Situated in the suburbs of Mumbai, Juhu Beach has practically everything that Chowpatty offers and is a favorite place to visit for all Mumbaites. Juhu Beach has Arabian Sea to its west and Santacruz and Vile Parle to its east. Children simply love this place and it is a vendor's delight. It is an open-air restaurant with its innumerable food counters, an amusement park with its camel ride and playground with lots and lots of sand on the beach to make sand castles with. It is also a popular venue for immersions during the famous festivals of Bombay or Mumbai such as Coconut Day and the Ganesh Chaturthi. The snacks available here include spicy Bhelpuri, Sevpuri, Pani Puri, Chaat and local icecream known as Kulfi.
The variety of fun and amusement available here includes professional masseurs, shooting galleries and fun rides for kids, contortionists, snake charmers, pony leaders and monkey trainers. You can buy balloons, flowers, seashells and other trinkets here too. It also has the statues of some of the most famous freedom fighters of India on display such as Lokmanya Tilak and Vithalbhai Patel. It is very popular among the elite living in the residential apartments and bungalows in the surrounding area for morning walks and it is not uncommon to see famous Bollywood celebrities on Juhu, jogging in the morning, albeit with their security guards and dogs surrounding them.
The southern end of the Juhu beach is regarded as a favourite haunt of Mumbai's movers and shakers. Luxury hotels and elegant apartments dot the stretch. Swimming in this stretch is not a good idea. But, if you plan to travel to Mumbai, the Juhu beach not a place to be missed to feel the pulse of the city.
Apart from the crowd that throngs in hordes, especially during weekends, the beach is booming with choc-a-bloc Bhelpuri and Kulfi stalls. From horse and donkey rides to watching dancing monkeys, cricket matches and acrobats, Juhu presents every other type of Indian beach entertainment. Towards the north of Juhu is the Versova Beach, which is home to Mumbai's largest Koli fishing community.
Leisure & Entertainment At Juhu
Located 18-km north of the city centre, it's a major beach site on the shores of Arabian Sea and is one of the posh localities of Mumbai where one can find the bungalows of the famous film personalities of Bollywood. It's also a favourite shooting site among the filmmakers as many film shootings are also held over here.
On the southern end of the Juhu beach one can find many Luxury hotels and apartments, which are regarded as a favourite haunt of Mumbai's movers and shakers. The beach, which almost seems deserted during weekdays, always tends to get very crowded on weekends.
Eating Joints At Juhu Beach
Generally it is not a very good place to swim, but it's an ideal snack joint, with various food stalls. If you would like to try out Bhelpuri or a Kulfi in Mumbai, Juhu is the place to be. If you want a more fancy excursion, visit Juhu's many five star hotels, for a steaming cup of coffee and a splendid view of the coast. The government run Juhu Centaur also has a 24-hour coffee shop with a view of the sea.
How to get there
Air: Mumbai has an airport of its own, with major airlines operating all over the world.
Rail: Mumbai is well connected by rail with all the places in the country.
Road: Juhu beach is accessible from any point of the city. State as well as private operators run buses from almost all the important points in the city. Taxis and autos-rickshawas are also available for commutation.