Pakistan
Islamabad
A planned green capital where the hiking trails start at the end of the street.
Pakistan's capital is a planned city, laid out from scratch in the 1960s as a grid of leafy sectors at the foot of the Margalla Hills, and it feels unlike anywhere else in the country: green, orderly and quiet by local standards. The Faisal Mosque, a vast concrete tent pitched against the hills, is the icon. The national park begins where the streets stop, old Rawalpindi supplies the bazaar noise next door, and this is where most trips into the north begin.
Suggested stay
2–3 days
Language
Urdu, English
Currency
PKR
Timezone
UTC+5
Why you'll love Islamabad
The hills Margalla Hills National Park runs the whole northern edge of the city, and its numbered trails climb straight out of the sectors.
Faisal Mosque a folded concrete roof shaped like a desert tent between four pencil minarets, set hard against a wall of forested hills.
Twin cities calm, planned Islamabad and old, crowded Rawalpindi share a metro line, so the bazaars and street food are a short ride away.
Gateway north flights to Gilgit and Skardu leave from here, and Karakoram road trips are put together here.
Best time to visit
Oct-Apr
18-31° days
33.694° N, 73.065° E
UTC+5 · Asia/Karachi
whenywhere contains ads and partner links that we think are helpful and that earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Weather & when to go to Islamabad
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Oct-Apr
Hiking prime Oct-Apr
Activity seasons none fair good prime
Watch for May-Jul extreme heat risk · Jul-Aug monsoon flooding risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Islamabad
Jun-Aug is the stretch to skip: the heat builds hard in June, then the monsoon turns it humid and heavy. The rest of the year works, from crisp, clear winters to a green spring, though spring is also when the city's paper mulberry trees release notoriously heavy pollen, so allergy sufferers do better in autumn.
Top things to do in Islamabad
-
Faisal Mosque - the concrete tent under the Margallas
culture arts history 👍 PopularDesigned by the Turkish architect Vedat Dalokay and finished in 1986, the prayer hall is a sharply folded roof between four slender minarets, with the forested hills rising directly behind. Come outside prayer times, dress modestly, and expect shoes off and heads covered for women.
-
Margalla Hills Trail 3 - from the city edge to the ridge
hiking nature wildlife ⭐ Highly recommendedThe steep, much-walked favourite, climbing from Margalla Road above F-6 through scrub forest to viewpoints over the whole grid. Go early, carry water, and watch for the monkeys. Other numbered trails, Trail 5 and Trail 6 among them, offer gentler and shadier climbs.
-
Pakistan Monument - granite petals on Shakarparian hill
history scenic 👍 PopularA national monument shaped like an opening flower, its petals standing for the country's provinces and territories, set on a hilltop with views across both cities. The museum beside it tells the story of the independence movement.
-
Lok Virsa Heritage Museum - the whole country's crafts in one building
culture arts history ⭐ Highly recommendedGalleries of embroidery, woodwork, jewellery, instruments and life-size dioramas from every region, from the Punjab plains to the Karakoram valleys. The best single introduction to how varied Pakistan actually is.
-
Daman-e-Koh - the city laid out from the hillside
scenic 👍 PopularA terraced viewpoint partway up the Margallas, reached by road, looking straight down Islamabad's grid to the Faisal Mosque and on to Rawalpindi. Best late in the afternoon, when the light goes gold over the sectors.
-
Saidpur Village - stone lanes at the foot of the hills
history foodA village far older than the capital around it, restored into stone lanes, an old Hindu temple and courtyards given over to eating and crafts. Polished rather than authentic, but a pleasant evening under the hills.
-
Raja Bazaar and Saddar - Rawalpindi's old trading heart
food shoppingThe twin city's dense, loud bazaars: cloth, spices, brass and street food, with chaat, kebabs and sweets at every turn. Everything planned Islamabad is not, and the end of the metro line.
-
Rawal Lake - sunset on the reservoir
scenic nature wildlifeThe reservoir on the city's eastern side, with a lakeside park, boating and a long view back to the Margallas. Where Islamabad goes for an unhurried evening.
-
Kohsar Market and Jinnah Super - the sector markets after dark
food shoppingEach sector has its own market square, and these two are where the city eats out: cafes, bakeries, kebab grills and bookshops under the trees. The evening stroll here is the local version of a night out.
Best areas to stay in Islamabad
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
F-6 and F-7
First-time visitors $$Leafy sectors, markets and cafes
Explore hotels in F-6 and F-7 →
Blue Area
Business and transit $$Office towers along Jinnah Avenue
Explore hotels in Blue Area →
Rawalpindi Saddar
Budget and bazaars $Crowded cantonment bazaar, cheap and loud
Explore hotels in Rawalpindi Saddar →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Islamabad
Getting to & around Islamabad
Getting there
Fly into Islamabad International (ISB) out west of the city, roughly 40 min by road to the central sectors; Lahore is a few hours away by motorway.
Flight
Islamabad International Airport (ISB)
The airport sits in open country near Fateh Jang rather than in town, so the run in is a taxi or app ride along the highway, roughly 40 minutes to the central sectors; a metro bus line also links the terminal to the city.
Coach
Islamabad and Rawalpindi coach terminals
Intercity coaches run the M-2 motorway from Lahore in around 4-5 hours, with longer routes from Peshawar and down from the north.
Train
Rawalpindi railway station
The mainline station for both cities, on the line south to Lahore and Karachi; Islamabad itself has no mainline terminus.
Getting around
Metro Bus
The Red Line runs from Rawalpindi's Saddar along a dedicated, partly elevated corridor and down Jinnah Avenue into Islamabad.
TBC
Ride-hailing app
The default for most visitors: the sectors are spread out, and the app fixes the fare before you set off.
TBC
Taxi
Street taxis wait at the markets and hotels; agree the fare before getting in.
TBC
On foot
Fine within a sector and on the Margalla trails, but the city is large and built around the car.
Free
Day trips from Islamabad
Taxila
Full dayGandharan Buddhist ruins
A UNESCO-listed spread of ancient Gandhara: the Dharmarajika stupa, the grid streets of Sirkap and the hilltop monastery at Jaulian, with a museum of Buddhist sculpture that is the real reason to go.
Getting there
car | tour
About 1 hr northwest by car or tour
Murree and the Galiyat
Full dayPine-ridge hill stations
The colonial-era hill station above the city, with a crowded Mall Road and cool pine air, and the quieter Galiyat ridges beyond for forest walks. Weekends are packed, and snow can jam the road in winter.
Getting there
car | tour
About 1.5-2 hr northeast by car up the hill road
Rohtas Fort
Full day16th-century fortress
Sher Shah Suri's massive garrison fort near Jhelum, a UNESCO site of thick walls and monumental gateways running for kilometres across the hills. Few visitors, and an enormous amount of wall to walk.
Getting there
car | tour
About 2-2.5 hr southeast by car on the Grand Trunk Road
Katas Raj Temples
Full daySalt Range temples
A cluster of old Hindu temples ringing a sacred pool in the dry hills near Chakwal, often paired with the Khewra salt mine on the same long day out.
Getting there
car | tour
Roughly 2.5-3 hr south by car into the Salt Range
A little history of Islamabad
Islamabad is younger than most of its residents' grandparents. At independence in 1947 Pakistan was governed from Karachi, on the coast and far from the northern heartland, and in 1959 the government chose a new site on the Potohar plateau at the foot of the Margalla Hills, beside the garrison city of Rawalpindi, which served as the interim capital while the new one was built.
The Greek planner Constantinos Doxiadis laid it out as a grid of self-contained sectors, each with its own market and green belts, lettered and numbered in the pattern still used for every address. The land itself is old: Taxila, an hour away, was a centre of Gandharan Buddhist learning two thousand years ago, and the Grand Trunk Road has crossed the plateau for centuries.
Taxila, just northwest of the modern city, flourishes as a centre of Gandharan Buddhist learning and art.
Britain annexes the Punjab, and Rawalpindi grows into one of the largest military cantonments in British India.
Pakistan becomes independent, with Karachi as its first capital.
The government chooses a site below the Margalla Hills for a new capital; Rawalpindi serves in the interim.
Doxiadis's master plan is built out sector by sector, and the ministries move up from Rawalpindi.
The Margalla Hills are protected as a national park along the city's northern edge.
The Faisal Mosque is completed and becomes the city's defining landmark.
The Pakistan Monument opens on Shakarparian hill.
The new Islamabad International Airport opens near Fateh Jang, replacing the old airport beside Rawalpindi.
Know before you go
Payment
Cash preferred
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Workable
Power
Type C / D
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+92
Extreme heat risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
Monsoon flooding risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
FAQs about Islamabad
▸ When is the best time to visit Islamabad?
Oct-Apr broadly. Autumn is clear and settled, winter brings cool days and cold nights with good hill views, and spring turns the city green, though pollen is heavy around Mar-Apr. Jun-Aug is the time to avoid: hot first, then humid monsoon rain.
▸ What should I expect on security and checkpoints in Islamabad?
It is a security-conscious capital. Expect police checkpoints on main roads, barriers and vehicle checks at larger hotels, and a restricted Red Zone around Parliament and the Diplomatic Enclave that is not open to casual visitors. Carry your passport. Main roads can close at short notice during demonstrations, and advice on onward overland travel varies by region, so check your own government's current advice before going.
▸ Should I stay in Islamabad or Rawalpindi?
Islamabad for calm, green streets, the trails and the main sights; Rawalpindi for cheaper rooms, the railway station and the bazaars. The metro links the two, so many visitors sleep in one and spend an evening in the other.
▸ Is Islamabad a good base for the north?
It is the main one. Flights to Gilgit and Skardu leave from here, but they depend on clear weather through the mountains and are often delayed or cancelled, so build in spare days. By road, the Karakoram Highway north is a long journey best broken into stages.
▸ How long should I spend in Islamabad?
Two or three days covers the Faisal Mosque, the museums at Shakarparian, a morning on the Margalla trails and an evening in Rawalpindi. Add a day for Taxila, and more if the city is your staging post for the north.
▸ What should I wear?
Modest dress is the norm: loose clothing covering shoulders and legs for everyone, and a scarf for women, which is required inside mosques. Islamabad is more relaxed than most of the country, but Rawalpindi's bazaars and the shrines are more conservative.
More in Pakistan
Karachi
Pakistan's port megacity, where Victorian stone, Sufi shrines and the Arabian Sea meet some of the best street food in South Asia.
✓ best Jul-Sep, Nov-MarLahore
Pakistan's cultural capital: the Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort across one garden square, a Mughal walled city, and the country's most serious eating.
✓ best Feb-Mar