Punjab

Punjab

The best places to visit in Punjab, Pakistan are its great historic cities: Mughal Lahore, the Sufi shrines of Multan, the Gandharan ruins at Taxila and Sher Shah Suri's Rohtas Fort. Adventure Planners runs guided Punjab tours from Islamabad and Lahore with private drivers, local guides and comfortable stays.

Lahore Lahore View Tours Rohtas Multan View Tours Taxila Taxila View Tours Islamabad Islamabad View Tours Rohtas Rohtas View Tours

Why visit Punjab

Punjab is Pakistan's most populous province and the heartland of its history. The name means "five waters", after the rivers that cross its plains, and those rivers carried empires: the Gandharan cities of Taxila, the Delhi Sultanate tombs of Multan, the Mughal court at Lahore and the Sikh era that followed. Three of Pakistan's six UNESCO World Heritage properties are in Punjab: Taxila, Rohtas Fort, and the Lahore Fort with the Shalamar Gardens.

It is also the easiest part of the country to travel. Motorways link the main cities, the food is some of the best in South Asia, and most sights can be reached in a day from Lahore or Islamabad.

Best places to visit in Punjab, Pakistan

  • Lahore: the Lahore Fort, Badshahi Mosque, Shalamar Gardens and the lanes of the Walled City. See our Lahore tours.
  • Taxila: Buddhist stupas, monasteries and three ancient city sites near Islamabad, listed by UNESCO in 1980.
  • Rohtas Fort: a 16th-century Afghan fortress near Jhelum with more than four kilometres of walls.
  • Multan: the "City of Saints", known for blue-tiled shrines and Tughlaq-era tombs. More on our Multan page.
  • The Salt Range: the Khewra Salt Mine and the Hindu temple complex of Katas Raj.
  • Bahawalpur and Cholistan: Derawar Fort, whose forty bastions rise out of the desert.

Best time to visit Punjab

  • October to March: the main touring season, with warm days and cool evenings across the plains.
  • February and March: spring, when the air is clearest and mustard fields are in flower.
  • November to January: pleasant temperatures, though smog from crop burning can settle over Lahore.
  • May to September: daytime heat often passes 40°C, and the monsoon brings heavy rain in July and August.

Getting around Punjab

Most visitors arrive in Islamabad or Lahore. The M-2 motorway joins the two in about four and a half hours, and the M-3 and M-4 continue from Lahore to Multan in around four. Rohtas Fort sits just off the old Grand Trunk Road near Jhelum, so it fits neatly into a drive between the two main cities.

Punjab tour packages

For a short stay, the 1 Day Lahore Cultural Tour is a quick introduction to the old city, and 2 Days Islamabad and Taxila pairs the capital with its Gandharan ruins. The 15D 14N Cultural And Heritage Expedition Across Civilizations in Pakistan takes in Lahore, Multan, Taxila and Rohtas in one longer journey.

Plan your Punjab trip

Choose a tour above, or tell us your dates and we will build a private route through Punjab with a driver, guide and hotels chosen for you.