A
Accommodation
There are a great many hotels in Pakistan â their ranks bolstered by the boom in domestic travel in recent decades â and together they make up an enormously varied collection of institutions. Some are modern, five-star, international class. Some hotels located in the hills bring back pleasant memories of tea dances in the 1930s. Some have been installed in superbly restored buildings such as old forts, palaces or havelis. Some may appear to be rather unhygienic, while others charge reasonably low rates and offer excellent value for money. Recent years have seen an increase in the number of modern hotels in even the more remote parts of the country, particularly across Gilgit-Baltistan.
Modern, well-equipped chain hotels such as the Pearl Continental (Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Bhurban and Gwadar), Mövenpick (Karachi), Avari (Lahore), Marriott (Karachi and Islamabad), Serena Hotels (Islamabad, Faisalabad, Quetta, Gilgit, Hunza, Saidu Sharif, Shigar and Khaplu), Shangrila Resorts and Hotels (Chilas and Skardu) offer good services and facilities. For most upmarket hotels, discounted rates can often be found on various online booking platforms.
A 17.5 percent government tax is charged on all rooms. Top hotels provide buffet breakfast and airport pick-up and drop. See the companion App for individual hotel listings.
PTDC hotels/motels
The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC; www.tourism.gov.pk), a semi-private corporation overseen by the government, has a few dozen mostly midrange to budget hotels and motels dotted around the most popular tourist centres. Bookings can be made through the local PTDC offices, but there is a central booking office on Aga Khan Road at the south end of F-6 Markaz shopping complex, Islamabad, tel: 051 9202766.
The Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP; www.tdcp.gop.pk) also runs a collection of reasonably priced hotels and resorts. These can easily be booked online. Their main office is in Lahore (151 Abu Bakar Block, New Garden Town, tel: 042 111 111042), while there are other helpful offices in Multan, Murree, Bahawalpur and Rawalpindi.
Hostels and camping
The Pakistan Youth Hostels Association (http://pakistanyouthhostels.co) maintains hostels that may be used by members of organisations that are affiliated to Hostelling International. They currently run Youth Hostels in Bhurban, Karachi, Khanaspur, Lahore, Peshawar and Islamabad. The Pakistan Youth Hostels Associationâs addresses are: 104 Green Acres Housing Society, Lahore, tel: 042 35321105; PYHAHead Office, Shaheed-e-Millat Road, G-6/4, near Aabpara, Islamabad, tel: 051 2824628; and Street 09, Block 1, Scheme 36, Gulistan-e-Johar, tel: 021 34012021.
There are also a few campsites in Pakistan. Advice on where camping is possible may be obtained from the PTDC. In addition, many hotels, particularly in Gilgit-Baltistan, allow camping in their gardens.
Admission charges
Major museums and historical sites charge entry fees between Rs500 and 1,000 for foreign visitors, while smaller ones may charge less. At some remote sites, a warden may offer a private tour of the site, for which an additional tip is much appreciated, while other sites remain unattended.
B
Budgeting for your trip
Travelling in Pakistan is not at all expensive by international standards. It is possible to have a superb seafood meal at a top restaurant in Karachi for about Rs1000 (ÂŁ5); a full meal at a more basic establishment will likely amount to less than Rs200, while street food is cheaper still. Only the top international standard hotels are fairly expensive: Islamabadâs Serena will set you back at least Rs35,000 (ÂŁ190) for double and the Pearl Continental in Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar will charge around Rs24,000 (ÂŁ130). There are good middle-of-the-road hotels in all cities, which should not set you back more than Rs3,000â7,000 for a double, while simple accommodation throughout the country is available for Rs2,000 or less. Public transport is very cheap: a NATCO bus ride from Islamabad up the Karakoram Highway to Gilgit costs around Rs2,500, while a relatively comfortable, cross-country bus ride with Daewoo (www.daewoo.com.pk) from Lahore to Karachi costs Rs4,550 for a seat and Rs6,500 for a sleeper. Going by train, an AC berth from Lahore to Karachi costs around Rs6,000, an economy berth around Rs1,400. Internal flights are also good value, helped by a handful of budget airlines, among them Serene Air (www.sereneair.com) and AirBlue (www.airblue.com). In most of the country these have provided some welcome competition to the state-run PIA (www.piac.com.pk), though only the latter offers flights to the far north; PIAâs IslamabadâSkardu flight costs around Rs27,000 return, the Gilgit flight Rs24,000. It can get expensive again hiring Jeeps in Gilgit-Baltistan. A dayâs hire will cost at least Rs7,000.
C
Children
Children fare quite well in Pakistan because people seem quite besotted with them. Children are always welcome and treated with respect, and their presence opens many doors. However, Pakistan is not always equipped with special facilities for children such as nappy-changing rooms or special rest...
