🧭 Pakistan: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Pakistan feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 112 written places.
Hospitality is a matter of honour - expect to be fed, refilled and invited before you can object.
Cost level: Budget One of the friendlier destinations for a travel budget - daily costs sit well below western Europe. Estimate a daily budget →
✓ Considered polite
- Accept chai when offered - the question is a formality and the answer is yes
- Greet with Assalamu alaikum and use your right hand for eating and passing
- Dress modestly in loose clothing covering arms and legs - a shalwar kameez earns instant goodwill
- Remove shoes at homes and mosques, following your host's lead
✗ Better avoided
- Offer a handshake to a woman unless she extends her hand first
- Refuse hospitality flatly - a soft decline followed by accepting a little keeps everyone happy
- Point the soles of your feet at people when sitting
- Eat, drink or smoke in public during Ramadan daylight hours
💡 Worth knowing
- Cash rupees rule outside big-city malls and hotels - carry small notes
- Alcohol is not sold generally; a few licensed four- and five-star hotels serve non-Muslim foreign guests
- Friday prayers pause business around midday; the weekend itself is Saturday and Sunday
- Bargaining is standard in bazaars, but fixed-price shops mean what they say
Plugs and voltage
Type C, D · 230 V travel adapter →
CurrencyPakistani rupee (PKR)
LanguagesUrdu, English
Driving sideleft
Some links on this page are Amazon affiliate links - if you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only list the kind of gear we would pack ourselves.
Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.