Pakistan Travel Guide: 5 Cities, Costs and Itineraries

Overview

Pakistan is two or three trips in one country. Lahore and Islamabad give you Mughal architecture, food culture, and a capital built from scratch in the 1960s. Karachi is a sprawling port city of over 20 million that runs on its own energy. And in the north, the Karakoram Highway climbs into Gilgit-Baltistan, past Nanga Parbat and through Hunza and Skardu, into some of the most dramatic mountain scenery anywhere, with three of the world's eight-thousanders and the Karakoram, Hindu Kush, and Himalaya ranges meeting in one province. Safety here is genuinely regional rather than national: Gilgit-Baltistan is administered and generally treated differently from Balochistan or the tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and official advisories reflect that, so read them by region rather than as a single verdict on the country. Hospitality is not a marketing line here. Tea gets offered before conversation starts, and strangers give directions by walking you there. Ramadan reshapes daily rhythms nationwide: restaurants close during fasting hours and open late for iftar. Trip length depends heavily on what you're after: a week covers Lahore and Islamabad comfortably, while the north needs its own dedicated 10-14 days, partly because domestic flights to Skardu and Gilgit are weather-dependent and cancel often, and partly because the mountains are worth the time.

Best time to visit

October to April for Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi, avoiding the brutal May-August heat and monsoon humidity. May to September for the north, when Hunza and Skardu's roads and passes are clear; the Karakoram Highway itself can close over Khunjerab Pass in deep winter.

Jan-Feb

Cold in the north, roads to Hunza/Skardu passable but Khunjerab Pass often shut. Mild and pleasant in Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi.

Mar-Apr

Best window for the lowland cities: mild, green, blossom season in Islamabad and Hunza's lower valleys.

May-Jun

Lowlands turn hot, Lahore and Karachi regularly exceed 40C. The north opens up fully; this is when Hunza and Skardu travel gets easy.

Jul-Aug

Monsoon season in the lowlands, heavy rain risk in Lahore and Karachi. Peak season in the north, warm days, but also peak domestic tourist crowds on the KKH.

Sep-Oct

The north's best window: clear skies, autumn colour in Hunza, before winter closures start. Lowlands cool down from late September.

Nov-Dec

Comfortable in the cities. Northern passes start closing; snowfall can cut off higher villages with little warning.

Visa

Canadian passport holders need a visa for Pakistan; there is no visa-on-arrival or visa-free entry for tourism. Pakistan runs an online e-visa system through NADRA (the National Database and Registration Authority), covering tourist, business, and family visit categories, applied for before departure. The official portal blocked automated verification during this research pass, so treat the exact fee, processing time, and document checklist as unconfirmed: check the current requirements directly on the NADRA e-visa portal before applying, and build in a buffer of at least a few weeks. Passports should be valid at least six months beyond your departure date. Travellers with Pakistani heritage who hold a NICOP (National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis) may have a different entry path than a standard tourist e-visa; confirm which applies to you specifically.

Money

Currency: PKR. Cards work at international hotel chains, upscale restaurants, and malls in Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi, but most of the country, including nearly everything in Hunza and Skardu, runs on cash. ATMs are common in the big cities and increasingly available in Gilgit and Skardu towns, but scarce or unreliable further up the valleys. Carry more cash than feels necessary once you leave the three big cities. Not obligatory but appreciated and increasingly expected in restaurants and for drivers/guides in tourist areas; 10% is a reasonable norm in sit-down restaurants that don't already add a service charge. Round up for shorter services.

Getting around

Domestic flights (PIA and private carriers) connect Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi reliably, and Islamabad to Skardu or Gilgit on clear-weather days, though northern routes are genuinely weather-dependent and cancel often enough that a tight itinerary is a mistake; always build in buffer days before an international connection. Pakistan Railways links the lowland cities cheaply but slowly. Daewoo Express and Faisal Movers run comfortable intercity coaches between Lahore, Islamabad, and other Punjab cities. The Karakoram Highway (N-35) is the road route north from Islamabad through Besham, Chilas, and into Hunza and on to the Khunjerab Pass; it is a long, spectacular, and genuinely slow drive, not a highway in the North American sense. Within cities, ride-hailing apps (Careem, Uber) work well in Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi.

Connectivity

Local SIM cards (Jazz, Zong, Telenor, Ufone) are cheap and widely available but require passport registration and biometric verification at an official outlet, which takes time; airport kiosks in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi can usually do this on arrival. eSIM options through Airalo and similar providers are simpler if your phone supports them, though coverage in Hunza and especially Skardu's more remote valleys is patchy. Wifi is standard in city hotels, less reliable the further north you go.

Where to go

Frequently asked questions