You can’t skip this UNESCO World Heritage Site when in Mumbai

Not that anyone would want to, but even if you tried, you can’t miss this UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It’s the ever so stunning Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Bombay, a collection of iconic buildings and monuments in Mumbai.

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When we say you can’t miss this UNESCO heritage site, it’s because it is spread across several areas in the city, and you are bound to come across them when you are exploring the city.


What is it anyway? The Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Bombay is a collection of 94 iconic buildings and monuments representing the 19th century Victorian Revival period and the 20th century Art Deco styles of architecture.. These buildings are a mix of public and private establishments, and they represent the iconic styles of architecture from the aforementioned time periods.



This collection of buildings was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018. They are some of the best living heritage sites of India.


The most notable ones are in the Fort area. The stars of the precinct are the Rajabai Clock Tower, University of Bombay complex, Old Secretariat, University Library and Convention Hall, the Bombay High Court, the Public Works Department Office, Watson’s Hotel. David Sassoon Library, and the Elphinstone College. These are some of the finest examples of the Victorian Gothic public buildings.



When you are walking along the Back Bay Reclamation area and the Marine Drive area, you will come across plenty of buildings in a very prominent (and different) style of architecture. Those are the Art Deco buildings. For those wondering, Art Deco is a style of architecture which was developed in the 1920s and became very popular worldwide. It uses bold geometric yet sleek designs. These are very pleasing to look at.


Most of these Art Deco buildings are private properties. Most popular Art Deco buildings are the Eros Cinema in Churchgate and Regal Cinema in Colaba Causeway. You can’t miss these two.


In total, there are three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Mumbai.