Pakistan

Urdu and English are both official languages. English is common in business, government, and among educated urban residents, but far less so in rural areas and the northern valleys, where regional languages such as Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, or Burushaski are more common in daily life. Urdu is written in a Perso-Arabic script, and outside major cities, signage is often Urdu-only, so it helps to know a few basic phrases.

A local SIM is straightforward to buy at the airport or a telecom shop in any city, but registration requires your passport and a fingerprint scan at the point of sale — budget extra time for this on arrival. Coverage is strong in cities and along main highways, but patchy or absent in remote valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, so download offline maps before heading into the mountains. Access to some social media and messaging services is occasionally restricted; a VPN app installed before arrival can help.

Tap water is not safe to drink; stick to bottled or properly filtered water, including for brushing teeth. Pharmacies are widely available in cities and stock most common medications, but are sparse in remote mountain areas, so bring a basic medical kit if trekking. Talk to a travel health provider well before your trip about routine vaccinations and any recommended for Pakistan. If you're heading to high-altitude areas such as Deosai National Park or the trekking routes around Nanga Parbat, build acclimatization days into your itinerary.

Since January 2026, most nationalities need a paid e-Visa arranged in advance through Pakistan's official online visa system; the free arrival-based visa that many travelers previously used has been suspended, and there is currently no visa-on-arrival. A handful of nationalities, including China, Japan, and several Gulf states, can apply for a fee-free e-Visa but must still apply online before travel. Processing can take one to three weeks, so apply well ahead of your trip rather than close to departure.

Visa and entry requirements change frequently. Verify current requirements with the official immigration authority or your country's embassy before travel.

• Dress modestly. Cover shoulders and knees in public; a headscarf is expected for women at mosques and shrines such as Badshahi Mosque or Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam.
• Remove shoes before entering a mosque, shrine, or someone's home.
• Greetings are usually a handshake between people of the same gender; wait for a woman to offer her hand first before offering yours.
• Ask before photographing people, especially women, and be cautious photographing near checkpoints or military sites.
• Bargaining is normal in bazaars and with rickshaw or taxi drivers without a meter, but not in shops with marked prices.
• During Ramadan, avoid eating, drinking, or smoking in public during daylight hours out of respect for those fasting.

Public holidays affect government offices, banks, and many shops, and transport can book up around major ones — plan around them if your trip coincides with one.

Most shops open in the late morning and stay open into the evening. Many close briefly around midday on Fridays for prayers, especially outside the biggest cities.

• By train: Pakistan Railways links Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, and other major cities at a low cost, though journeys are slow. Book ahead for overnight sleeper classes through the Pakistan Railways website.
• By air: domestic flights are the practical way to reach the north — a flight to Skardu or Gilgit saves a full day or more of mountain driving from Islamabad. Flights to Gilgit-Baltistan are frequently delayed or cancelled by weather, so build in a buffer day.
• By bus: intercity coach operators connect most cities and towns comfortably and run far more frequently than trains, including routes toward Peshawar, Multan, and Chitral.

Traffic drives on the left, as in the UK. Roads into the northern valleys, including toward Hunza, are mountainous and can close temporarily after landslides or snow, so check conditions before setting out.

Breakfast is often halwa puri — fried bread with semolina pudding and spiced chickpeas — especially on weekends, or a simple paratha with tea. Lunch and dinner center on rice or flatbread served with meat or vegetable curries; regional specialties are worth seeking out, from Lahore's rich, slow-cooked nihari to Peshawar's grilled chapli kebab and Sindh's fish and seafood dishes near the coast.

Street food is a major part of the food culture: samosas, grilled skewers, and stuffed flatbreads are sold from stalls in every city, and markets stay busy well into the evening. Sweets like gulab jamun and jalebi are eaten as treats or shared at celebrations. Milky, well-boiled doodh patti tea is drunk throughout the day, and lassi, a yogurt drink served sweet or salty, is a popular way to cool down. Most people eat at home or at inexpensive local restaurants and market stalls rather than fine dining, and portions are usually meant for sharing.

Major cities: Lahore is the cultural heart of Punjab, with Mughal-era forts and mosques. Karachi is the country's largest city and main port, on the Arabian Sea coast. Islamabad is the modern, planned capital, set against the Margalla Hills. Multan is known for its Sufi shrines, and Peshawar for its ancient bazaars near the Khyber Pass.

The mountain north: Hunza is a scenic valley of terraced orchards and forts along the Karakoram Highway. Skardu is the gateway to K2 and the wider Karakoram, with access to alpine lakes and high-altitude trekking. Chitral sits in a remote valley near the Afghan border, home to the small Kalasha community and their distinct culture.

The coast: Gwadar is a fishing port and free-trade zone on the Arabian Sea, with quiet beaches and a growing profile as a deep-sea port town.