Holiday in Karachi

About Karachi

Karachi is Pakistan's largest city, an economic powerhouse, and with almost 16 million inhabitants, one of the most populous metropolises in the world — a city that never sleeps, where the Arabian Sea meets endless urban landscapes and where the culinary diversity of the entire South Asian subcontinent steams on the streets. As the former capital of Pakistan and the gateway to the country, Karachi has always been a melting pot: Sindhis, Pashtuns, Punjabis, Muhajirs, Baloch, and Gujaratis live side by side, and each community has brought its own culinary tradition. The result is a street food paradise like no other — Burns Garden Food Street and the Boat Basin Area transform into open-air restaurants in the evening, serving Biryani, Nihari, Seekh Kebab, and fresh seafood until well past midnight. The historical side of Karachi is surprising: The Quaid-e-Azam Mausoleum, the final resting place of the founder of the state, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, is an impressive marble structure in the center of a vast park. The Mohatta Palace Museum, a pink Rajasthan sandstone palace from the 1920s, houses one of the best art collections in the country. And Frere Hall, a Victorian Gothic building that now serves as a gallery and event venue, shows how British colonial architecture merges with South Asian life. Karachi's greatest treasure is the sea: Clifton Beach and Sea View Beach offer promenades, camel rides on the beach, and spectacular sunsets over the Arabian Sea. By boat, one can reach the offshore islands of Churna Island and Sandspit Beach, where sea turtles nest and the underwater world invites snorkeling.