Things to do in Lahore

Landmark · Walled City

A Mughal fort and the great 1673 mosque facing each other across the Hazuri Bagh — a UNESCO World Heritage site and the reason the city exists.

Local tip: Enter the fort through the Alamgiri Gate and find the Sheesh Mahal and the Picture Wall, which most visitors miss entirely. Go on a winter morning; in summer the marble is unwalkable by ten.

Neighborhood · Old Lahore

The dense original city inside thirteen gates — havelis, bazaars, and a restored royal route running through the middle of it.

Local tip: The Walled City Authority's restored Shahi Guzargah from Delhi Gate to the Fort is the best-organised heritage walk in Pakistan and costs almost nothing. Do it early, before the bazaars fill.

Food · Central Lahore

The city's most famous eating street, in a neighbourhood of restored pre-partition buildings.

Local tip: Gawalmandi is the tourist answer. The Lahori one is the food around Anarkali and the naan-and-nihari places off Lakshmi Chowk — same food, half the price, and open until three in the morning.

Nature · East Lahore, on the Grand Trunk Road

A 1641 Mughal terraced garden with over four hundred fountains, laid out on three descending levels.

Local tip: Also UNESCO-listed and far quieter than the Fort. The upper terrace was reserved for the imperial household and is still the best part. Winter afternoons are perfect; skip it entirely during smog season.

Nightlife · Gulberg III

The commercial and eating spine of modern Lahore — restaurants, cafés and rooftops that fill after ten.

Local tip: In a city without bars, this is what a night out means, and Lahore does it better than anywhere else in Pakistan. The rooftops with a view of Badshahi Mosque are in the old city, not here — book those separately and go at sunset.

Culture · On an island in the Ravi, north of the city

The oldest Mughal structure in Lahore — a 1520s garden pavilion built by Babur's son, now stranded on an island in the river.

Local tip: Reached by a short boat crossing from near the Ravi bridge for a token fee, and almost nobody goes. It predates the Fort in its current form and sits in near-total quiet. Combine it with a winter morning and take your own tea.