9 Best Places to Visit in Islamabad

The CN Traveler, a leading magazine, has written an article on ‘the best holiday destinations for 2021’ in which Pakistan has taken the top position. Other countries like the United Kingdom, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia have ranked second, third, and fourth respectively. Islamabad is the second most beautiful capital in the world and has lots of famous places to visit in Islamabad.

Speaking of Pakistan specifically, when it comes to tourism, Islamabad has the best tourist places in the country. The city is lush green, astonishingly attractive, and the beautiful capital of the country and offers heartbreaking views of the mountains. Apart from this, the city is also packed with lots of tasty restaurants, impressive hotels, fun shopping malls, historic places, and interesting sightseeing areas. In addition to that, the capital is rich for having the top colleges, best schools, top housing societies, real estate companies, and universities in Islamabad

If you are in a search of a place that can offer you exceptional recreational activities at affordable pricing? We are here to help you.

Now, let’s get started with the history and culture of Islamabad.

History & Culture of Islamabad

Islamabad means the “City of Islam” and is located on Pothohar Plateau on the northern side of the Punjab region. It has a population of almost 1,129,000 and is known for the most historical and best Islamabad picnic points. Weather-wise, the city has a humid subtropical climate including four seasons: summer, winter, spring, and autumn. Normally, the people will tell you that there is one more season in this city, called the rainy monsoon season. Islamabad’s weather is highly unpredictable and can change at any time. Combined with the weather and its amazing spots, it makes for an interesting place to be.

Here is a compiled list of all the picnic spots and Islamabad beautiful places to visit.

List of Top 9 Places to visit in Islamabad

Name Location Established Year
1. Lok Virsa Museum Garden Avenue، Shakarparian Rd, Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory 1974
2. Pakistan Monument Shakarparian Hills، Srinagar Hwy, Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory 2007
3. Faisal Mosque Shah Faisal Ave, E-8, Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory 44000 1986
4. Margalla Hills Margalla Hills, Islamabad Capital Territory 44000 ———
5. Neela Sandh Nila Sandh, Rawalpindi, Punjab ‏———
6. Lake View Park Murree Rd, LAKE VIEW PARK, Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory 49510 ‏2010
7. Daman-e-Koh Daman -e- Koh Rd, E-7, Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory 44000 ‏———
8. Saidpur Village Saidpur, Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory ‏———
9. Local Bazaars ——— ‏———

1. Lok Virsa Museum

Lok Virsa is the best heritage museum of Islamabad, located 5.2 km away from Shakarparian Road. Spanning over a total area of (20,000) sqft., it was established in 1982 and is currently being managed by the Lok Virsa – National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage. The main purpose of the museum is to represent the traditions and culture of Pakistan. There are a variety of cultural items in the museum including pictures, statues, pottery, textile work, and music. Apart from this, it also consists of a library that has a tremendous collection of books about culture, history, folklore, ethnicities, and traditions. It’s also famous for hosting exhibitions to present antique jewelry, shiny metalwork, block printing, stunning woodwork, bone work, and horn products. Lok Virsa is the best place to visit as it is listed as the top historical place in Islamabad.

2. Pakistan Monument

It’s also a heritage museum, like Lok Virsa, located in Islamabad. Its construction started in May 2004 and by 23 March 2007, it was completed and inaugurated by General Pervez Musharaf – the president of Pakistan at the time. It covers a total area of 2.8 hectares (6.9 acres) with a state-of-the-art design that represents Mughal architecture. It has a petal-shaped structure that looks like a star and crescent moon from above the two things in the country’s flag.

The Pakistan monument consists of a wax museum, audio-visual archive, reference library, conference hall with a capacity of 62-seats, and an auditorium known as Panorama Hall. If you are looking for Islamabad beautiful places, Pakistan monuments should be on the top of your list.

3. Faisal Masjid

Faisal Mosque is the epitome of Islamic architecture that is located in the foothills of the Margalla Hills. The mosque consists of eight sides of concrete shell-shaped sloping roofs, creating a triangular prayer hall that can contain 10,000 persons at one time. The construction of the mosque started in 1976 and was completed by 1986, at a construction cost of US 120 million. It has 4 minarets; each of height almost 90 m (300 ft). It covers a total area of 1,400,000 sq. f.t with an influential piece of Islamic architecture. Globally, it is listed as the fifth-largest mosque and the largest one in the entire Asia region. It is one of the best place in list of Islamabad famous places.

4. Margalla Hills

Margalla Hills is a part of the Himalayas range, located on the stunning north side of Islamabad. It’s a picture-perfect place that is a must-visit location point for tourists and travelers. It has picnic points, viewpoints, trails, and restaurants that attract everyone to come and enjoy nature. This range is home to many birds, including laggard falcons, peregrine falcon, robins, sparrows, shrikes, kites, crows, Indian sparrow hawk, larks, paradise flycatchers, black partridge, pheasants, spotted doves, Egyptian vultures, falcons, hawks, eagles, Himalayan griffon vulture, kestrel, white-cheeked bulbul, etc. Therefore, for all the bird lovers, it’s the perfect place.

5. Neela Sandh (Waterfall)

It’s a waterfall located at mouri syedan and almost 40 kilometers away from Islamabad. It gives a stunning view with the surroundings of tall trees, greenery, and lush green mountains. As its name, Neela Sandh has blue crystal water that shines like pearls in the daylight and gives the waterfall a stunning view. The most mesmerizing part of it is the dripping water from the top. If you are thinking about the best places to visit near Islamabad, Neela Sandh is one of the best options to choose in list of Islamabad famous places.

6. Lake View Park

Easily approachable from Murree Road and located at the edge of Kashmir Highway and combined with Rawal Lake; this park is known to be one of the best Islamabad outing places. Rawal Dam is also a picnic spot and one of the most famous and visited dams in Pakistan. You can also read about the best hill stations in Pakistan.

The best thing about Lake View Park is the dedicated BBQ spaces, where you and your family or friends can throw a BBQ party and enjoy the stunning view at night with taste. Besides all this, it’s the perfect place for the kids as there are a lot of swings and other amenities in the park including passenger road train, paintball battlefield, boating arena, motorsports ranch, horse riding mobs, ibex club, rock climbing gym, and motorsports ranch. All of the above amenities make this park one of the best places to visit in Islamabad.

7. Daman-e-Koh

Daman-e-Koh is a hilltop garden located in the heart of Margalla hills. It’s about 2400ft from sea level and 500ft from the capital. It’s the highest point from where you can see the whole city. It’s also a stay point for the tourists on their way to Pir Sohawa. You can also enjoy the scenic view of the Faisal Mosque from the top of Daman-e-Koh. In 2007, it was further developed by the Capital Development Authority to offer more facilities and convenience to visitors. If you are fond of a quiet and peaceful environment, you must visit this amazing point to see the capital of Pakistan in one frame and to enjoy the silence of nature.

8. Saidpur Village

Saidpur village is located in the lap of lush green Margalla Hills. Its history dates back to the 16th century. It was known as the home to a 16th-century temple named “Ram Kund Temple” or “Rama Mandir”. Back in 1530, this village was founded by Mirza Fateh Ali and named Fatehpur Baoli. It’s one of the best Islamabad famous places with an elevation of 620m (2,030ft). The current government has converted this village into a modern village with all facilities including posh restaurants and eateries. Saidpur village is the best place to visit at night as it gives a breathtaking scenic view that you can never forget.

9. Local Bazaars

Islamabad is a city with sectors dividing residential and community areas. Each sector, phase, or town has its commercial areas that are known as the markets or in common language bazaars. The main purposes of these markets are to provide the necessities of our daily life. However, some of the bazaars have taken more popularity in a very short time as the residents of the city are foodies and love shopping. Therefore, a lot of markets like Super Market – Sector F-6, Aabpara Market – Sector G-6, Karachi Company – Sector G-9, Jinnah Super Market – Sector F-7, and Sunday Market – Sectors G-11, H-9 are the point of shopping for the community of Islamabad. These markets are the most crowded areas and top places in the city.

So this was the list of top picks of the best places in Islamabad. If you are planning to visit Islamabad, these all places should be on your list. Visit these amazing places in Islamabad and let us know what your reviews are about any of them. If you are a resident of Islamabad you must read our blog about the famous Picnic spots in Islamabad.

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