4 Things to See/Do in Lahore You Must Not Miss
For those who are travelling to Pakistan for the first time, head straight to the heart of the country, Lahore. The capital and cultural hub of Pakistan can be very comfortably accessed by flights from London to Lahore to gaze at the Islamic marvel city. Here goes my recommendation on the best things to do/see in Lahore if you have just a day or two in the city.
- Bow Head at the Badshahi Mosque
Badshahi Masjid is one of the oldest architectural and religious centerpieces of Lahore. More than 4 decades old mosque, it was built by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and is spacious enough to accommodate 10000 worshippers at a time. However, visitors are required to dress appropriately and modestly with their heads and legs covered and shoes removed when entering inside the mosque as a respect to the religion.
Do make a point to visit the mosque in evening when it is beautifully lit up and the crowd is lesser.
- Walk in the Elephants’ steps at Lahore Fort
Make your way to the Lahore Fort after you are done visiting Badshahi Mosque. Quite similar to the Mughal forts in Delhi and Agra (India), this one too hails from the Mughal Era. You can spot many travelers and locals coming here on weekends for outing or picnic.
Make sure you don’t leave the fort without visiting the Palace of Mirrors (Sheesh Mahal) and match your steps on the elephant steps made for the emperor’s elephants to move in and out of the fort.
- Haggle Down Anarkali Bazaar
Interested in shopping in Lahore? March straight towards Anarkali Bazaar, named after Mughal emperor Jahangir’s legendary lover Anarkali who was believed to be buried alive behind the walls. Anarkali Bazaar is one of the most popular and buzzing shopping centres of Lahore. The market is particularly renowned for Pakistani textiles, clothes, wood and metal carvings, book stores and many pre-used clothing stores. Test your bargaining skills to the optimum as most of the shops here don’t have a fixed price or you can tag along a local friend, if you know anyone.
- Eat your heart out at Cooco’s Den
Across the road overlooking Badshahi Mosque, you can find Cooco’s Den restaurant, just in the centre of city’s red light district. The restaurant, owned and run by a dancer’s son, has beautiful paintings of dancing girls of all ages ornamenting its walls. Trek up the stairs and get on to the rooftop for a breathtaking and panoramic view of the Badshahi Mosque and have the most sumptuous food in an amazing ambience.
Now that we have told you about the must do’s in Lahore, also have a look at the don’ts:-
- Do learn some basic Urdu phrases as it is their common trading language. Using some basic words may get you cheaper deals in markets or a tea invitation, maybe.
- The city is best explored at night when the locals are in cheerful mood. Hunt the markets for cheap Lahore shopping after the sunset.
- All city and historical monuments are closed for public on Sundays. So do pal your travel accordingly.
- Don’t travel Lahore by the month of Ramadan as most of the city locals are fasting then. Also, smoking or drinking at all public places is banned in Lahore.
Touch base with the eager-to-help CSRs at Hoodaki and get best in class deals on cheap flights to Lahore from UK and other travel extras.