Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan, presents an interesting and colorful combination of the old and new. The narrow, twisting lanes of the old city throb with life alongside wide roads and elegant modern buildings, and talented artisans still produce handicrafts of exquisite beauty.
Karachi offers wide sunny beaches, deep-sea fishing, yachting, golf and horse racing all year round. Its restaurants serve a wide choice of Pakistani and western cuisine, and its markets offer endless shopping — particularly rugs and carpets of rare design and beauty.
Its recorded history goes back to the 18th century, when it was a small fishing village called Kolachi-jo-Goth. With the development of its harbor it grew into a great center of trade and industry, and though the capital moved to Islamabad, Karachi remains the country’s commercial heart.
It is also the birthplace and resting place of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and the main gateway for visitors arriving by air — a natural starting point for journeys to Thatta, Hyderabad and the rest of Sindh.
Is Karachi right for you?
- Suggested time
- 1 – 2 days
- Activity level
- Easy city sightseeing
- Best for
- Arriving or leaving via the south — museums, markets and the sea
- When to go
- November to February, when days are warm and dry. Summers are long, hot and humid.
Combines well withHyderabadTharMoenjodaro
Compare Karachi with another destination →Places to see
Quaid-e-Azam’s Mausoleum
The white marble mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, set in open gardens in the heart of the city.
Wazir Mansion
The house in the old Kharadar quarter where Jinnah was born in 1876, now a museum of his life and belongings.
National Museum of Pakistan
Collections spanning the Indus civilization, Gandhara sculpture, Islamic art, coins and manuscripts.
Liaquat Hall & Bagh-e-Jinnah
The Victorian Frere Hall and its gardens, home to a library and a gallery whose ceiling was painted by the artist Sadequain.
Burns Garden
One of the city’s oldest public gardens, beside the National Museum.
Empress Market
A Victorian market hall of 1889 with a tall clock tower, packed with stalls of spices, dried fruit, vegetables and household goods.
Masjid-e-Tooba
A modern mosque in Defence, known for its single wide, shallow dome.
Merewether Tower
A Gothic-style clock tower of 1892 at the end of I.I. Chundrigar Road, the city’s old business street.
Clifton Beach
Karachi’s popular seafront, busiest at sunset, with camel and horse rides along the sand.
Karachi Golf Club
Golf can be played all year round in Karachi’s mild winter and long, sunny seasons.
Good to know
- Getting there
- Jinnah International Airport is Pakistan’s busiest air gateway, and Karachi is linked by rail and road with every major city in the country.
- When to go
- November to February, when days are warm and dry. Summers are long, hot and humid.
- What to buy
- Hand-knotted rugs and carpets, embroidered and block-printed textiles, “ajrak” shawls, brassware and leather goods from the city’s many bazaars.
- Day trips
- The Chaukhandi tombs, with their finely carved sandstone graves, lie about 30 km east of the city. Further on, at Thatta, are the Shah Jahan Mosque and the vast Makli necropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Header photo: Mazar-e-Quaid — MunawarAhmed7, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons