THE KIKI STUDIO - BLOG

Linking Road Bandra

Dhruvil Nisar
September 27, 2023
3:02 pm

Mumbai, the city that never sleeps, has a lot to offer. Be it well-known Dabbawallas or the Film City, local street market shopping or high-end luxurious cafes, it has everything a tourist would want to include in their visit. There are several tourist spots in Mumbai, and when in Mumbai, if you do not do shopping from the street market, your visit is not fulfilled. So here we will discuss about one such popular street market of Mumbai, Linking road, Bandra.

So whether you are a brand lover or want to have cheap hands-on stuff, the Bandra linking road market is for you. It is a famous fashion shopping spot where original and copy products are at large. So make sure you check before buying any product and enjoy bargaining in the market.

Brief History of the Linking Road Bandra

In 1940, linking road was the link between Bandra and Juhu; that’s why it got the name. It is among the first arterial road in the old Bombay city. It was named to be Dadabhai Navroji road and was not opened as a shopping market. After a few years, some shop owners arrived and post the construction of RD National College the demand for youth fashionable trendy clothes established so does the market.

How to Reach Linking Road Bandra

If you are a local or a tourist, you can enjoy the very famous local trains of Mumbai. Reach to Bandra via local train and board train from Andheri. Then you can take an auto from there and reach Linking road for Rs 15 per person. These are all shared autos, that’s why the low fare. They can charge at least Rs 50 or more to reach the market if they take a private auto.

You can also take a hired taxi from any place in Mumbai to reach Bandra. It is a more convenient option while returning back as you would have extra shopping bags to carry with you. You can also travel on local buses if you are comfortable with that. The nearest bus stand is present itself in the Linking road market. There you may find buses from all other parts of Mumbai, and the frequency is also very good.

Metro would again be a cheap and quick option. The closest metro station would be Bandra Railway Station West. The market is just 15 minutes walk from there.

Reaching Linking Road Bandra

At the beginning of the Linking road, you would see plenty of stalls selling footwear. As you move forward, you will see hundreds of shops selling various other things. But one thing to be noted is that the same type of shoe ware or cloth had different prices at various stalls. So be very careful about it, and would recommend roaming around and then buy anything

Shopping at the Street Market of Linking Road Bandra

You would get all branded clothes and footwear in the street market, namely Zara, Forever 21, Zudio, H & M and many others. Moving forward, you would check various stalls providing accessories. Many sellers were on the footpath selling cosmetics, belts, bracelets and accessories at very cheap rates. You will get hold of plenty of earrings in various designs like hoops, rings, jhumkas, oxidised, brass and much more. They, too, are very cheap and can even bargain a bit from the sellers. Certain stalls have fixed price tags like Rs 50 or Rs 100, and you can’t bargain but have to purchase at the said price itself.

The major portion of the market has a variety of clothes, and you can check different types such as hoodies, tops, crop tops, tunics, gown kurtas and more. The clothes were very vibrant in colour, catching your eye instantly. The quality is not that bad, and the price is also very reasonable.

The market has inside shopping centres where there are again have lots of shops. Over there, you can see salesmen calling out and shouting out the offers they provide to the customers. The lanes are too narrow and crowded, so make sure to keep a check on your things. You can bargain a lot, and it is a must or else you will not get items at a good price. Many shops have chikankari kurtas at very good rates. Trendy tops and co-ord sets are easily available in the market. It is just that you have to roam a lot to get the good stuff.

Eatables in the Linking Road Bandra

From continuous walking and shopping, you will get tired and want something to eat or drink. The market offers you exactly what you want. If you are a street food lover, hop on to the chaats, pani puri, drinks and juices in the market. But if you want to sit and have time to enjoy food then munch into fast food chains like MCD, CCD or KFC.

Best time to visit the Linking Road Bandra Market

Bandra Linking road street market is posh, and there is always a crowd over there each day. While the market opens in the morning from 10-00 am; to 9-00 p.m at night, the best time would be to visit in the late morning. The crowd is not that much and you can shop better. As soon as the day passes in the evening time, there is so much crowd that you would not be able to shop better. Take out ample amount of time, at least 3-4 hours, to roam and shop around in the market as it’s quite a big market.

Several shop owners keep their shops closed on Monday and some other on Thursday. So it is better to avoid these two days for shopping in the market. Also, weekdays would be best as weekends have all the local as well as tourist crowds that make this place chaotic and frantic. The best season to visit would be winter, from November to February, owing to the Mumbai weather. It would be too hot in summer and too much of rain in the Monsoon, spoiling the shopping experience.

When you are on Linking road, you can check out several other nearby places, such as Bandra Fort, Hanuman temple, St Theresa Church etc.