Travel to Pakistan

Flying to Pakistan

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) (www.piac.com.pk) flies direct from London, Birmingham and Manchester to Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. PIA also flies direct to New York, Paris, Copenhagen and other European cities.

Etihad (www.etihadairways.com) run indirect services from the USA, Europe and the Middle East to several Pakistani cities, as do Emirates, Gulf Air and Kuwait Airways.

While Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad are home to major international airports, there are also international airports in Quetta, Gwadar, Peshawar, Sialkot, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, Faisalabad and Peshawar.

Flights tend to be cheaper outside of school holidays when many British Pakistanis visit family. They’re also cheaper during the cooler months, rather than peak season, which runs from November to March.

Buy domestic tickets while in Pakistan; you will find they are much cheaper than pre-booked tickets.

Major airports are: Allama Iqbal International Airport (LHE), Karachi Jinnah International Airport and Islamabad Benazir Bhutto International Airport.

Airport Guides

Flight times

From London - 7 hours 45 minutes; New York - 13 hours 45 minutes.

Travelling to Pakistan by Rail

For more information contact Pakistan Railways (tel: +92 117). A rail link extends from Quetta (via the border crossing at Taftan) to Zahedan, Iran; the service (journey time - around 30 hours) runs twice a month from Quetta. Main routes are Karachi-Lahore-Rawalpindi-Peshawar, Karachi-Quetta, Quetta-Lahore-Peshawar and the international train to India.

Rail note

Note the international Quetta to Zahedan (Iran) train travels at night through the unstable and conservative Baluchistan region which can present some security concerns. Unaccompanied female travellers should think twice before travelling on this route.

Always double check that the government of Pakistan is allowing foreigners to travel on the railways.

Driving to Pakistan

Visitors exiting Pakistan by land routes are subject to a road toll. Travel to the federally administered tribal areas and the border areas with Afghanistan is not recommended. For further information, visitors should seek official advice.

Getting to Pakistan by boat

Karachi (also known as Kemari) is Pakistan's port for goods, together with Port Qasim. No passenger boats or ships for the general public sail to or from Pakistan at present.

Ferry operators

In 2016, Pakistan plans to begin ferry services from Karachi and Gwadar to Chabahar, Iran to ease the movement of pilgrims.