Mumbai Airport to City by Local Buses, Taxi, and Local Trains

Mumbai airport is the primary gateway to India along with Delhi airport. It was formerly known as Sahar International Airport and now it is known as Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. This airport is named after the 17th century Maratha emperor, Chhatrapati Shivaji. It is the second busiest airport in India after Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Mumbai is a well-connected city and the distance from the airport to the city center is about 35 km (22 mi). Tourists visiting Mumbai have no difficulty in travelling to and from the Mumbai airport. The commute systems in Mumbai include the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses, Mumbai Suburban Railway, taxis, and auto rickshaws. Travelling by these transportation mediums makes it an economical and efficient option for travelers.

Mumbai Airport to City by Local Train

The local trains in Mumbai are the quickest and cheapest way to commute to and from the Mumbai Airport. The trains are available every 10 minutes and you will have to pay less than Rs. 80 for a single journey to the city center of Mumbai.

Though there are no direct trains from Mumbai Airport to city, you can choose to transfer to a train station on your arrival at the airport. There are two nearest train stations that are located close to the Mumbai airport. For commuting to the Mumbai airport, you can board a train to either Marine Lines or Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

• From Terminal 1, Vile Parle Station is 2.1 km (1.3 mi) away from the airport and the Andheri Station is 3.6 km (2.2 mi) away.
• From Terminal 2, the Ville Parle Station and the Andheri Station are the closest, 4.6 km (2.9 mi) and 6.1 km (3.8 mi) respectively.

To transfer to the train stations you can take a taxi or a bus. It will take around 20-30 minutes to reach these stations:

• Santacruz station is 4 km (2.5 miles) from Terminal 1 and 6.3 km (3.9 miles) from Terminal 2.
• Ghatkopar Station is 11 km (7 miles) from Terminal 1 and 6.6 km (4.1 miles) from Terminal 2.
• Kurla Station is 9 km (5.6 miles) from Terminal 1 and 11.5 km (7.1 miles) from Terminal 2.

See more about Mumbai Local Trains

Mumbai is also connected via metro with three metro stations for travelling - the Andheri Metro, that is a similar distance as the Andheri Train station, Airport Road Metro, that is, 4.9 km (3 miles) from Terminal 1 and 1.7 km (approx. 1 mile) from Terminal 2, and the Ghatkopar Metro station that is at the same distance as Ghatkopar Station.

As the airport metro station is a proposed one, Airport Road Metro Station is very close to the Mumbai International Airport. From this place, you can take a taxi and can get down at the airport and vice versa. The journey will hardly take 20 minutes and you will need to pay around Rs. 150-200 for the same. This station falls on Line 1 (Versova - Ghatkopar) and connects two major hotspots of Mumbai - Versova Beach and the city’s largest snow park Snow World.

Mumbai Airport to City by Bus

The BEST buses are quite popular in Mumbai. Domestic terminal passengers can take bus no. 312 to commute to Vile Parle and Andheri railway stations. And for international terminal passengers, you can take the bus no. 321 to commute to Vile Parle. And for Andheri railway station, bus no. 308 is the right one.

The air-conditioned and express bus service is also provided by BEST. You can also log into the BEST website to find information about the routes and fares of the buses. The buses are numbered and there are signs that indicate the origin and destination of the buses.

Mumbai Airport to City by Taxis

At the Mumbai airport, as soon as you step out, you will find the Airport Taxi Stand near terminal 2. You will find two types of taxis: metered and the prepaid taxis. You can spot the metered taxis colored in black and yellow that are regulated by the state government. While the prepaid taxis are the ones that come with air conditioning and other services. Usually, if you take a taxi to the train station, the taxi fare will be around Rs. 200.

For domestic travelers, the taxi pickup point is just opposite to the Kailash Parbat restaurant. It is advisable to ride the prepaid taxis as you will only have to pay the fixed fare as these taxis have the fare conversion chart. Some tourists have also reported scams regarding taxi services at Mumbai airport. Therefore, to avoid such cases, consider riding the government-regulated fixed fare taxis. Do not travel by unlicensed taxis as you can be a victim of a fraud or scam.

Mumbai Airport to City by Auto Rickshaws

Auto rickshaws are available at both the domestic and international terminals of the Mumbai airport. There’s a rickshaw stand just opposite to the CSIA arrival bus stop. These three-wheeled vehicles operate only in the suburbs - post-Bandra in the western suburbs and till Sion in the central suburbs. In these rickshaws, also the fare conversion meters are available and it is recommended to pay according to the meter.

For instance, taking an auto rickshaw is also cheap, where the journeys for about 6 km (3.7 miles) amount to less than Rs. 100.

Parking Facilities

The parking facilities at the Mumbai airport are well planned for both domestic and international terminals. CSMIA has designated the car parking areas as per the convenience of the passengers.

For more details related to the public transportation systems in Mumbai, you can pre-book your rides to travel to the city center of Mumbai. The websites of various transportation systems have all the current details you want to plan and confirm the most updated timings and route-related information about public transport systems.