mangaldas Market and Zaveri Bazaar are closed on Sundays; plan the old bazaar district for another day.
Sources (1)
Facts checked: 15 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.
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