160 of the Best Things To Do in Lahore
In a city as full of life as Lahore, one can sometimes get overwhelmed with choices. With so many new places to eat opening every day, one may think there isn’t much else to do but we are here to prove you wrong and provide you with 160 options of the best things to do and places to visit in Lahore. Let’s dive right in! [Featured Image: IG @wattabut.you]
Please note: due to the current Covid-19 situation, some of these might be postponed or closed for now. The situation is changing from day to day, so check before you pop along!
Best Things to do in Lahore
1. Check out The Epic Museums of Lahore
Lahore is rich in history, culture, and architecture. The quickest way to get to know about the history of the city is by touring its museums full of artifacts and rich cultural history. See our full article for Best Museums in Lahore or try these.
📜 National History Museum: Known for its technology and digital sources.
🚁 Army Museum: Discover the rich history of the Army of Pakistan.
🏛️ The Lahore Museum: A trip down the history of Pakistan.
🏺 Fakir Khana: Private museum, known for its unique architecture that resembles a mansion.
2. Visit One of the Prestigious Art Galleries
Touring one of Lahore’s art galleries can be incredibly fun and therapeutic. This is enhanced if you take an interest in art yourself, and want to learn more about the creativity and expression of the people in Pakistan.
🖼️ Ejaz Art Gallery: Focusing on contemporary artworks.
🎨 Hamail Art Gallery: Known for displaying the most diverse range of art pieces.
🖌️ Oysters Art Gallery: Displays contemporary art pieces including calligraphy and abstract.
🖼️ O Art Space: Displays modern art and furniture pieces from aspiring artists.
3. Stop by One of the Charming Hi-Tea Buffets
To fully explore Lahore’s culture and the native food, you need to make a stop at one of the local restaurants that offer all-you-can-eat hi-teas. These restaurants are known for their lush decor, service, and delicious food. A trip to Lahore is truly incomplete without visiting at least one of the following eateries.
🍱 Salt’ n Pepper Village: Takes inspiration for its decor from the actual villages surrounding Lahore.
🥘 Mandarin Kitchen: The hi-tea buffet serves continental and Asian dishes.
🍲 X2: A nutritious and fulfilling hi-tea buffet with great ambiance and stellar service.
🍜 Novu: A classic, all-time favorite. Novu’s Hi-Tea is a must-have if you love Asian cuisine.
4. Enjoy a Scrumptious Cup of Chai
Pakistan’s chai, or tea, is known for its impeccable flavor as well as its aroma, and you can have a lifetime experience from one of the following places.
☕ Peeru’s: This cafe opens in the evening and also entertains customers with live music performances and epic chai!
☕ Chai Kada: If you want to sit surrounded by vibrant colored cultural art and sip a cup of chai, this is the place to go to.
☕ Lakshmi Chowk: This intersection is crowded with tea stalls that serve piping hot Kashmiri chai throughout the day.
☕ Karrak Khel: This place is always full of life and especially on winter evenings where the outdoor area is lit with music and conversations over tea.
5. Have a Look at Lahore’s Animal Kingdom
Something for both kids and adults to enjoy, visit the animals!
🦒 Lahore Zoo: Holds one of the largest animal collections in Pakistan.
🦁 Safari Park: A wild exhibition of exotic animals along with boating and fishing services are available.
🦋 Butterfly Park: This enclosed park holds a variety of beautiful butterflies and plants that are worth a visit.
6. Fulfill All Your Breakfast Needs With Traditional Lahori Nashta
Nashta, or ‘breakfast’, in Lahore typically consists of appetizing and fulfilling dishes. These can be both savory and sweet and you will find yourself surrounded by a large variety of breakfast items when visiting any single Nashta stall in Lahore.
🍱 Bundu Khan: The classic – served with halwa, puri, channay, and lassi.
🐄 Phajja: Famous savory dish made from goat or cow legs, cooked in spices, oil, and broth.
🥩 Muhammadi Nihari: A slow-cooked savory dish consisting of large amounts of tender meat and a rich taste.
🍲 Amritsari Harissa: This Classic Harissa will take your tastebuds on a ride and give you a taste of the cultural cuisine.
7. Grab Tickets to an Exciting Live Performance
Lahore has a vibrant culture and nightlife that is centered around Qawwali music and the thriving film industry. The city holds live performances from brilliant and distinguished artists daily, at various venues. Here are a few you can catch.
💃 The Colony: Hosts dance, art, and music performances from various local and foreign artists.
🎙 Strictly Social: A cafe that hosts karaoke performances, stand-up comedies, and more.
🎹 Peeru’s: A cafe with visually pleasing decor that caters to live music and plays.
🎭 Alhamra Arts: Indulge in the theatre culture of Lahore through one of its exotic plays.
8. Get Adventurous!
Adulting can be hard sometimes and in such times it is important to let your inner child out and we’ve got just the places for you to let it all out!
🕹 Playdium: Something for everyone, this arcade contains games and activities for all age groups.
🏎 2F2F FORMULA: Motor cars that can be enjoyed with both your friends and family.
🧗 Climbing Arena: Have fun climbing at the wall climbing arena and show off your strength.
🛩️ Aerial Joyride: Take an Exhilarating Plane Ride all over Lahore from Lake City.
9. Wander around Walled City
The contemporary side of Lahore is praise-worthy of course, but Old Lahore and its monuments are where the actual beauty lies. The endless beauty of the Mughal-inspired architecture is a sight to witness on your trip to Lahore.
🏰 Lahore Fort: Find your calm in the vastness of the Fort, a cultural heritage.
💎 Sheesh Mahal: View the skilled mirror-work, a fine example of Mughal Architecture.
🧱 Gates of Old Lahore: Explore the 13 exquisite gates of old Lahore.
🗼 Minar-e-Pakistan: Find the perfect balance of both history and amusement here.
10. Have a Green Picnic
The gardens and parks of Lahore are known for their lively atmosphere, and beautiful architecture relating to the Mughal period. There are several large gardens spaced all over the city, you can easily find one closest to your place of residence.
🌳 Lawrence Garden: Plan a tour of the largest park in Lahore and enjoy the scenic views.
🏞 Shalimar Gardens: Make your way through the Mughal architecture and greenery.
🌲 Botanical Garden: Fascinate yourself with Pakistan’s wildlife and recreational park.
🌺 Jillani Park: A lush park with a polo ground, racing track, and lakes you can ride boats in.
11. Grab some Popcorn
The movie theatres in Lahore are a major source of entertainment as they show both local and international films. Pakistan’s film industry is a thriving one, and this is reflected in the quality of Lahore’s movie theatres.
🍿 Cue Cinema: A family-friendly cinema with recliners and restaurant food served at your seat.
🎥 Cinestar: Sit back and enjoy a wide range of movie options with some popcorn.
🎞 Cinepax: A vibrant ambiance, buttery popcorn, and an unforgettable environment.
📽 Universal Cinemas: The ultimate cinema experience with the option of a personal suite.
12. Eat with a view
A rooftop restaurant provides a great view of the city. The following restaurants give you a terrific rooftop view you can enjoy along with your food.
🏯 Otus: Great ambiance combined with a fine dining experience.
🏢 Penthouse: A luxurious seating area, and the perfect ambiance to make your dinner the most enjoyable.
🌇 Monal: A unique restaurant offering you an aerial view of Lahore.
🌃 Andaaz: An old restaurant that serves a scenic view of Badshahi Mosque along with traditional food.
13. Get a sugar rush
Satisfy your sweet tooth at one of Lahore’s dessert-focussed cafés. These stores can offer you some of the best desserts you could eat in the city.
🍰 The Kitchen: Try the trendy new desserts including Lotus skillet and Lotus Tres Leches Cake.
🎂 Butler’s Cafe: If you are a chocolate lover, this is your place to be. Try the Molten Lava cake and the gourmet chocolates and cakes and thank us later!
🧁 Sweet Affairs: With a huge variety of desserts, you’ll definitely find something you love here.
🥧 Dessert Directory: The cute little cafe with a variety of different desserts baked from homes across Lahore.
14. Unwind and Relax
Some of the recreational spots in Lahore demand exclusive memberships and provide the best facilities. These resorts are known for their outstanding service in terms of food, quality, and entertainment services.
🏞 Oasis: A large recreational park consisting of a golf course, and water sports.
⛵ Greenfields Resort: A peaceful atmosphere that also provides rooms for overnight stay.
⛳ Defence Raya: The vast grounds, golf courses, tennis court, sauna, and many more facilities to keep you entertained.
🏌️♂️ Royal Palm: One of the oldest Golf Courses of the city, nestled in between the city but away from all the hustle-bustle.
15. Discover the Tranquility of Lahore’s Mosques
Lahore is known for its beautiful Mosques. They are created to reflect peace and grandeur. Visit Lahore to get an idea of the old architecture of Mosques as well as the modern ones.
🤲 Badshahi Mosque: A fine example of Mughal architecture, this mosque speaks of Grandeur, beauty, and serenity.
🕌 Wazir Khan Mosque: Aesthetically pleasing and captivating with its beautiful colors and architecture.
🛐 Mavi Mosque: A Grand Mosque inspired by Turkish architecture.
🤲 Grand Bahria Mosque: The third-largest mosque of Pakistan, capable of holding up to 70 thousand worshippers.
16. Insta-Worthy Spots to Take Best Pictures
The architecture of Lahore is in a league of its own. Several spots around the city are used by bloggers and photographers to take aesthetic pictures and shoots. See our full article on Insta-worthy spots in Lahore. Here are a few picks for you:
🏢 Sweet Tooth: A bustling restaurant noted for its special interior design and furniture.
🗼 Bahria Eiffel Tower: A replica of the famous landmark of Paris.
🏛️ Quaid-e-Azam Library: A pearl-white exterior that radiates grace.
🌸 Maribelle: Gorgeous floral walls and photo booth provide a perfect Insta worthy background for your pictures.
17. Travel a little differently
Lahore’s public transport is rapidly advancing, and the major train lines are all over the city for an affordable price.
🚍 Metro: An efficient bus service that has up to 27 stops.
🚇 Orange Train: A driverless train service that has elevated and underground stations.
🚌 Sightseeing Bus: A one-stop solution if you want to have a glimpse of Lahore in a day.
🛺 Rangeela Rickshaw: A tourist ride for designated routes inside the walled city Lahore only.
18. Get a taste of Lahore
Get a rich taste of Lahore’s cuisine by visiting one of the following restaurants. Lahore’s food is famous throughout the country due to its unparalleled taste and a wide variety of food options. The restaurants in Lahore serve everything from desi, Asian, Chinese, and other cuisines. See our detailed article on Best Restaurants in Lahore, or start with these.
🍜 Bamboo Union: Tempting dishes ranging from Chinese to Thai and Japanese.
🥘 Spice Bazaar: A popular restaurant serving traditional Pakistani dishes.
🥪 Arcadian: A fine dining restaurant with a menu ranging from Asian fusion to Italian and continental.
🍖 Food Street: Eat a ravishing dinner in view of the Badshahi Mosque at the beautiful food street.
19. Enjoy the best of the events
Lahore is a flourishing and prosperous city that holds several fun events every day. However, some of these events are Lahore’s prime and visitors from all over the country wait the entire year for these.
🎸 Lahore Music Meet: An annual festival that hosts renowned Pakistani musicians and artists.
🎫 Lahore Foodfest: Held in late spring each year, Foodfest is considered Pakistan’s biggest music and food festival.
🎭 World Performing Arts Festivals: A beautiful amalgamation of various artistic disciplines such as Dance, Puppetry, Music, Film, and Theatre.
🏏 PSL: Experience the Thrill of a Cricket Match at Gaddafi Stadium.
20. Make Your Stay Memorable
Lahore’s hotels are designed to make your stay as comfortable as possible, regardless of the period. You can choose from various four or five-star hotels that offer everything from relaxation, cleanliness, and fast service. Here’s a list of the best hotels in Lahore, so take your pick.
🛏️ Pearl Continental: Arguably the best hotel in Lahore, PC provides you with a luxurious and comfortable stay.
🏨 Avari: Offering Impeccable service with top-notch rooms to experience luxury during your stay.
🛌 Grand Ittehad: Easy access to the majority of attractions, offers luxury & comfort for your stay.
🛎️ Ambiance: Located in Gulberg, the hotel offers free Wi-Fi, breakfast, and parking services.
21. Spin the Club
You can always indulge in a quick and relaxing game of golf at one of the country clubs in Lahore. The golf courses in Lahore provide excellent services in terms of recreation, and they are a value for your money.
⛳ Defense Raya: Located in DHA, Raya golf club is known for its luxurious course and hospitable service.
🏌️ Lahore Gymkhana: An exclusive club with the best sporting facilities in Lahore, including a lush restaurant.
🏌️♀️ Royal Palm: A renowned recreational sports club that offers splendid entertainment services.
🏌️♂️ Oasis Golf and Aqua Resort: Activities ranging from water sports, mini-golf, horse riding, boat ride, archery, and much more!
22. Explore the outskirts
Lahore is blessed with numerous historical and cultural sites that must be visited. However, there are artifacts from the Mughal era in its surroundings as well. If you are in the mood to drive, you will come across several appealing monuments with a rich history behind them.
🚤 Khanpur Dam: Offers activities like parasailing, jet skis, boating, rafting, and cliff diving.
🏔 Salt Range: Series of scenic hills and low mountains located on the Indus and Jehlum rivers.
🏞️ Neela Wahan Lake: A natural waterfall with an aqua-colored lake at the bottom, nestled between mountains.
🏰 Hiran Minar: The best of Mughal era architecture under the emperor, Jahangir.
23. Relish in The Local Delicacies
Lahore’s local delicacies is known for being diverse, and plentiful. There is a dish for everyone based on taste, appearance, and other preferences. The food is prepared with plenty of spices, flavorings, and oil. The dishes are incredibly delicious and hard to forget.
🥟 Best Samosa: Enjoy these local fried dumplings like never before.
🥨 Grato Jalebi: You are likely to come back for seconds for this favorite sweet street snack of Lahore.
🍱 Chashni: Tantalizing and addictive.
🍨 Baba Jee Kulfi: Made of milk and nuts, which makes it denser and creamier than normal ice creams.
24. Shop till you Drop
If you visit Lahore with high hopes of finding the best shopping options and entertainment under one roof, you will not be disappointed. The shopping experience is thrilling and you will surely take your time exploring all stores and outlets.
🏬 Liberty Market: More than 200 stores that offer a large variety of traditional clothes, shoes, jewelry, and more.
🏪 Packages Mall: Mall with local and international brands, a built-in movie theatre, and a food court.
🛍️ Emporium Mall: An impressively large shopping and entertainment center.
🛒 Mall of Lahore: Variety of outlets and a food court along with a huge grocery store to fulfill all your needs.
25. Sip your worries away
Try the best coffee shops for your caffeine fix. See our full article for Coffee Shops in Lahore or try these.
☕ Coffee Bean and Tea leaf: An insanely wide selection of over 50 beverages (Hot & Cold).
☕ Coffee Planet: From the run-of-the-mill lattes and cappuccinos to perfectly blended ristrettos.
☕ Kyle’s Coffee: This weekend only cafe with bright graffiti adorned walls will be your perfect caffeine and dessert fix.
☕ Contra Coffee: New addition to town but already winning hearts with its wide and epic range of coffees.
26. Baked with Love
There’s definitely no match for the talent that is found in Lahore – art-wise, taste-wise, and food-wise too! Here we also have some top-notch home bakers that will blow your mind away!
🎂 Bismah’s Bake Shop: Her cakes are usually all buttercream, designed and crafted to perfection.
🧁 Cupcationbyeesha: There’s just no compromise on quality and aesthetics, truly the best brownies in town!
🍪 Zaza: Fudgey, gooey cookies are their specialty but don’t forget to try out their stroopwafels and bite-sized brownies.
🥮 La Cuisine: Best known for their assorted cupcakes.
27. Hunt down Lahore’s nicest slices
Who doesn’t love pizza, right? And lucky for us, Lahore has some great slices to offer!
🍕 Pasta La Vista: Get a taste of Italy with just the sight and smell of this pizza.
🍕 Amavi: A local fine dining restaurant that does pizzas like none other. Try their Margherita and thank us later!
🍕 Solzpizza: Offers great Italian-style pizzas baked to perfection in a classic brick oven.
🍕 Cosa Nostra: A fine dining restaurant with great ambiance and even better Pizzas!
28. Eat your veggies!
Being healthy never goes out of style and Lahore is now up and coming with a whole lot of healthy options! Here are a few places to check out if you’re one for a healthy lifestyle.
🥦 Tayyib Store: A beautiful organic store, with already planted veggies and herbs to go.
🌿 Haryali Store: A cute little store filled with organic and healthy products.
🍀 Food Forest: A perfect place for health and fitness freaks.
29. Bubble your troubles away
A spa day with your support group is all you need to refresh, recharge and restart! Here are a great few options in town.
🧖♀️ Rene Aesthetic: Scandinavian style interior and stellar service with a peaceful and calming experience.
💆♂️ Nirvana: Exceptional spa services with a relaxing environment.
💆♀️ Arammish: Relax your mind and rejuvenate.
💇♂️ NGents: A spa and salon for men to glam and relax!
30. Do things by the book
A guide to the City’s most loved book stores.
📚 Readings: A Book Lover’s Heaven, this place is calm and quiet and with a huge variety of books from every genre.
📕 Liberty Books: With multiple beautiful stores across the city, liberty books is definitely a favorite among the masses.
📖 Quaid-e-Azam Library: Built in the 19th Century, housing thousands of books.
📗 Ferozsons: One of the oldest book stores in Lahore..
31. Go for a romantic dinner
There’s just something magical about a quiet night out with your significant other. These restaurants are your best options for the perfect dinner date in Lahore!
🌸 Sumo: Authentic Japanese cuisine and fine dining, this is the perfect date spot.
🌼 Amu: Dim lighting, delectable food, and the quietness of this place make it the great dinner date option!
🧀 Cafe Aylanto: Delicious steaks and beef lasagna are literally to die for!
🍥 Fuchsia Kitchen: Our Asian taste buds always have us hooked to the delish Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Korean food that Fuchsia serves.
32. Soak up some knowledge
There’s something new to learn every single day, and you should really consider expanding your knowledge at one of these fascinating talks. But we don’t want to lecture you, so we’ll let this lot do it for you:
🙌 LLF: City’s premier free-to-public cultural event. LLF explores the dialogue and interface between literature and the arts that shape our cultural, social, economic, and political frameworks.
🎤 TedXLahore: Bringing Pakistani changemakers to one platform.
🌍 LUMUN: A platform to make young students aware of pressing regional and global issues, and give them a soapbox to resolve them.
33. Try a wicked new workout
From dog yoga to morning raves! Discover muscles you never knew you had with these slightly bizarre workouts.
🥊 UFC: Offers the best gym and fitness training facilities.
🏋️♂️ Shapes: One of the Country’s top fitness facilities for any and all sorts of workout.
🏋️♀️ Aimfit: High-intensity dance workouts and super fun routines!
💪 IronBox: A great fitness facility with distinct services for men, women, and kids.
34. Get a whole new ‘do
Looking for a change to brighten up your life a little? Here’s a list of Lahore’s top Salon’s to hit:
💇♀️ Toni&Guy: It serves as the ultimate destination for hair, skin & lifestyle if you’re looking for a new do!
💆♂️ Depilex: A beauty Salon & Clinic that will make sure to take good care of your hair & skin.
💆♀️ Nabila: One of Lahore’s top salons to get a fresh cut and to glam you up for your next event.
💇♂️ NGents: A spa and salon for men to glam and relax!
35. Chomp on a drool-worthy burger
Lahore is full of some seriously great burgers that will leave you totally comatose. Check out our list of the best burgers in the business, or try one of these:
🍔 Pasta La Vista: Their Florentine Burger is all you’ve been looking for if you’re a beef lover.
🍔 Johnny & Jugnu: Washi Zinger: As the name suggests, this burger is hands-down, SAVAGE!
🍔 Amavi: The crispy buttermilk chicken burger is like no other, a little bit spicy, a little bit messy but all so worth it!
🍔 Daily Deli: Their Tangy Jalapeno is one beast of a burger!
36. Stuff your face with pasta
So many new places in Lahore serving carby goodness in sheets, ribbons, bows, and stuffed parcels of joy. Read our list of Lahore’s best pasta, or check out one/some of our favorites.
🍝 Pasta La Vista: From alfredo pasta to gnocchi, your Italian pasta dreams will all come true here.
🍝 Sasha’s: Mac n Cheese with chicken and Cheetos is heavenly and oh so cheesy!
🍝 Butler’s Cafe: The Au gratin pasta and the spicy chicken pasta definitely hit all the right spots.
🍝 Meat The Cheese: Fettuccine Alfredo hardly ever disappoints and meat the cheese makes sure of it!
37. Tuck into a juicy steak
We’ve selected all of our favorite steak restaurants that will satisfy all your meat cravings.
🥩 Bovinoes: Serving cooked tender meat to the temperature of your liking.
🥩 Gauchos: Serving succulent steaks and side dishes in a quirky contemporary setting.
🥩 Ox and Grill: A wonderful blend of a flavorful palate and exceptional ambiance.
🥩 Smokey’s Texas Grill: A classic American steakhouse & grill with an old-school vibe.
38. Let’s get Sporty!
Ever wish you could go back to the days of ball pits, playground games, and zero responsibilities, even just for a day? Well, who says you can’t? Here’s some inspiration for your return to kidhood.
⚽ 5th Generation: With indoor and outdoor sports fields, a great place to let all your energy out.
🏏 Titans Sports Arena: Offers a standout environment to play your favorite sports.
🏏 GameOn: Sports facilities for cricket and football matches with multi-purpose artificial grass.
⚽ Teamup: Turf-based setups for both Futsal matches and Tape Ball Cricket.
39. Get into Desi Groove!
Lahore is known to tantalize taste buds with its full of flavor food and here are a few must-try ones in Lahore:
🍗 Arif Chatkhara: The best Tawa Chicken in all of Lahore.
🥘 Butt Karahi: Serves the best Karahi in town.
🍢 Bhaiya Kebab: Serves fresh and delicious kebabs.
🍲 Waris Nihari: There’s no match for this slow-cooked stew.
40. Contribute to Lahore’s Engaging Community
People of Lahore are extremely generous and charitable, here are some of the nonprofit organizations providing some great humanitarian services.
🙌 SOS Village: Orphanage in Lahore that relies on donations and volunteers to run.
🙌 Rizq: A great initiative to end hunger and to stop food wastage.
🙌 Al-Khidmat: Providing relief to the people of Pakistan and Worldwide.
🙌 Kashf Foundation: Enabling environment for women micro-entrepreneurs.
41. Find the best scoops across Lahore
You gotta end things with a sweet note, right? So here are a few must-try shakes and soft serve in Lahore!
🍦 Kyles Coffee: The new Talk of the Town, Kyle’s Coffee has a soft serve that you must have.
🍧 Amavi: Scoops to die for! The most extravagant and divine flavor combos to try.
🥤 Wabii: Known for their tacky advertisement, Wabi just launched their own soft serve and we hear it’s goood!
🍨 Cosa Nostra: Gelato like no other, Cosa Nostra is the pioneer of Gelato in Lahore!