Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital and largest city in Iraq.
Baghdad is the capital and largest city in Iraq. It is located on the banks of the Tigris in central Iraq. The city has an estimated population of 8 million. It ranks among the most populous and largest cities in the Middle East and the Arab world and constitutes 22% of Iraq's population. Baghdad is a primary financial and commercial center in the region.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Baghdad
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01House of Wisdom
The House of Wisdom, also known as the Grand Library of Baghdad, was a major Abbasid-era public academy and intellectual center in Baghdad. In popular reference, it acted as one of the world's largest public libraries during the Islamic Golden Age, and was founded either as a library for the collections of the fifth Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid in the late 8th century or as a private collection of the second Abbasid caliph al-Mansur to house rare books and collections in the Arabic language.
3.4 km · library, translation institute and research center in medieval Baghdad · Wikipedia - 02University of Baghdad
The University of Baghdad, is a public research university in Baghdad, Iraq. It is the largest university in Iraq and the tenth largest in the Arab world.
5.2 km · university in Iraq · Wikipedia - 03National Museum of Iraq
The Iraq Museum is the national museum of Iraq, located in Baghdad. The Iraq Museum contains relics from the Mesopotamian, Abbasid, and Persian civilizations.
2.4 km · historical museum in Baghdad · Wikipedia - 04Al-Kadhimiya Mosque
The Kadhimiya Mosque, also known as the Jawadayn Shrine, is the mausoleums of the seventh and ninth Shia Imams, respectively Musa al-Kazim and his grandson Muhammad al-Jawad, located in the Kazimiya suburb of Baghdad, in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq. It is a holy site in Shia Islam.
7.7 km · mosque in Iraq · Wikipedia - 05Abu Hanifa Mosque
The Abu Hanifa Mosque, also known as the Grand Imam Mosque, is a Sunni mosque and shrine, located in the A'dhamiyya district of northern Baghdad, in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq. The complex is one of the most prominent mosques in Baghdad, that is built around the tomb of Islamic scholar Abu Hanifa al-Nu'man, the founder of the Hanafi school, an Islamic school of Islamic religious jurisprudence.
6.3 km · mosque · Wikipedia - 06Al-Mustansiriya University
Al-Mustansiriya University is a public university located in Baghdad, Iraq. It traces its origin back to 1227.
6.5 km · university in Baghdad, Iraq · Wikipedia - 07Iraq National Library and Archive
The Iraq National Library and Archive is the national library and national archives of Iraq. It is located in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and was founded in 1920.
3.9 km · national library, national archives · Wikipedia - 08Chaldean Catholic Patriarchate of Babylon
The Chaldean Catholic Patriarchate of Baghdad, or simply the Chaldean Patriarchate, is the official title held by the primate of the Chaldean Catholic Church. The Patriarchate is based in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows, Baghdad, Iraq.
6.1 km · patriarchate of the Catholic Church established after the 1552 schism, based in Baghdad · Wikipedia - 09Baghdad Tower
Baghdad Tower, previously called International Saddam Tower, is a 204 m TV tower in Baghdad, Iraq. The tower opened in 1994 and replaced a communications tower destroyed in the Gulf War.
1.7 km · tower located in central Baghdad · Wikipedia - 10AlKhulafa Mosque
The Al-Khulafa Mosque, also known as the Al-Qasr Mosque, is a Sunni mosque located in the al-Rusafa district of Baghdad, in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq. Situated on Jumhuriya Street, it is the oldest surviving mosque in Baghdad.
4 km · mosque in Baghdad, Iraq · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
A combination of heavy redevelopment during the second half of the 20th century, two decades of warfare and neglect has not been kind to Baghdad's architectural and cultural heritage. Generally, the eastern side contains the older districts while the western side is newer. The historic old quarter contains a myriad of alleys and small streets with buildings dating back to the Ottoman era or even older.
- 01Mustansiriya Madrasah
Often referred to as the Abbasid Palace, this medieval-era scholarly complex was established in 1227 CE.
- 02Qushla
Ottoman landmark building.
- 03Baghdad Zoo
The largest zoo in the country, opened in 1971.
- 04Khan Murjan
Built in the 14th century as a caravanserai, an inn for traveling merchants, whose centre was a hall more than 13 metres high.
- 05Firdos Square
A public open space surrounded by several artwork monuments.
- 06National Museum of Iraq
Covering the history of Mesopotamian culture, this museum housed a huge collection before the Iraq War.
From Wikivoyage: Baghdad, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Baghdad's cultural life is more vibrant than most visitors expect. Beyond the historical sites, the city offers riverside promenades, traditional markets worth exploring on foot, and day trips to some of Mesopotamia's most important archaeological sites.
- 01Iraqi National Theatre
- 02Baghdad Island Park
- 03Abu Nawas Street
- 04Mutanabbi Street
From Wikivoyage: Baghdad, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Restaurants and cafés have been notorious targets for suicide bombers in the past, making eating out a quite dangerous activity.
- 01Saj Alreef Restaurant
- 02Barley Restaurant
This eatery has a kind of macabre distinction of naming their large shawarma things after landmines.
- 03Samad Restaurant
Rowad St, couple blocks north of Mansour St on right,.
- 04Jadiriyah Floating Restaurant
Not many places where you can eat aboard a ship in the Tigris River.
- 05Oyoon Baghdad Restaurant
Rather expensive, but suited to impress an audience or spoil oneself with its views over the Tigris River and elements of Iraqi culture in its decor and food.
From Wikivoyage: Baghdad, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Baghdad
- Airports
- Baghdad / New Al Muthana Air Base (BGW), 14 km · Al Najaf (NJF), 147 km · Kirkuk (KIK), 240 km
- Stations
- Baghdad railway station, 1.6 km
- Najaf → Baghdad146 km · quickest by road, 2h 43m · $14–19
- Kirkuk → Baghdad237 km · quickest by road, 3h 58m · $21–28
- Arbil → Baghdad319 km · quickest by road, 5h 31m · $28–39
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Baghdad
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Baghdad. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inFor those working for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Iraq, there are charter airlines operating into Baghdad.
From Wikivoyage: Baghdad, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
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If you know how people move in Baghdad – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Baghdad
Baghdad is 12 km from Sadr City, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.