Photo: Aliraza Khatri · CC BY-SA 4.0Area guides / Sindh / Karachi
Area guide
Karachi
Colonial halls, bazaars and the sea, in Pakistan's largest city
Region
Sindh
When to go
October to March, when the coastal heat eases. Market mornings are the liveliest.
Getting there
Karachi is served by international and domestic flights, and is the start of the N-5 and the Makran Coastal Highway. Taxis and rickshaws cover the city centre.
Places
44 field guides
Overview
About Karachi
Karachi, capital of Sindh and Pakistan's largest city, was the federal capital from 1947 to 1959 and remains the country's commercial centre on the Arabian Sea. Its old core keeps Victorian landmarks, Empress Market and Frere Hall, alongside the Mazar-e-Quaid, the National Museum and Jinnah's Flagstaff House.
Karachi is served by international and domestic flights, and is the start of the N-5 and the Makran Coastal Highway. Taxis and rickshaws cover the city centre.
The old centre
Saddar and the streets around it hold Empress Market, Frere Hall, the Khaliq Dina Hall and Quaid-e-Azam House, close enough to see in a day. Opening hours vary, so check before travelling.
Out to the coast
West of the city the coast turns wild: Mubarak Village, Bhit Khori and, across the Balochistan border, Gadani and the Miani Hor lagoon.
Festivals in Karachi
Festival calendar →
Set by the community each yearSheedi Mela (Manghopir Festival)
The great festival of Pakistan's Sheedi community, people of East African descent, at the shrine of Pir Mangho in Karachi: drums, dhamaal, and the garlanding of the shrine's eldest crocodile.
20 to 22 Dhul Hijjah (Islamic calendar)Urs of Abdullah Shah Ghazi
Karachi's own urs, on the hill above Clifton beach, for the 8th-century saint many Karachiites believe protects the city from the sea.
25 DecemberChristmas in Pakistan
Midnight services, carols and lit-up churches: Christmas with Pakistan's Christian communities, at Lahore's cathedral, Karachi's Christ Church and across Punjab.
25 DecemberQuaid-e-Azam Day
The birthday of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, marked with the change of guard and ceremonies at the Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi.
Resorts
All resorts →GreenPak stays in this area are listed on the region guide.
Karachi: Questions Travellers Ask
What is there to see in Karachi?
44 places in Karachi have their own field guide here, the most in landmarks and buildings (22), mosques, shrines and tombs (7), parks and gardens (7) and museums, libraries and colleges (5).
When is the best time to visit Karachi?
October to March, when the coastal heat eases. Market mornings are the liveliest.
How do you get to Karachi?
Karachi is served by international and domestic flights, and is the start of the N-5 and the Makran Coastal Highway. Taxis and rickshaws cover the city centre.
What day trips can you take from Karachi?
2 within about 40 km of Karachi, all listed on this page: Kirthar National Park (about 21 km outside) and Bhit Khori (about 26 km outside).
The complete guide
Everything to See in Karachi
All 44 places in Karachi with their own field guide, grouped by kind.
Sikh heritage · 2
Mosques, shrines and tombs · 7
Abdullah Shah Ghazi ShrineThe hilltop shrine of the 8th-century Sufi Abdullah Shah Ghazi in Clifton, Karachi: a green-and-white striped dome, langar and qawwali.
Grand Jamia Mosque, KarachiThe Grand Jamia Mosque in Bahria Town Karachi, completed in 2026, with space for 600,000 worshippers — Pakistan's largest mosque by capacity.
Jamia Masjid Qasaban, KarachiJamia Masjid Qasaban in old Karachi: a three-storey stone mosque with arched windows, built in 1213 AH (1798–99), before British rule.
Kacchi Memon Masjid, KarachiKacchi Memon Masjid in old Karachi: a three-storey stone mosque, about 20 by 30 metres, with a tall central minaret between two smaller ones.
Lakho Shaikh (Graveyard)A graveyard of carved sandstone tombs of 16th- and 17th-century warriors and notables, part of lower Sindh's chain of stone cemeteries.
Masjid-e-ToobaMasjid-e-Tooba, Karachi's 'Round Mosque' in DHA: a single 65-metre dome over a prayer hall with no pillars, completed in 1969 for 5,000 worshippers.
Mazar-e-QuaidThe white-marble mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, and Karachi's most recognisable landmark.
Churches and temples · 1
Museums, libraries and colleges · 5
D.J. Sindh Government Science CollegeD.J. Science College near Burns Road, Karachi: a two-storey stone college named after Diwan Dayaram Jethmal, with domed towers over its entrances.
Khaliq Dina Hall & LibraryKarachi's 1906 public hall and library, where Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar was tried for sedition in 1921.
National Museum of Pakistan, KarachiThe National Museum of Pakistan in Karachi houses a significant collection of Buddhist artifacts, particularly from the Gandhara civilization.
Pakistan Air Force Museum, KarachiThe PAF Museum at Faisal Base, Karachi: Pakistan's only military aviation museum, with more than 50 aircraft, radars and missiles.
Pakistan Maritime Museum, KarachiThe Pakistan Maritime Museum in a 28-acre park in Karachi, with the submarine PNS Hangor, a minesweeper and a Breguet Atlantic aircraft.
Parks and gardens · 7
Aziz Bhatti Park, KarachiAziz Bhatti Park on University Road, Karachi: a 1972 park with palm-lined walks and a natural lake, named after Nishan-e-Haider Major Aziz Bhatti.
Bagh Ibne Qasim, CliftonBagh Ibne Qasim, a 130-acre seaside park at Clifton, Karachi, with the Jehangir Kothari Parade and Lady Lloyd Pier of 1919–1920.
Hub Dam Wildlife SanctuaryHub Dam Wildlife Sanctuary on the Sindh–Balochistan border near Karachi: a reservoir full of waterfowl, with urial and ibex in the hills.
Karachi Safari ParkKarachi Safari Park, opened in 1970: a 148-acre family park in Gulshan-e-Iqbal with a zoo, safari tracks, a chairlift and two lakes.
Kidney Hill ParkKidney Hill Park, an urban forest on one of the highest points of Karachi, reopened after 2019.
Mubarak Village BeachA tranquil fishing-village bay northwest of Karachi, calm turquoise shallows backed by ochre desert hills, ideal for swimming, snorkelling, and watching traditional fishing boats.
Zamzama Park, KarachiZamzama Park in DHA Phase 5, Karachi: a 26-acre park with jogging tracks, gardens and the Pakistan Bonsai Society's display centre.
Landmarks and buildings · 22
Chaukhandi TombsA sandstone necropolis on the desert outskirts of Karachi, its tombs carved with intricate friezes of horsemen, jewellery, and weapons, spanning roughly the 16th to 18th centuries.
Churna IslandA pointed limestone island rising dramatically from the Arabian Sea near Karachi, renowned for snorkelling, scuba diving, and dolphin encounters in clear coastal waters.
Clifton BeachKarachi's beloved urban beach, camel rides at sunset, the Karachi skyline silhouetted against a deep blue dusk sky, and the city's vibrant sea-front energy.
Cotton Exchange Building, KarachiThe Cotton Exchange on I.I. Chundrigar Road, Karachi: a large 20th-century building with a central dome, home of Pakistan's biggest cotton exchange.
Denso HallDenso Hall (1886), Karachi's first library for local residents, built in Gizri sandstone.
Edulji Dinshaw Dispensary, KarachiThe Edulji Dinshaw Dispensary near Empress Market, Karachi: a stone hospital of 1882 with a tall central tower and wide front terraces.
Empress MarketKarachi's great Victorian Gothic market hall in Saddar, its limestone arcades and clock tower still anchoring one of the city's busiest quarters.
Freemasons' Lodge Building, KarachiThe Freemasons' Lodge in Karachi, a yellow sandstone building of 1914 near D.J. Science College — known locally as jadoo ghar.
Frere HallA Venetian Gothic hall of 1865 set in its own gardens in central Karachi, housing a library and Sadequain's vast unfinished ceiling mural.
Hawke's Bay BeachA long sandy beach west of Karachi lined with painted huts, and one of the few mainland beaches where green turtles still come ashore to nest.
Karachi HarbourKarachi Harbour, the bay and estuary west of the Indus delta between Keamari and Manora — best seen on a boat trip among the fishing fleet.
Karachi Parsi InstituteKarachi Parsi Institute, the Parsi Gymkhana founded in 1893 by Parsi businessmen — a historic sports club near Karachi's old Saddar.
Karachi Port Trust BuildingThe Karachi Port Trust Building, headquarters of the Port of Karachi: a landmark of the British Raj, inaugurated on 5 January 1916.
Lakshmi Building, KarachiThe Lakshmi Building on M.A. Jinnah Road, Karachi: an Art Deco tower of 1938, the city's tallest building at independence.
Manora BeachA historic island beach off Karachi Harbour, home to a 19th-century British lighthouse, colonial-era churches, and lively surf that draws families from across the city.
Manora Point LighthouseManora Point Lighthouse, Karachi: a 38-metre tower first lit in 1851, rebuilt in 1889 and still guiding ships into the port.
Mohatta PalaceA pink Rajasthani-stone palace in Karachi's Clifton, now a museum of art and Sindhi heritage.
Port Grand, KarachiPort Grand, Karachi's waterfront food and leisure strip on the 19th-century Native Jetty Bridge, opened in 2011 between Keamari and the port.
Quaid-e-Azam HouseFlagstaff House, the colonial bungalow in Karachi where Muhammad Ali Jinnah lived in his final years, kept as a museum of his personal effects.
Ras Muari (Cape Monze)Ras Muari, or Cape Monze, a rocky cape on Karachi's west coast with a lighthouse from 1914 and turtle nesting beaches.
Sindh Madressatul Islam, KarachiSindh Madressatul Islam in Karachi, opened in 1885 by Hassan Ali Effendi: the school where Muhammad Ali Jinnah studied, built on an old caravan sarai.
Wazir MansionThe narrow balconied house in Kharadar where Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born in 1876, now a national monument open to visitors.
Around Karachi: day trips · 2
Outside Karachi, straight-line distance from its boundary.
