British Airways (www. ba. com) and Air France (www. airfrance. ie) offer flights from Dublin via London and Paris respectively. For best fares ex-London, with a wider choice of airlines, check out www. opodo. co. uk. BMI will fly there from April.

So what's to see then?

Mumbai is India's sprawling commercial capital with a glamorous movie industry, incredible Victorian architecture, high-charged cricket games and a population of over 16 million people. It's fast-paced and frenetic, where poverty collides with designer shops, luxury accommodation and a dazzling jewellery district.

Shoppers will enjoy the contrast of big-name fashion houses and colourful, pungent markets.

By day visit the imposing Gateway of India, a 26metre-high stone archway built to commemorate the British royals' visit of 1911. A stroll along Marine Drive, Mumbai's impressive seafront avenue will take you from city skyscrapers to Malabar Hill's palatial villas.

By night visit Chowpatty Beach, legendary for its carnival atmosphere of snake charmers, shooting galleries, contortionists and balloon-sellers.

And accommodation?

The Taj Mahal Palace is an architectural marvel that's hosted India's rich and famous for over 100 years.

Today it still impresses: the exterior incorporates Moorish, Oriental and Florentine styles; the interior showcases alabaster ceilings, onyx columns and hand-woven silk carpets. Fit for a Maharaja, expect to pay a royal ransom for such opulence (www. tajhotels. com).