Rawalpindi

Eat

thumb|The Mess Hall, Rawalpindi A visit to Rawalpindi makes a pleasant change from Islamabad's restaurant scene. As you might expect Pindi offers some excellent places for top-notch Pakistani food, and offers better value than you find in Islamabad. You'll almost certainly be the only non-Pakistani customer, and you can expect the staff to go out of their way to be hospitable.

Drink

Alcohol in Pakistan is forbidden but you can find drinks at many modern hotels like Pearl Continental (PC), Shalimar Hotel and Flashman Hotel. There are no bars and night clubs in Rawalpindi city but all the big markets are open til late-night.

Drinking culture in Pakistan is essentially soft-drink culture, where Pepsi is traditionally the drink of choice. It is impossible to avoid Pepsi advertising throughout Pakistan. Be warned as a traveller about the cleanliness of bottles - always drink from a straw, and always request that bottles be opened in front of you, as a cleanliness measure.

Drinking culture also revolves around tea, called 'chai' in Urdu, and this is available everywhere and anywhere. Coffee is not impossible to come by, however iced coffee tends to be the popular coffee drink of choice.

The Locally available drinks are: Sharbat of Imli and Alu Bukhara (Plums) Shakar Kola (Drink made from Brown Sugar) Sugar Cane Juice. Lemonade. Do not drink from places with flies.

Sleep

Rawalpindi has one 5-star hotel called the Pearl Continental but often known by its acronym PC. Other that this you can go to Hotel Shalimar and others.

Stay safe

Rawalpindi is not necessarily as safe as its sister, Islamabad. Islamabad has higher foreign tourist traffic, and thus has become accustomed to it, however foreign tourists are somewhat rare in Rawalpindi. Pakistan on the whole is not recommended to lone young female travellers, however Pindi is relatively safe for larger groups of females, or mixed gender paired-travellers. For female travellers, it is highly recommended to purchase a shawl upon arrival in Pakistan (even better to bring one over on your flight, for airport arrival purposes). It is not necessary or expected for you to wear this on your head at all times, however to avoid unwanted attention, and gain local respect, cover your chest with this shawl (i.e. drape it across your neck). Also wear a long shirt/top, that covers your backside region - this again, will draw away unwanted attention.

Avoid flashing large amounts of cash around - Rs 1000 notes are commonplace, however the haggling process is often easier when you show the limited cash you have (e.g. "I only have Rs 200 on me"). Keep your larger notes on the inside, and only allow small notes to be seen, for example, when paying taxi drivers, purchasing items, etc.

Do not feel compelled to give money to all beggars, no matter how young or needy. Of course exercise discretion, and it not unacceptable to give them money.

Go next

Islamabad - Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, is very near to Rawalpindi. You can plan your trip by visiting both Rawalpindi and Islamabad in the same day. Khanpur Dam - You can go to Khanpur Dam for paragliding and watersports Murree If you have more time on your hands, go to Murree. Murree is one of the hottest attractions (attraction wise; in temperature, it's very cold) where you can spend even weeks if you like. Archaeology lovers can visit the ruins of Taxila, 28 km from Rawalpindi. Taxila houses many ruins of Buddhism, most important is that of Julian University. A beautiful museum holds the artifacts of that time. Taxila also offers many beautiful stone utensils. Gujar Khan Rawat Fort Stupa in Mankiala