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Islamabad
Capital of Pakistan

Islamabad

Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan.

Plan a trip to Islamabad→From Peshawar

It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory — with a metropolitan population of over 2.3 million. Built as a planned city along the Margalla Hills in the 1960s and established in 1967, Islamabad replaced Karachi as Pakistan's national capital. It is located in the northern Punjab region, north of the city of Rawalpindi — with which it forms a metropolitan area of over 5.7 million inhabitants.

Get in

Getting to Islamabad

  1. 01
    New Islamabad International Airport

    Opened May 2018, this airport is set to completely revolutionize air travel in the city.

  2. 02
    Islamabad
See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Lok Virsa Museum

    Islamabad's premier museum featuring more than 25 large galleries in four blocks linked through passages depicting cultural linkages with Iran, Central Asia and China.

  2. 02
    Golra Pakistan Railways Heritage Museum
  3. 03
    Pakistan Museum of Natural History

    This is more a place for school trips than a tourist destination - however there is an impressive blue whale skeleton outside.

  4. 04
    National Art Gallery

    Opened in 2007, the gallery is a modern, light filled, air conditioned edifice that would not be out of place in many European cities.

  5. 05
    Daman-e-Koh

    A lookout point in the hills above E-6 with great views of the city on a clear day/night.

  6. 06
    Fatima Jinnah Park

    Also known as the F-9 park, it is considered one of the largest in South Asia.

Do

Things to do

The Margalla Hills are effectively foothills of the Himalayas – and are very easily accessible from Islamabad. However these are quite big, steep hills, and shouldn't be underestimated – if you are planning on a walk up to the top of the first ridge (i.e.

Eat

Where to eat

At first glance the visitor may feel that Islamabad offers little to excite the taste-buds, however beneath the surface there is a thriving restaurant scene. There are many typical dhabbas (small restaurants) which offer traditional food. Many of the better restaurants are away from the main markets of F6 and F7. Most do not serve alcohol, but some allow you to bring your own. Call ahead to ask.

How locals move

Getting around Islamabad the local way

  • Go nextIslamabad is well situated for day trips and weekend trips to nearby cities and attractions.
  • Go nextKetas Temples and the Khewra Salt mines makes for a pleasant day trip - the Salt Mines are good to visit in the summer as a place to escape the punishing heat of the salt range.
  • Go nextRohtas Fort 2-hour drive south of Islamabad off the GT road - enormous old fort that makes for a great day trip from Islamabad.
  • Go nextPeshawar can be visited in a long day trip - about 2½ hours on the motorway - visit the museum, have lunch, then go for a guided wander around the old town before heading back to Islamabad.
  • Go nextminivan from G-9 markaz for Rs 700 (2025)), from there take a shared taxi to the border.
  • Go nextOn Afghani side, take another shared taxi to Kabul.
  • Go nextApproach by bus, minivan or jeep via Peshavar or Gilgit, but check security situation first.

From Wikivoyage: Islamabad, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.