Mumbai.

India's financial and film capital is a relentless, cosmopolitan megacity where old-money heritage architecture meets startup hustle and Bollywood glamour. Home to the University of Mumbai, IIT Bombay and TISS, it has a big student and creative scene, and its energy, diversity and coastline make it addictive. It is the most expensive Indian city, but also the most electric.

• Home to IIT Bombay and TISS, two of India's most respected institutions
• The heart of Bollywood and India's startup and finance world
• A famously safe city to move around, even late at night

Nightlife spreads from the trendy bars of Bandra and the breweries of Andheri to the seaside promenades where students gather for cheap chai and bhelpuri at sunset. Bandra's Carter Road and Marine Drive are free social hubs, while Lower Parel packs the clubs. The scene is pricier than elsewhere in India, so many nights revolve around street food and the sea.

• Watch the sunset with chai and chaat on Marine Drive or Bandstand
• Bandra and Lower Parel hold the best bars, breweries and live music
• Free social spots like Carter Road and Marine Drive save money most nights

Mumbai is India's priciest city, so budget around 500 to 900 euros (roughly 45,000 to 81,000 rupees) a month, with rent by far the biggest cost given how squeezed housing is. The saving grace is the street food, where a vada pav costs pennies and a full meal a couple of euros. Sharing a flat away from South Mumbai is how most students cope.

• A vada pav, the city's iconic snack, costs 15 to 25 rupees (a few cents)
• Rent is steep, so sharing in the suburbs is the realistic student option
• A monthly local-train pass is cheap and pays for itself in days

Housing is Mumbai's real challenge, as space is tight and central rents are brutal. Most students share flats or take PGs in the suburbs along the train lines: Andheri, Bandra, Powai (handy for IIT Bombay) and Dadar. Living near your line and station matters more than anything. Use NoBroker to skip the steep broker fees.

• Live near a train line, Western or Central, to make commuting bearable
• Powai suits IIT Bombay, while Andheri and Bandra are lively suburban options
• Ask the Studcasa Mumbai group about PGs and flatshares before you commit

The suburban local trains are Mumbai's lifeline, packed but unbeatably fast, with first-class and ladies' compartments worth using. The expanding Metro adds air-conditioned east-west links, and BEST buses, black-and-yellow taxis, autos (in the suburbs only) and Ola or Uber fill the gaps. Get a monthly train pass and learn your line early.

• Buy a monthly first-class local-train pass for the Western or Central line
• Use the ladies' compartment or first class to dodge the worst crush
• Autos run in the suburbs only, so south of Bandra it is taxis and the metro

The University of Mumbai is one of India's oldest and largest, IIT Bombay a world-class engineering and research hub in Powai, and TISS the leading social-sciences institute. St Xavier's and Jai Hind are respected arts colleges, and NMIMS covers business. All teach in English and many run international exchange links.

• IIT Bombay in Powai leads engineering, tech and research exchanges
• St Xavier's College is a prestigious, central choice for the arts and sciences

Whatever your nationality, unless you hold an Indian passport or OCI card, you need an Indian Student Visa arranged before you fly. A tourist visa or e-Tourist visa will not cover a semester of enrolment. You apply through an Indian embassy or consulate, or the official Indian Visa Online portal, with your admission letter, proof of funds, accommodation details and passport photos. Exact cost, processing time and whether you can do it fully online all depend on your nationality, so start six to eight weeks out.

The bit students forget: if your visa is valid for more than 180 days, you must register with the local FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office) within 14 days of arriving. Your university's international office walks you through it, but do it on time, miss the window and you are looking at fines.

• Get a Student Visa, not a tourist e-Visa, for a full semester
• Documents: admission letter, proof of funds, accommodation, photos
• Register with the FRRO within 14 days if your visa exceeds 180 days
• Start the application 6–8 weeks before you fly

Mumbai is India's street-food capital: vada pav, pav bhaji, bhel and sev puri, and the Bombay sandwich are daily staples, best chased with cutting chai. The old Irani cafes like Britannia and Kyani serve berry pulao and bun-maska, and Mohammed Ali Road comes alive with kebabs during Ramzan. Fresh seafood reflects the city's Koli fishing roots.

• Eat vada pav and pav bhaji from a street cart, then chaat at Chowpatty
• Have bun-maska and chai at an old Irani cafe like Britannia or Kyani
• Feast on kebabs and rolls along Mohammed Ali Road, especially during Ramzan

South Mumbai (Colaba, Fort, Marine Drive) is the heritage heart, beautiful but expensive, while Bandra is the trendy queen of the suburbs with the best cafes and bars. Andheri is the media-and-film hub, Powai a planned lakeside district near IIT, and Juhu the beach suburb. Where you live is dictated by your train line.

• Bandra: trendiest suburb, best cafes, bars and sea promenades
• Colaba or Fort: gorgeous heritage South Mumbai, but pricey
• Powai: lakeside and modern, ideal if you are at IIT Bombay

Escapes from the city are easy. The hill stations of Lonavala and Khandala are two to three hours by train, Alibaug's beaches a one-hour ferry, and car-free Matheran with its toy train about two and a half. For bigger weekends, Pune is three hours and Goa an overnight sleeper bus or a short flight away.

• Lonavala and Khandala hill stations: 2 to 3 hours by train
• Ferry to Alibaug's beaches (about 1 hour) or to the Elephanta Caves
• Overnight to Goa, or take the toy train up to car-free Matheran

Master the local-train etiquette early: know your line, use the right compartment, and avoid the peak-hour crush if you can. The monsoon (June to September) is intense and floods the tracks, so keep an umbrella and buffer time. Stick to busy, well-lit areas at night, as the city is safe but huge, and always carry small change.

• Learn your train line and travel off-peak when possible during the crush
• Keep an umbrella from June to September, as monsoon flooding is serious
• Ask the Studcasa Mumbai group how to plan around the monsoon and rents