Travel guide of rawalpindi

Rawalpindi is a stylish city of Pakistan. It is a bustling town strategically located between the Punjab and Azad Kashmir. It has a strong colonial influence and possesses a large military cantonment with the headquarters of the Pakistan Army. It is the sister city of Islamabad, and is essentially the older sister of Islamabad. To locals, it is simply known as "Pindi".
Get in

By Air

Islamabad International Airport is located within the city of Rawalpindi. Daily flights to and from various International and Local destinations are available and new airport under construction.

By Rail

Rawalpindi has its own central railway station, with regular sevices to many destinations within Pakistan.

By Road

Rawalpindi has extensive road networks, linking it directly to various major cities such as Lahore, Peshawar and Taxila to the north. Apart from that the twin city, which Rawalpindi is otherwise called, has a complete structure of traveling around in the city through local buses. However, this is not a recommended mode of transport to tourists. Taxis are cheap, and you'll be looking at around Rs250 or so for a trip from Ghakar Plaza to the outer sectors of Islamabad, so travel within Rawalpindi will be around Rs100 per trip - very affordable for a foreign tourist. Make sure you haggle the price before getting into the taxi.

By Bus

Skyways and Daewoo are 2 of the nicer long-haul operators. Skyways offer some direct services to/from Islamabad and Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi. Daewoo has it's own terminal on the road from Islamabad just outside Rawalpindi. You can call the Daewoo Station in advance for booking. They shall confirm a seat for you. The number is 051 111 007 008. You can travel to Peshawar, Lahore, D I Khan, Murree, Sialkot, Abottabad, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Multan, and recently they have started service between Karachi and Hyderabad [cited from Islamabad page]

Coach is a very comfortable way to travel in Pakistan, and is very popular for travellers between Rawalpindi and Lahore. You will receive a small meal on the coach, and a first class ticket is between Rs1000-Rs3000.
Get around

As a hub for the many parts of upper and northern Pakistan, Rawalpindi is gaining more attention of visitors every day. The major supplies and trades are being made from the wholesale markets of Rawalpindi, NWFP (North West Frontier Province), AJ&K (Azad Jammu and Kashmir), FANA (Federally Administered Northern Areas) and FATA (Federally Administrated Tribal Areas) are mostly accessed from the Rawalpindi.

Murree, the most visited and popular countryside of Rawalpindi is a definite crown for the city. With its magnificent mountain scenery, thick pine and deodar forests and lush green landscapes, Murree is renowned globally for its natural beauty. Well-developed and furnished with all traveling and residential facilities, visitors spend a major portion of their visit here.

In other major attractions and visiting places in and around Rawalpindi are Rawal Lake, Ayub National Park, Rawalpindi Food Park, Mughalia Wah Gardens, Taxila, Lui Bher Safari Park and all the picnic and public places of Islamabad.
See

* Nawaz Sharif Park
* Ayub Park
* Eidgah Sharif
* Shah Chun Charagh



There are various things you can do in Rawalpindi. A few of them are:

1) Plan a trip to Raja Bazar, Bara Bazar and Murree Road. Although the traffic gets horrible at times, but you will find such amazing stuff at amazing prices that you'll forget the pain. Be careful in Raja Bazar in particular - it is not recommended for lone female travellers.

2) Go to Ayub Park, have a pleasant walk around, it will give you hours of walk in green meadows without having to worry about anything else. If you take the family along, you can eat snacks and even take you own for added fun !

3) If you have more time on your hands, go to Murree. Murree is one of the hottest attractions (attraction wise, temparture wise its very cold) where you can spend even weeks if you like to, every day is a new day.
Buy

Saddar Bazar is the most versatile, modern and easily approachable market place of Rawalpindi. Its connected to Mall Road on one side, City to the other, and Railway station on the 3rd side.

Saddar Bazar has certain good looking plazas, banks, fun houses for children and has a few recreational parks for children and elderly

Gakkahr Plaza is one of the most renowned shopping markets in Saddar Rawalpindi. You can buy leather jackets, trousers, all sorts of garments, kameez salwar, khussas, sandals and all gents garments from Gakharr Plaza. Unfortunately, on 20 December 2008, Gakhar Plaza was completely gutted down by a huge fire.

Close to Gakhhar plaza, you will find Jabbar Tailors which is one of the oldest tailors in Rawalpindi. Mostly busy with military uniform stitching.

* Metro shoes, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Mirpur. A well known and shoppers favourite shoe shop! edit
Eat

In Pakistan there is a big fascination with these large fast-food chains, particularly "Pizza Hut", "McDonalds", "KFC", and "Subway". As a tourist, it is recommended to try the local food, as these fast food chains do not live up to their hype, and are in way a cleaner establishment than local restaurants. They are also quite overpriced, with combo meals costing around Rs 300, (whilst this is still a mere £2.50 or $5.00 (very competitive with any branch of these restaurants found in the Western world) it compares poorly with the Rs 7 (6p or 11 cents)you could expect to pay for a naan bread at the local market.

The first "McDonalds" opened in Rawalpindi at Jinnah Park . It is huge with a lot of parking space and it is open until late. KFC is the best place for getting international-style fast food, and it is situated just in the cantonment area of the city and also has a big parking area.

Eating in these chains is more of a statement of status in Pakistan than anything else, and you will notice that there is usually quite a fashion parade in many of these establishments !
Drink

Alcohol in Pakistan is forbidden but one can find drinks at many modern hotels like Pearl Continental(PC), Shalimar hotel and Flashman Hotel. There are no bars and night clubs in Rawalpindi city but all the big markets are open til late-night. Drinking culture in Pakistan is essentially soft-drink culture, where Pepsi is the drink of choice. Be warned as a traveller about the cleanliness of bottles - always drink from a straw, and always request that bottles be opened in front of you, as a cleanliness measure. Drinking culture also revolves around tea, called 'chai' in Urdu, and this is available everywhere and anywhere. Coffee is not impossible to come by, however iced coffee tends to be the popular coffee drink of choice.

Sleep

Rawalpindi has only one hotel that can be termed as 5 star. It is called Pearl Continental or more famously known by its acronym PC. Other that this one can go to Hotel Shalimar or Flashman.
Stay Safe

Rawalpindi is not necessarily as safe as it's sister, Islamabad. Islamabad has higher foreign tourist traffic, and thus has become accustomed to it, however foreign tourists are somewhat rare in Rawalpindi. Pakistan on the whole is not recommended to lone young female travellers, however Pindi is relatively safe for larger groups of females, or mixed gender paired-travellers. For female travellers, it is highly recommended to purchase a shawl upon arrival in Pakistan (even better to bring one over on your flight, for airport arrival purposes). It is not necessary or expected for you to wear this on your head at all times, however to avoid unwanted attention, and gain local respect, cover your chest with this shawl (i.e. drape it across your neck). Also attempt to purchase/wear a long shirt/top, that covers your backside region - this again, will draw away unwanted attention.

Avoid flashing large amounts of cash around - Rs 1000 notes are commonplace, however the haggling process is often easier when you show the limited cash you have (e.g. "I only have Rs 200 on me"). Keep your larger notes on the inside, and only allow small notes to be seen, for example, when paying taxi drivers, purchasing items, etc.

Do not feel compelled to give money to all beggars, not matter how young or needy. Of course exercise discretion, and it not unacceptable to give them money, however, the beggars are regulars in Pindi, and have their regular locations, and are known to beg in the same place, everyday - with a new outfit each day.

Just like the rest of Pakistan, avoid drinking tap water at all costs. It is highly recommended to brush your teeth with boiled/bottled water also. Avoid ice in drinks, and things that have been washed in local water - i.e. fresh salads (not matter how tempting!). Fresh milk from the carrier should be boiled and cooled before consumption. Non-pasteurized dairy can spread tuberculosis. Nestle Milk Pak, Haleeb Milk, and others are trusted brands and are available at most grocery stores [cited from Pakistan page]. It is often very difficult to find a public toilet - they are not common place. Look for a big restaurant, and ask nicely to use their bathroom, and they will usually let you. Be prepared for pit toilets. It is also very difficult to find clean bathrooms, and clean places to wash up, so it is recommended to carry a small pack of Wet Wipes (these can prove to be priceless), or waterless hand sanitiser. This will also help in staying generally healthy (flu is notorious in Winter and will generally keep you out of action for a few days - it tends not to be any more dangerous than that).

Street food is not always dangerous - large open grills are generally safe to eat from (make your judgement based on the number of customers), as everything is cooked fresh on an open fire. Avoid street food that has not been cooked (e.g. 'chaat' a delicious, popular dish made from chickpeas) - these are very popular with locals, however can be very dangerous for those not accustomed to the associated germs - and this can prove a very uncomfortable time with the lack of public toilets available. Rawalpindi is a safe city of pakistan