Juhu Beach

Juhu beach, one of the largest and frequently visited beaches in India, is an indispensable part of the city of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra. The city represents the ever-changing face of today's India. Located on the shores of the Arabian sea, 20-25km north of the city centre the  crowded beach with its numerous vendors, food stalls, entertainment outlets represents the pulse of the city. Though not exactly an ideal place for a quiet swim and a sunbath, the beach has a charm of its own. A pleasant place to be, this suburban beach is a great favourite with Mumbaites, and has plenty to offer everyone. 

The beach is almost deserted during weekdays, but tends to get very crowded on weekend afternoons and evenings. The carnival atmosphere that ensues is attractive- by night, Juhu comes alive with dazzling lights.

The carnival atmosphere that ensues is attractive- by night, Juhu comes alive with dazzling lights, huge crowds of people arrive to enjoy the fresh air, paddle in the sea, stroll along the shore, play beach cricket, the air fills with enticing smells of mouth watering snacks and the noise of children enjoying their rides on Ferris-wheels, merry-go-rounds, horses, donkey's and camels which are both fun and popular. It is a wonderful place to bring kids, as it doubles up as an amusement park, play ground, and open-air restaurant. One an also see dancing monkeys, acrobats, fortune tellers and mobile vendors calling attention to their wares including snacks, toys, souvenirs like T-shirts and cute little Indian dolls made from seashells etc.    Food counters line the central part of the beach selling all time favorite chaats - Bhelpuri, Paanipuri and Pavbhajis and Kulfi's, ice candies etc. The southern end of the beach has a number of luxury hotels, apartments and Bungalows of famous Hindi film personalities. The beach is frequently used as shooting locale by film makers, Mumbai being the seat of the Hindi film industry famed for producing the largest number of films in the world.

Besides the weekend crowd and attractions, on weekdays the long stretch of sandy beach provides an ideal place for peaceful strolls along the coast, checking out coffee shops and lounging poolside at the beach front hotels with a slendid view of the coast, visiting Versova Beach located towards the northern end of Juhu, which is home to Mumbai's largest Koli fishing community or the Hare Krishna ISKDCON complex nearby.

Way back in 1930's Juhu's airstrip used to be Bombay's international airport and it was here that JRD Tata landed on his inaugural flight from Karachi, the beach and its surrounding luxury hotels were a favourite haunt of the glamorous film world, it was the place to be. Though the glamorous appeal is a little worn-out, Juhu is still an unique part of Mumbai..