Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, usually shortened to CSMVS and still known to many as the Prince of Wales Museum, is the city's principal museum of art and history. The Prince of Wales laid the foundation stone in 1905 and the museum opened in 1922 in a building by George Wittet, the architect of the Gateway of India. It was renamed in 1998 in honour of the Maratha king Shivaji.

The building is a domed Indo-Saracenic design in local basalt, combining Mughal, Maratha and Jain elements, and it stands in about three acres of gardens with palms and formal flower beds. The collection runs to around 50,000 objects across art, archaeology and natural history. Highlights include artefacts from the Indus Valley civilisation, Gupta-period terracottas, sculpture from the Deccan including pieces from Elephanta, an extensive collection of miniature paintings from the Mughal, Rajasthani, Pahari and Deccani schools, and arms and armour that include a suit associated with the emperor Akbar. There are also galleries of decorative arts, textiles and coins, plus natural history dioramas.

This is the best single place in Mumbai to get an overview of Indian art, so it suits first-time visitors as well as anyone with a specific interest in sculpture or painting. Children tend to enjoy the armour and the natural history section. The museum runs guided tours, workshops and lectures, and its programme of temporary exhibitions sometimes brings in international loans, so check what is on before you go.

The museum opens from 10:15 to 18:00. Allow at least two to three hours to see the main galleries without rushing, and longer if a special exhibition is running. Weekday mornings are generally the quietest time. The gardens are a good place to pause between galleries, particularly in the hotter months from March to May.

CSMVS is on Mahatma Gandhi Road at the southern end of the Fort district, a few minutes' walk from the Gateway of India and next to the Kala Ghoda art district. The Jehangir Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Modern Art are close by, and Colaba Causeway is a short walk south, so it fits easily into a day exploring South Mumbai on foot. Most visitors arrive by taxi or combine it with a walking route from the Gateway.