Where to stay in Karachi

See

There is a lot to see in Karachi, but the typical "tourist" sights are concentrated in the downtown district of Saddar which is fairly spread out and where there's a collection of buildings and structures of varied architectural styles. The British built a variety of private and public buildings during the British Raj from 1858 to 1947 in Karachi, many of which colonial buildings and landmarks still remain today. Saddar is a chaotic tumble of goods, people, and vehicles and getting lost in Saddar can make for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. According to some reports, the city possesses over 600 protected buildings dating largely to the British period.

• Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mausoleum
• Chaukhandi Tombs
• Empress Market
• Frere Hall
• Hindu Gymkhana
• Holy Trinity Cathedral
• I. I. Chundrigar Rd
• Jehangir Kothari Parade
• Karachi Municipal Corporation Building
• Masjid e Tooba
• Mohatta Palace Museum
• Quaid-e-Azam House

Do

Karachi offers a wide scope of activities; however, don't expect too much even though it's one of the world's biggest cities. Due to being on the shoreline, Karachi offers plenty of opportunities for water babies.

• Arena
• Cinemas
• Dinner Cruise
• Hawke's Bay Beach
• Sandspit Beach
• French Beach
• Tushan Beach
• Revolving Restaurant
• Safari Park
• Karachi Golf Club
• The Great Fiesta Water Park
• Cosy Water Park

Eat

Karachi has a large number of restaurants from fast food, fast casual, casual dining to fine dining as well several fantastic upmarket restaurants, which serve a huge and wide variety of both local and international cuisines such as (Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Arab, Korean, South Indian, etc.). The cuisine of Karachi is strongly influenced by the city's Muhajir population, who have traditionally been based in Karachi, hence the city being known for Muhajir tastes in its cuisine, however cuisines varies from one neighborhood to another, given the diverse nature of ethnic origins that exist in this giant metropolitan.

Drink

Obtaining alcohol is easier than in the rest of the Pakistan but still, drinking alcohol in public areas including restaurants is banned and strongly discouraged, and only legal wine shops are allowed to sell alcohol. The signs of wine shops are usually marked with blue and red stripes (which indicates they're legalised), have no area to sit and drink, mostly sell locally produced brand such as Murree Brewery and are usually closed on Fridays. And even though Karachi has the largest number of wine shops but still finding one can be hassle for a newcomer since most of the taxi and rickshaw drivers simply deny knowing their locations, due to cultural taboos.

Stay safe

Since the late 2000s, Karachi has seen many bombings and attacks as well as political and ethnic tensions, since the city has a conspicuous history of problems with terrorism, violent demonstrations, street crime, kidnappings and other negative effects of Islamic fundamentalism, and has become one of the most crime-infested and troubled cities of the region. Several countries started to order their citizens to register with their consulate to receive contact details during emergencies. Check with your consulate before you travel, if you are required to register, too. Street crime in Karachi is about what you'd expect in a huge city.