Mumbai beats Delhi, Kolkata and Madras for international air traffic. It also has the busiest network of domestic flights, including flights to Aurangabad near the Ellora and Ajanta caves. The international terminal (Chhatrapati Shivaji) and the domestic terminal (Santa Cruz) are 30km (19mi) and 26km (16mi) respectively from downtown Mumbai. There are regular shuttle buses between the two terminals. Long-distance buses depart from the state road transport terminal opposite Mumbai's Central railway station. It's fairly chaotic, and there are almost no signs or information available in English. The state bus companies of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh all have offices here.

Two railway systems operate out of Mumbai. Central Railways handles services to the east and south, plus a few trains to the north. Western Railways has services to the north from Churchgate and Central stations. Trains travel frequently between Mumbai and Agra, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Pune and Varanasi.

Taxis operate 24 hours a day from the airport and, although they'll add a night surcharge, the trip into South Mumbai is much quicker at night. A taxi from both airports to the city centre costs a little more between midnight and 5am - be ready to bargain and pay extra for your luggage. Readily available autorickshaws are of course a cheaper option but you'll need to get creative and organise a train connection to get you into the city centre.

Minibuses outside the arrival hall offer free shuttle services to the domestic airport and Juhu hotels.

plane
Mumbai is the main international gateway to South India. It also has the busiest network of domestic flights, with services to more than 30 cities daily. The international airport Chhatrapati Shivaji (www.mumbaiairport.com), known as Sahar, is about 4km (2.5mi) away from the domestic airport, which is also called Chhatrapati Shivaji but known as Santa Cruz. A free shuttle bus connects the two, which are north (30km/19mi and 26km/16mi respectively) of Nariman Point in downtown Mumbai.

The international airport has two arrivals halls with foreign-exchange counters, a Government of India tourist office (tel: 28325331; Hall 2A), a hotel reservation counter (tel: 26155239) and a prepaid taxi booth - all are open 24 hours. The domestic airport has two terminals a couple of minutes' walk apart. Both terminals have foreign-exchange bureaus, ticketing counters and a restaurant/bar. Just to confuse the issue, domestic sectors of Air India routes depart from the international airport. City Info has a list of major international airline offices in Mumbai. Travel agencies are a better bet for booking international flights, and will reconfirm your flight for a small fee.

bus
Numerous private operators and state governments run long-distance buses to and from Mumbai. Generally, private operators have faster and more comfortable services and simpler booking procedures. Private long-distance buses depart for all points from Dr Anadrao Nair Rd, near Mumbai Central train station. Destinations include Goa, Pune, Aurangabad, Mahabaleshwar, Ahmedabad , Udaipur and Bangalore. More convenient for Goa and southern destinations are the private buses that depart twice a day from MG Rd, just south of the Metro cinema. Some buses to South India depart from MRA Marg at the rear of Crawford Market. It's best to purchase tickets directly from agents with pavement stalls clustered in either of these areas. Long-distance state-run buses depart from Mumbai Central bus terminal close to Mumbai Central train station. Buses service major towns in Maharashtra and neighbouring states. They're marginally cheaper and more frequent than the private services, but they're also decrepit, crowded, uncomfortable vehicles. Destinations include Pune, Aurangabad and Mahabaleshwar.

train
Three train systems operate out of Mumbai, but the main two that are important for overseas visitors are Central Railways and Western Railways. Central Railways, operating mainly from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST, formerly Victoria Terminus), covers services to the east and south, plus a few trains to the north. The reservation centre is at the back of CST where the taxis gather. Tourist-quota tickets are available at Counter 52 on the 1st floor but can only be bought during the 24 hours before the date of travel. Indrail passes can be bought at Counter 7.

A few Central Railways trains, including the Chennai Express (the fastest train to Chennai), depart from Dadar, a few stations north of CST, or Churchgate or Lokmanya Tilak, 16km (10mi) north of CST on the suburban main line. You can book tickets for all these trains at CST. Western Railways runs services to the north (including Rajasthan and Delhi) out of Mumbai Central (MC) train station (often still called Bombay Central). The easiest place to make bookings for Western Railways trains is at the crowded reservation centre opposite Churchgate train station (Mon-Sun 08:00-20:00). The foreign tourist quota counter is upstairs next to the Government of India tourist office, but the same rules apply as at CST station. Credit cards are accepted at Counter 20. There's a reservation centre adjacent to Mumbai Central train station, but it doesn't sell tourist-quota tickets.