Marine Drive
Discover Marine Drive
Last updated on October 20, 2026Introduction
Marine Drive is Mumbai's broad promenade and coastal road curving around Back Bay from Nariman Point toward Girgaon Chowpatty. The public edge is about three kilometres long; its arc and night lighting account for the familiar “Queen's Necklace” name.
The drive lies on reclaimed land and faces a major concentration of twentieth-century apartment buildings. Several early Art Deco blocks form part of UNESCO's Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai, inscribed in 2018.
This is both landmark and daily infrastructure. Runners, walkers, traffic, cricket clubs, residents and large public events share the edge, while waves and monsoon weather can abruptly change safe use.
Architecture
The coast is a shallow arc. Road, promenade and sea wall repeat that geometry for roughly three kilometres around Back Bay.
Art Deco apartment blocks create the landward façade. Rounded corners, horizontal bands, balconies and streamlined details respond to both an international style and local heat, rain and ventilation.
The tetrapod edge is infrastructure, not seating. Concrete units absorb wave energy below the wall and become especially dangerous when wet or during rough seas.
How it was built and evolved over time
Reclamation moved Mumbai's usable edge into Back Bay, providing a long curve for a coastal road and residential frontage. The promenade and sea wall fixed a public line between the new land and water.
Developers filled the landward plots with apartment buildings, hotels and clubs. Art Deco forms used balconies, curved corners and horizontal emphasis to address a tropical seafront rather than simply copy European examples.
Road and footpath surfaces have been renewed, and coastal defences maintained, because salt, waves, traffic and intense public use never stop acting on the edge. The current promenade is the latest state of an engineered landscape.
Frequently asked questions
How long is Marine Drive?
The public seafront is approximately three kilometres.
Why is it called the Queen's Necklace?
The illuminated curve resembles a necklace when seen from above at night.
Is it free?
Yes. It is public promenade space.
Is it a UNESCO site?
Its Art Deco precinct forms part of the World Heritage ensemble inscribed in 2018.
Can visitors climb on the tetrapods?
No. They are hazardous coastal-defence structures.