Karachi
Karachi is the capital city of the Pakistani province of Sindh.
It is the largest city in Pakistan and 11th largest in the world, with a population of over 20 million. Situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast, Karachi formerly served as the federal capital from 1947 to 1959. Ranked as a beta-global city, it is Pakistan's premier industrial and financial centre, with an estimated GDP of over $200 billion (PPP) as of 2021. Karachi is a major metropolitan area and is considered Pakistan's most cosmopolitan city, and among the country's most linguistically, ethnically, and religiously diverse regions, as well as one of the country's most progressive and socially liberal cities.
Getting to Karachi
- 01Jinnah International Airport
It is Pakistan's busiest and largest airport handle both the international and domestic flights.
- 02Cantonment
The principal railway station of Karachi.
- 03Karachi City
Smaller station which is in the city centre, however most long-distance trains does not call here.
Worth seeing
There is a lot to see in Karachi, but the typical "tourist" sights are concentrated in the downtown district of Saddar which is fairly spread out and where there's a collection of buildings and structures of varied architectural styles. The British built a variety of private and public buildings during the British Raj from 1858 to 1947 in Karachi, many of which colonial buildings and landmarks still remain today.
Things to do
Karachi offers a wide scope of activities; however, don't expect too much even though it's one of the world's biggest cities. Due to being on the shoreline, Karachi offers plenty of opportunities for water babies.
- 01Arena
FEC-01, Habib Ibrahim Rehmatullah Rd, Main Karsaz (Near Maritime Museum), +91 21 9924 5264, info@arena.net.pk.
- 02Cinemas
Karachi loves going to movies, and Karachiites flocks to cinemas every day.
- 03Dinner Cruise
Enjoy dinner on board while taking a boat ride off Karachi coastline in middle of sea.
- 04Hawke's Bay Beach.
- 05Sandspit Beach
- 06French Beach
Where to eat
Karachi has a large number of restaurants from fast food, fast casual, casual dining to fine dining as well several fantastic upmarket restaurants, which serve a huge and wide variety of both local and international cuisines such as (Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Arab, Korean, South Indian, etc.).
Getting around Karachi the local way
- Get aroundMost of Karachi's inhabitants rely on public transport to and from their workplace and do ride in a taxi and auto-rickshaw at least once in the city.
- Get aroundIf you are not used to Pakistani roads, an auto-rickshaw ride can be a heart-stopping, death-defying, laws-of-physics-bending.
- Get aroundRickshaws are a popular method of travelling in Karachi, they're cheap, flexible and are everywhere in the city at any time of day.
- Get aroundIf you need to travel shorter distances, go by rickshaw.
- Get aroundPregnant ladies are most strongly advised not to travel by auto-rickshaws since the combination of rash driving, poor suspensions, and horrible road conditions have quite often led to serious complications.
- Get aroundThe auto-rickshaw is a slow and uncomfortable vehicle and not recommended for very long distances.
- Get aroundThe rickshaw drivers are generally helpful and If a rickshaw driver offers to show/drive you to some great places to shop, firmly refuse.
- Get aroundKarachi is dominated by jingle minibuses which move back and forth around Karachi and are extremely cheap but they’re a confusing bet for the visitors, with numbers, destinations and stops poorly marked, and buses are horribly crowded and noisy.
From Wikivoyage: Karachi, 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.