Quetta
Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan.
It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan with an estimated population of over 1.7 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in the Quetta Valley region surrounded by mountains on all sides. Quetta is at an average elevation of 1,680 metres above sea level, making it Pakistan's highest-altitude major city.
Getting to Quetta
As of January 2024, you require permission from the police to travel to Quetta due to the poor security situation and high risk of kidnapping. Foreigners will also be given a police escort around the city to fulfil necessary paperwork requirements (NOC) to depart and will not be able to explore independently.
- 01Quetta International Airport
- 02Quetta
Worth seeing
- 01Quetta Archeological Museum
Has a collection of rare antique guns, swords and manuscripts.
- 02Geological Museum
Has a collection of rocks and fossils found in Balochistan.
Things to do
- 01Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park
There are religious and social festivals celebrated by the people of Quetta.
Where to eat
In the old bazaars are old tea-shops, which are the local social clubs. There are also many popular eating houses offering different types of delicacies. Among the popular delicacies is Sajji (leg of lamb), which is tender and is not very spicy. It is a whole leg of lamb marinated in local herbs and spices and barbecued beside an open fire.
Getting around Quetta the local way
- Get aroundAuto-rickshaws give Quetta polluted air, and are the most popular and the cheapest way to get around the city but they are rapidly being replaced by more environmentally friendly 4-stroke CNG rickshaws.
From Wikivoyage: Quetta, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-03.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.