Best places to visit in Pakistan in winter, by what you want

The best places to visit in Pakistan this winter depend on what you want. For snow, go to Murree, Galiyat, or Malam Jabba and Kalam in Swat, where roads stayed open through snowfall in December 2025. For sun, go south: Karachi averages 26.3°C by day in January. For history, try Lahore, Taxila, Rohtas Fort and Bahawalpur. Skip Naran, Babusar Top and Deosai: snow closes them for the winter.

Winter here means December to February. All temperatures below are 1991-2020 averages from Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) stations, published by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Best places to visit in Pakistan in winter: the short list

A note on UK travel advice

Some of these places fall under UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) warnings, as of its page updated on 13 October 2026. The FCDO advises against all travel to Swat (Malam Jabba, Kalam) and to all of Balochistan (Gwadar, Hingol, the Makran coast). It advises against all but essential travel to Sindh north of and including Nawabshah, which covers Larkana district and Mohenjo-daro.

This mainly matters for foreign visitors. The FCDO warns that travel insurance may be invalid if you travel against its advice, so check your policy before you book. Pakistani families should check local advisories from the district administration and police before they set off.

The FCDO page does not list Gilgit-Baltistan, Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Murree, Abbottabad and the Galiyat, or Bahawalpur among the areas it advises against.

Where can you see snow in Pakistan in winter?

Murree

For winter 2025-26 the Rawalpindi administration declared the snowfall season as 15 December to 25 February, and banned parking on roads into Murree, on Mall Road and in local markets.

On 23 January 2026, after about 15 hours of snow, Murree’s entry points were opened only to local residents after CNIC checks. Vehicles had to carry snow chains and winter tyres. Our Murree in winter guide covers the rules and helplines in full.

Galiyat: Nathia Gali and Thandiani

In February 2026, one to one-and-a-half feet of snow fell in Nathiagali and Thandiani. The Abbottabad-Nathiagali-Murree road was closed to tourists, and power and communications were disrupted.

After the February 2026 snow, the Galiyat Development Authority (GDA) cleared and salted the roads. Keep these numbers: GDA Control Room Nathia Gali 0992-355539, District Control Room Abbottabad 0992-9310553, and Rescue 1122.

Malam Jabba and Kalam, Swat

Malam Jabba is a ski resort at 2,804 m, with two ski tracks of over 800 m each, according to an APP report from December 2025. You can ski, snowboard, play ice hockey and try curling. Fresh snow on 21 December 2025 drew families from Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad to Malam Jabba and Kalam.

The most recent prices we found are from August 2023: Rs 1,100 entry at the main gate and Rs 1,400 per person for the chairlift, which included entry. We couldn’t find current prices or official season dates for 2026-27.

During snowfall in Mahodand, Kalam, Gabin Jabba and Malam Jabba, roads stayed open to all traffic. Swat police advise a vehicle check and tyre chains before driving on snow; the police helpline is 15 and the control room 0946-881374.

Naltar ski events

Naltar valley in Gilgit-Baltistan hosts ski events run by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) with the Winter Sports Federation of Pakistan. The 2019-20 season opened at PAF Naltar on 27 December 2019, and is the most recent calendar we found. Ask the federation for this winter’s dates before you plan around a race.

Where is warm in Pakistan in winter?

The south. Here is how January compares, by day and by night:

Source: WMO 1991-2020 normals, submitted by PMD. Karachi gets 5.6 mm of rain in December. We couldn’t find PMD normals for Murree, Skardu or Gwadar.

Karachi and the Makran coast

Of the big cities in the table, Karachi is the warmest, with December days averaging 28.4°C. From Karachi, the Makran Coastal Highway (N-10) runs about 653 km to Gwadar via Ormara and Pasni, and is maintained by the National Highway Authority.

Hingol National Park lies on the Makran coast about 190 km west of Karachi. The Government of Pakistan’s UNESCO tentative-list entry calls it the country’s largest national park, at 6,190 km², running from the Arabian Sea and the Hingol River estuary to the Dhrun mountains.

Thar and Cholistan

The Thar edge is dry and sunny by day: Chhor, in Umerkot, averages 26.8°C in January with just 1.2 mm of rain. Nights are cold, at 6.5°C. We found no official tourism information for Mithi or the rest of Thar.

Further north, Bahawalpur is the base for Cholistan. Derawar Fort has 40 bastions and walls about 1,500 m around, rising up to 30 m. In Bahawalpur itself, Noor Mahal was built in 1872 and is now a museum.

Which historic cities and sites are best in winter?

Lahore, and the smog

Lahore averages 18.4°C by day and 7.6°C at night in January, and 21.4°C by day in December. The catch is smog, which AP reported had been worsening since October 2024.

Lahore’s AQI (air quality index) peaked at 1,165 on 6 November 2024, according to Dawn. Heavy vehicles were barred from the city from 8 November 2024 to 31 January 2025, and masks were made mandatory. Schools in Lahore and Multan divisions stayed under smog restrictions after the rest of Punjab reopened on 19 November 2024.

For 2025-26, EPA Punjab ordered that schools may not open before 8:45 am from 3 November 2025 to 31 January 2026, after Lahore’s AQI reached the hazardous 301-400 range. In both winters the rules ran to 31 January, so check the AQI before you book a Lahore trip.

Taxila and Rohtas Fort

Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Punjab.

• Taxila, in Rawalpindi district, was inscribed in 1980. It includes a Mesolithic cave, four settlement sites (Saraikala, Bhir, Sirkap and Sirsukh), Buddhist monasteries and a mosque and madrassa. It was at its peak between the 1st and 5th centuries.
• Rohtas Fort, near Jhelum, was inscribed in 1997. Sher Shah Suri began building it in 1541, after defeating the Mughal emperor Humayun; it covers 70 hectares, with walls more than 4 km around, 68 bastions and 12 gateways.

Mohenjo-daro

UNESCO describes Mohenjo-daro as the best preserved urban settlement in South Asia, dating to the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. It sits on the right bank of the Indus, 28 km from Larkana city and 510 km north-east of Karachi, and was inscribed in 1980.

Larkana district falls in the part of Sindh where, as of 13 October 2026, the UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel. As above, this matters mostly for foreign visitors and their insurance.

What is closed in winter?

Naran, Kaghan and Babusar Top

On 29 November 2025, Deputy Commissioner Diamer closed the Babusar-Naran road, including Babusar Top, to all traffic “until further notice”, citing heavy snow and slippery roads. Dawn says Babusar Pass usually stays shut from November to June; in 2025 it reopened on 23 May, after the National Highway Authority cleared more than 21 glaciers.

In December 2025 the Mansehra administration barred tourists from Naran and beyond, including Battakundi, Babusar Top and Saiful Muluk Lake. It expected the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road to reopen around early May 2026. As of 9 December 2025, tourists could go only as far as Kaghan.

In late November 2024, hotels in Naran had closed for the season, but Balakot and Shogran stayed open to tourists.

Getting to Gilgit-Baltistan in winter

With Babusar shut, the Mansehra administration told travellers to Chilas to use the Karakoram Highway (KKH). As of 13 October 2026, the UK FCDO advises against all travel on the KKH between Mansehra and Chilas, via Battagram, Besham City, Dasu and Sazin. Foreign visitors should check their own advice and insurance. For flights and roads in the north, see Hunza or Skardu.

Deosai

Deosai is an alpine plateau in Gilgit-Baltistan at 3,500 to 5,200 m. Most of its 350-550 mm of yearly precipitation falls as snow in winter, and it has extreme cold and low oxygen. Don’t plan a winter visit; we couldn’t find an official opening date.

Khunjerab Pass

Khunjerab is no longer shut every winter. In December 2024 China agreed to keep the Khunjerab-Sost crossing open all year, and year-round trade and travel was formally inaugurated on 22 April 2025, according to Dawn. It still closes at times, such as 1 to 5 October 2026 for China’s National Day, so check before you drive up.

More guides: Murree in winter, Hunza or Skardu, travel insurance for Pakistanis, all Where to Go guides.