Things to do in Karachi
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Café Flo
Run by a Frenchwoman hailing from Nice, and located inside the Alliance Française, Café Flo provides the ultimate Parisian dining experience in Karachi. This restaurant is particularly popular with foreigners living in the city; reservations are essential. Try the divine pâté, the decadent chocolate mousse, the luscious lobster...C'est magnifique!
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Village Garden Restaurant
Karachi's oldest restaurant, the Village Garden is a pleasant place to sit in the open air and catch a breeze. The menu here is heavy on barbequed meat, plus some tasty karais (food braised with vegetables, served bubbling in its own pan) and the like. The TV in the middle of the restaurant is permanently tuned to the cricket.
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Frere Hall
Many of the city's most architecturally interesting British Raj buildings are now used as government offices. They include Frere Hall.
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Sandspit
Although not as busy as Clifton Beach, Sandspit is popular with families on Sunday and on holidays. Sandspit is a natural breakwater that prevents the harbour from silting up - a serious problem along most of the coastline - and played a large role in Karachi's emergence as the main port on this part of the Arabian Sea. A taxi from central Karachi costs around Rs250, with buses from Lea Market costing Rs20.
Beaches stretch almost continuously for hundreds of kilometres from Karachi into the Makran in Balochistan but much of the coast is off limits to foreigners. Swimming away from recognised areas is unsafe due to strong undercurrents and heavy pollution. Some beaches als…
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Clifton Beach
Clifton Beach is Karachi's busiest beach, although here you'll want to take a stroll rather than a swim. The beach itself is nothing special, made of mud-grey sand, but it's fun for people-spotting. Clifton is one of Karachi's posher neighbourhoods, but the beach attracts a complete cross section of society, so gives a good picture of Karachi at play. It's deserted before late afternoon, and at it's most festive on Sundays.
Camel and horse rides on the sands are popular, while stands sell cold drinks, chai (tea) and grilled corn. A park and promenade was on the verge of completion when we visited, where you can stroll for a small entry fee. The main roundabout near the be…
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Manora Island
Manora Island sits a short ferry ride from Keamari Harbour, the entrance to Karachi's busy port. The island was the site of the fort where Karachi's Talpur rulers surrendered to the British, who later erected a (still-intact) lighthouse in its place. The island has a small beach overlooked by the remains of a 19th-century Hindu temple. Swimming isn't recommended due to strong currents and pollution. There are food stalls around the beach, some selling fresh fish in batter.
The main reason to come to Manora Island is to enjoy the sea breezes on the ferry trip out here. Boats in the harbour will also run longer trips for the right fee, but note that photography is forbidden…
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Defence Housing Authority Mosque (Masjid-i-Tuba)
Surely Pakistan's most eccentric mosque, the Defence Housing Authority Mosque is a truly odd structure that was built in the late 1960s. The low-slung mosque is contained under one vast dome with no supporting columns or vaults. With a diameter of 72m, the tentlike dome claims to be the world's largest. Constructed of white marble, it has thousands of mirror tiles in its thermally proofed interior, giving the impression of twinkling stars.
Visitors are welcome, although it's recommended to avoid prayer times and Fridays. Also known as the Defence Society Mosque, it's in DHA, about 1km southeast of the Cantonment Railway Station.
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Turtle Spotting
In the evening between September and November, you can spot giant Olive Ridley and green turtles along parts of the Karachi shoreline. The best way see them is to go with a local naturalist or hire a boat from Keamari with a knowledgeable captain for the specific purpose of watching them. Hawkes Bay and Sandspit are the prime places to spot turtles. A handy local contact is the green turtle project officer at the Sindh Wildlife Management Board, who is responsible for their protection.
The PTDC office can also advise on hiring boats and arrange tours with enough notice.
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Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Museum
Pakistan's plentiful military museums always pose a problem - how to celebrate an institution that has repeatedly seized power from the politicians and lost every war it's contested? The answer is just to focus on the hardware. The impressive outdoor Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Museum does just that. Over 30 aircraft are on show, including an Indian Gnat that was captured by Pakistani forces in 1965.
Guided tours are free, and it's blissfully uncrowded on weekdays, making it a fine escape from the rat race.
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Karachi Metropolitan Development Corporation Building
Many of the city's most architecturally interesting British Raj buildings are now used as government offices and aren't so easily accessible for sightseeing. This includes the palatial Karachi Metropolitan Development Corporation Building, which was built in 1935 to mark George V's Silver Jubilee. It incorporates pointed Oriental cupolas at its four corners and has a lofty clock tower that's also domed in the same style.
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Thai Seafood
Stepping into the icy air of this modern restaurant is delicious, and the food almost matches. The menu has a wide range of Thai and Chinese dishes, with an excellent value three-course set menu for Rs299. Service is a bit fussy without actually being brilliant, and waiters sometimes insist on bringing all three courses at once. Steamed squid with lemon grass and the fish cakes with chilli are winners.
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Evolution
Evolution remains one of the cooler places to eat - and be seen - in Karachi. It's popular with the sons and daughters of Karachi's upper-crust families. Evolution only serves a buffet at lunch but has an 'around-the-world' à la carte theme at dinner, with Pakistani, Italian, Thai, Continental and Japanese dishes. You name it, they've probably offered it. Good food in classy surroundings.
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Boating
At Keamari Harbour you can hire a boat to take you to Manora Island. Aside from the ferry, boats can be hired for around Rs300 per hour according to size, up to around Rs2000 for the whole day. Some captains can offer sea fishing, or even just crabbing within the harbour, both outside the monsoon season. The PTDC office can advise on more nautical options.
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Quaid-i-Azam Mausoleum
This curiously shaped mausoleum is a monument to Pakistan's founder, Mohammed Ali Jinnah. It's set at the top of a stepped pyramid in a small park. Built in 1958-68 from the design of a Turkish architect, it is minimalist and stark. The white marble structure makes some concession to traditional styles with a square plan and supporting a semicircular dome.
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Salt n Pepper Village
Karachi has become quite well known for its high-end restaurants and this is a good choice for evening entertainment, as it always has live Pakistani music. Superbly situated by the sea, it's popular, so it can sometimes be hard to get a table, especially on weekends. The food receives glowing reports, the interior is smart and the ocean views are sublime.
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National Museum of Pakistan
The display here includes a two-million-year-old Stone Age axe recovered from the Potwar Plateau and other artefacts from around Pakistan. There's an interesting Islamic section outlining the early Arab settlements of Debal and Mansura. The 'Freedom Movement' gallery has a collection of photos and newspaper articles relating to the Independence movement.
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Mohatta Palace
Near the Ziarat of Abdullah Shah Gazi is the Mohatta Palace, another residence of Jinnah's sister Fatima, a fine British Raj building that has enjoyed a new lease of life following its restoration in 1999. The exhibtions detail the history of Pakistan's distinctive artistic heritage while the gardens offer some fine relief from Karachi's crowded mayhem.
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Capri Cinema
Because of the utter absence of bars in Karachi and the need to obtain a permit from the excise department to purchase alcohol, you may be struggling for entertainment after dark. A movie is one option; check newspapers for session details. The Capri often shows English-language films, and a few other cinemas are also scattered along the same stretch.
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Empress Market
Saddar is a conglomeration of historic bazaars and tourist shops. The Empress Market (named after Queen Victoria, Empress of India) is dominated by a Gothic-Mughal-style clocktower and is one of central Karachi's main landmarks with scores of stalls inside and outside the labyrinthine, covered bazaar. A very interesting place for a leisurely wander.
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Purple Haze
Purple Haze is a plush, dimly lit café-style eatery that attracts the young and hip side of Karachi life. There's wi-fi, and frequent live music at the weekends, from traditional to Urdu hip-hop. The food's not bad either, leaning towards Western and fusion styles, from fancy burgers and noodles to scrumptious cheesecake and great coffee.
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Holy Trinity Cathedral
British spiritual needs were well served in Karachi, and its churches provide some of Karachi's finest remaining examples of British Raj architecture. The Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral has some fascinating plaques inside erected to the memory of British soldiers who died in various campaigns. Services at 09:00 every Sunday.
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Arizona Grill
Those seeking a change from Pakistani fare will relish their choices here - all juicy steaks, pasta and salads, pepped up with some great fruit cocktails. Pepper steak with fries and salad hits the spot, but we also found the spinach ravioli well worth investigating for palates needing a break from meat-heavy menus.
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Boat Basin Restaurants
Over 40 simple but good-value eateries are strung along this informal open-air promenade on the edge of Clifton. It's pretty quiet during the day, getting going after 21:00. Perennially popular with Karachi society as a place to eat and meet, alfresco dining is particularly pleasant here during the cooler months.
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Bar.B.Q Tonight
A restaurant with a great atmosphere that delivers exactly what its name promises. Grab a seat outdoors, or allow a waiter to find you a table inside (ask for the rooftop). The chicken tikka and Afghan kebabs never disappoint, but we fell in love with the roast mutton leg, with the meat falling off the bone.
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Ziarat of Abdullah Shah Gazi
On a hill above Clifton Beach is the Ziarat of Abdullah Shah Gazi, a green-domed shrine dedicated to a 9th-century Sufi. Qawwali (Islamic devotional singing) often takes place here on Thursday night. Beneath the shrine is a freshwater spring, which pilgrims have credited with mystical healing qualities.
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