Gulberg
ComfortRestaurants, cafés and mid-range hotels.
Lahore city guide
Things To Do In Lahore
The cultural heart of Pakistan: a Mughal fort and one of the largest mosques in the world, a walled old city of tiled mosques and bazaars, Sufi music on Thursday nights and the best food in the country.
4
Hostels in the city
6.9
Average, from 200 reviews
1673
The Badshahi Mosque
1981
Fort and gardens join UNESCO
4–5 h
To Islamabad
The heart of Pakistan
Lahore was one of the great capitals of the Mughal Empire, and its fort, the Badshahi Mosque and the Shalimar Gardens are among the finest Mughal monuments anywhere. The fort and gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The walled city is a maze of bazaars, havelis and tiled mosques. Lahoris are famous for their hospitality and their food, and they say that those who have not seen Lahore have not been born.
Three days is right.
Where to stay
Gulberg, in the south of the city, has the best restaurants, cafés and mid-range hotels, and is the most comfortable base. The area around the Mall (Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam) is central, close to the museum and the old city. Staying in or beside the walled city puts you among the bazaars, but options are basic.
The Mall
CentralNear the museum and the old city.
Walled city
AtmosphereAmong the bazaars; basic places to stay.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 4 top-rated hostels. Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Lahore
Lahore's Mughal monuments are among the finest anywhere. The Badshahi Mosque, built by Aurangzeb in 1673, has a courtyard that can hold tens of thousands of worshippers; visit at sunset, when the red sandstone glows. Opposite, the Lahore Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, holds palaces, gardens and the Sheesh Mahal, a hall covered in mirror mosaic.
The walled city is a maze of bazaars, havelis and mosques. Enter by Delhi Gate and walk to the Wazir Khan Mosque, built in the 1630s and covered in some of the most beautiful tilework in the Islamic world; the restored Shahi Hammam bathhouse is beside the gate. The Walled City authority runs guided walks.
On Thursday nights, Sufi shrines fill with music: qawwali, devotional singing, at Data Darbar, the city's great shrine, and dhol drumming and whirling at Shah Jamal. Go with a local if you can, and dress modestly.
The Lahore Museum, Kipling's 'Wonder House', has an outstanding collection of Gandharan Buddhist sculpture, with the Zamzama gun, Kim's Gun, outside. The Shalimar Gardens, terraced Mughal gardens with fountains, are half an hour east.
At Wagah, about 24 kilometres east, the nightly flag-lowering ceremony with India is still held and visitors can watch from the Pakistani side, though it has been scaled down since 2025; the crossing itself has been closed to most travellers.
Free things
Free things to do in Lahore
The walled city's bazaars are free to wander, and Data Darbar and the city's other shrines are free, including the Thursday-night qawwali.
The Badshahi Mosque is free to enter, dressed modestly and shoes off. Minar-e-Pakistan, in Iqbal Park, marks where the resolution for Pakistan was passed in 1940; the park is free. The Wagah ceremony does not charge entry.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Lahore
Lahore is Pakistan's food capital, and Lahoris eat late and generously. Breakfast is halwa puri, fried bread with semolina halwa and chickpeas, or nihari and paye, slow-cooked beef and trotter stews, with naan. Lassi, sweet or salty, comes in huge metal tumblers.
In the evening, Fort Road Food Street has rooftop restaurants looking straight onto the lit-up Badshahi Mosque. Gawalmandi and Lakshmi Chowk are classic food areas for karahi, tikka, seekh kebabs and fried fish in winter.
A meal is €2 to €5; a rooftop dinner with the mosque view €8 to €15.
Nightlife
Going out in Lahore
Pakistan is dry for Muslims, and alcohol is very hard to find; a few upmarket hotels have permit rooms for non-Muslim foreigners, but do not count on it.
Lahore's evenings are about food, tea and music instead. Food Street and the old-city stalls are busy until late, cafés in Gulberg stay open past midnight, and on Thursday nights the Sufi shrines fill with qawwali and drumming.
Getting around
Getting around Lahore
Allama Iqbal International Airport has international flights and is about 30 minutes from Gulberg.
The Orange Line metro and the Metro Bus cover parts of the city, and Careem, Uber, inDrive and rickshaws are cheap; agree rickshaw fares first.
Comfortable motorway buses, such as Daewoo, reach Islamabad and Rawalpindi in about four to five hours. Trains also run to Rawalpindi and Karachi.
Costs
What Lahore costs
Lahore is cheap. Budget rooms start around €8 and a careful day is €15 to €25.
The Lahore Fort and Shahi Hammam charge foreigners a few euros; the Badshahi Mosque, shrines and bazaars are free. A Careem across the city is €1 to €3, and a street breakfast €1 to €2.
The currency is the Pakistani rupee (PKR); prices here are euro equivalents. Carry cash: cards work only in bigger hotels, malls and restaurants, and some ATMs reject foreign cards, so use bank ATMs.
Safety
Staying safe in Lahore
Check your own government's travel advice before booking: it restricts travel to several parts of Pakistan, and travelling against it can void your insurance.
Lahore is one of the areas most travellers visit, and Lahoris are famous for their hospitality. Crowds, traffic and pickpockets in the bazaars are the everyday issues.
Dress modestly; loose clothes covering arms and legs are best, and shalwar kameez, cheap to buy or have made, is practical for everyone. Women should carry a scarf for mosques and shrines. Women travellers may face staring and unwanted attention; restaurants often have family sections where women and couples can sit.
From November to January, smog makes Lahore one of the most polluted cities in the world; bring a good mask. Summer heat passes 40°C.
Emergency: 15 police, 1122 ambulance and rescue.
Day trips from Lahore
Mughal gardens, the border ceremony and ancient temples.
Shalimar Gardens
Terraced Mughal gardens with fountains, UNESCO-listed.
Islamabad
The capital.
Katas Raj
Ancient Hindu temples around a sacred pond.
What's on
What is on while you are there
Ramadan and the Eids transform the city's evenings.
Varies yearly
Ramadan
Lahore
Evenings of feasting.
Varies yearly
Eid
Lahore
Festive days.
Thursdays
Qawwali nights
Sufi shrines
Devotional music.
Hostels
Where to stay in Lahore
The top-rated places to stay in Lahore right now, live from Hostelworld.
When to go
October to March, avoiding the worst smog in December and January if you can.
Jan
Smog
Feb
Good
Mar
Spring
Apr
Hot
May
Extreme heat
Jun
Extreme heat
Jul
Monsoon
Aug
Monsoon
Sep
Humid
Oct
Good
Nov
Smog starts
Dec
Smog
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. May and June are extremely hot.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.
Prices are in rupees locally; these are euro equivalents.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Lahore travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Is Lahore safe?
It is one of the areas most visitors go, and Lahoris are famously hospitable. Check your government's travel advice before booking, as it affects your insurance.
Can I see the Wagah ceremony?
Yes. The flag-lowering ceremony is still held every evening and visitors can watch from the Pakistani side, though it has been scaled down since 2025. The crossing itself has been closed to most travellers.
What should I eat?
Halwa puri or nihari for breakfast, and karahi and kebabs at Food Street, with the Badshahi Mosque lit up in front of you.
Where can I hear qawwali?
At Sufi shrines on Thursday nights, especially Data Darbar. Shah Jamal has drumming and whirling. Go with a local if you can.
How many days do you need?
Three: one for the fort and mosque, one for the walled city, and one for the museum, Shalimar and Wagah.
When is the best time to visit?
February to March and October to November. December and January bring heavy smog, and summers pass 40°C.
What should I wear?
Loose, modest clothes covering arms and legs; shalwar kameez is practical and cheap. Women should carry a scarf.
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