Peshawar, located in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan is a buzzing city where you will encounter Afghan refugees who have set up local businesses in the city. It is also home to many kinds of smugglers and you can meet them in the smugglers bazaar just outside the city centre.For tourists who are there only for a couple of days and do not feel to adventurous, the visit of the old city and its bazaars is a must to get a first impression of an atmospheric frontier town. - Qissa Khawani Bazaar is probably the most interesting of all: you will see merchandise from all over central Asia there. Oriental rugs, Afghan jewelry , tribal handicrafts, wood carvi
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Peshawar, located in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan is a buzzing city where you will encounter Afghan refugees who have set up local businesses in the city.
It is also home to many kinds of smugglers and you can meet them in the smugglers bazaar just outside the city centre.
For tourists who are there only for a couple of days and do not feel to adventurous, the visit of the old city and its bazaars is a must to get a first impression of an atmospheric frontier town.
- Qissa Khawani Bazaar is probably the most interesting of all: you will see merchandise from all over central Asia there. Oriental rugs, Afghan jewelry , tribal handicrafts, wood carving, spices, and all kinds of fabrics are available in the city. If you want to bring back a burqa for your mother or sister, this is the place to buy one.
- Jewelry bazaar and shoe-makers bazaar are two other bazaars near Qissa Khawani.
The mosque of Mohabat Khan near the city centre bazaars and Bala Hisar Fort, east of the city centre, are also visits not to miss if you are going on the steps of the Mughal emperors.
For those who like to travel off the beaten tracks, going through the famous Khyber Pass towards the Afghan border is an excursion not to miss.
In the evenings, those who are looking for a bit of a mystic adventure will head towards Peshawar suburbs and its sufi mausoleums.
For the extremely adventurous spirits, Darra Adel Khan, a gun factory village 40km from Peshawar is also an option but not recommended to the faint-hearted as you will be crossing the tribal zones and hear gunshots everywhere.
But above all, Peshawar is an experience. Meeting its population is something that will be engraved into your memory forever.
Quick Tips:
- If you are staying in a cheap hostel (Rose Hotel in Shoba Chowk among others), you will be proposed several excursions in and around Peshawar. There is a possible combination of Khyber Pass and Darra Adel Khan on the same day for (a lot of this money is supposedly to pay for your security outside Peshawar). However, if your guide is genuine and friendly, he will certainly propose you other activities in the evening at no extra cost (qawwali music, sufi mausoleums, etc.).
- Women (especially single women travelers) should dress appropriately and cover up their head to avoid further hassle if they get indecent comments from men in the street. However local women will always be there to protect foreign women.
- Peshawar is a great place to taste Afghan food. There are several varieties of chicken served in most restaurants (try Kabuli Pulao, or Chicken Qarai, more spicy).
- If you want to buy an Afghani hat (the same kind Massood used to wear), Peshawar is the place to buy one for almost nothing (it was less than when I was there). Also you will find Pasho and Balutch hats everywhere in the bazaars.
- Also a fun souvenir for your female relatives is a burqa which costs as little as 6 euros for the simplest model. People can show you where to buy one. It is apparently a popular souvenir among Western tourists.
- Some locals will suggest you to buy lapis lazuli knives. Even though these knives are genuine most of the time (and some of them are very nicely carved), the price they ask is excessive (around 1000 rupees, more or less ). They will try to convince you that this transaction is illegal and that you have to pay a lot of money because lapis lazuli is a semi-precious stone. You should ignore their comments and not spend more than 250 rupees for such a knife if ever you decide to buy one.
- Many backpackers still think they can smoke joints or opium freely (those are easily found in the bazaars). This is not the case in Peshawar city (maybe less so in the tribal areas). A word of warning: do not accept any drugs from anyone even though I know this advice will be ignored... Best Way To Get Around:
Getting to Peshawar from other Pakistani cities is very easy. Just jump on a local bus from anywhere (there are speedy buses from Islamabad, Lahore ans Swat, and slower buses from elsewhere). There are also trains from Karachi to Peshawar, but buses from other cities are faster than the trains.
Peshawar city centre and the old town are easy to visit by foot. If you get tired of walking, there are plenty of auto-rickshaws willing to help you for a decent price. Make sure to negotiate prices before every drive.
Hiring a guide is also a good option if you want to go off the beaten tracks in North West Frontier Province or if you want to visit the bazaars without getting lost. Firmly negotiate prices ( per day is the lowest price if you stay in the city, if you need a driver to go outside the city, count at least double the price). Read Less