Quetta is the capital city of Balochistan and it is the ninth metropolis of the country that is known as the Fruit Production Hub of Pakistan. The diverse plantation helps in producing a variety of fruits and nuts.
The city is also known as the ‘Fruit Garden of Pakistan’ due to its geographical placements and the large variety of fruits and numerous orchards. This place is the meeting point of the Pak-Afghan border and all commercial relationships took place from these borders. Quetta is situated 1,680 meters above land.
The place has the most population and inhabitants in Pakistan, nearly 2 million people. Quetta is popular for its beautiful sceneries, landscapes and fruits where the city marks as a decent honeymoon and family destination.
The distance between Quetta and Islamabad is 691 km by air and 905 km by road. The flight from Islamabad to Quetta costs 74,700 PKR. The personal car costs 8,600 to 13,300 PKR. If you are travelling bus local bus or train it will cost approximately 14,000 PKR. How you want to visit Quetta famous places depends on how you are comfortable visiting the stunning city.
To talk about the weather in the South-Western region, snowfall is the main attraction of Quetta. The best time to visit Quetta is March and November, as the weather is pleasant in these months. Apart from those mentioned months, the winter seasons are extremely cold, which is not advisable to visit due to heavy snow and blocked roads.
Travellers need to bring warm clothes in November as it rains which requires an umbrella. When visiting the city in any summer months you need to wear lightweight clothes as the temperature goes until 40 to 50 degrees Celcius.
The city is popular for its food in which many big restaurants offer authentic local food that will melt in your mouth. Such popular places include Lehri Sajji House, Saigon, Usmania Tandori Restaurant, Teneleven Continental, Gulshan Karahi and Italian Creamz.
Quetta was called Shalkot, which means Fort in Pashto as the city was known for strategic roads and railways and marks the important communications centre on the Afghan border. The Chiltan, Zarghoon, Takatoo, and Morder hills are popular tourists’ attractions to leave you in astonishment. The city connects a network of roadways to other cities in the country for ease of travelling. To plan to visit Quetta famous places, you will enjoy the natural beauty and the historical sites while expanding your knowledge about the capital city of Balochistan.
The list of 10 Quetta famous places mentioned below:
1. Hanna Lake
Hannah Lake is the most popular tourist attraction in the city where the lake locates 14 kilometers from Quetta and surrounds by mountains and pine trees to add to the natural beauty. Hannah Lake was built by the British Empire in 1894 and provides a picture of the water mirror exposed in the brown environment. The lake is the starting point from Urak Valley and can easily rent with the use of speedboats and wheel boats for an enjoyable wander in the middle of the lake.
The topographical area of Hannah Lake is attractive where the lake has a restaurant at the front with picnic tables sheltered by the pine trees to enjoy the food and the pleasant weather. Once you enter Hannah Lake, you will enjoy the peaceful blue water and the surrounding mountains sheltered with pine trees! You cannot leave Quetta without visiting Hannah Lake otherwise it would be pointless! This marks Quetta beauty where you enjoy visiting this stunning lake in the city!
2. Quaid-e-Azam Residency
Quaid-e-Azam Residency is the iconic landmark in the South Western region where the Resident locates 8 km from Ziarat and marks Quetta famous places. The resident constructed in summer and spends two months and ten days in this place. The Resident was built in 1892 under the reign of the British Raj and marks as the most famous wooden landmark where A.S. Nathaniel nursed Quaid-e-Azam.
The wooden resident is rich in grass, pine trees, and flourishing gardens that show a picture of the whole valley and mark a historical significance in Quetta. Once you visit this place, you will get awed by this resident and makes a great monument to visit this stunning architecture! To visit the historical site in Quetta, this place is a must-go place where you will enjoy the surrounding gardens adding the touch of spring and summer for a pleasant atmosphere!
3. Urak Valley
Urak Valley is a popular tourist attraction in the city where the valley is known for the ‘Land of Orchards’ for growing different fruits on the field. The Valley is situated around 20 to 22 kilometers from Quetta. The Urak Valley has a huge variety of fruits, like peaches, oak trees, apples, pomegranates and many more.
This makes one of the most agricultural sites city where you will enjoy the vast field of fresh fruits and the freshness for adding a calming atmosphere.
Once you enter the land of agricultural fields, you will not take your eyes off the fresh fruits and stunning scenery of the valley! On the other end of the valley, a waterfall marks the adjacent entrance to the Wali Tangi Dam that acquires the source of water for irrigation and human consumption.
When you enter Urak Valley, you will not leave the place with the stunning sight of the waterfall! This makes one of Quetta visiting places to enjoy the waterfall and the surrounding fields where you will not take your eyes off this stunning scenery!
4. Pishin Valley
Pishin Valley is in the heart of the agricultural areas of Balochistan where the valley locates around 50 km from the Pishin District. The Valley considers as the most popular place for crop productions and is well known for the cultivation of vegetables and fodder. Once you enter this valley, you will feel awed by the colourful fields and the beautiful crops and vegetation!
Around the valley, you can carry out various activities such as horse riding, horse jumping, motorcycle riding and car driving. When participating in these sports, you will enjoy the full array of fields and the splendid view. Around the harvest festival, the people of Pishin Valley hosts dog and hare races to enjoy the beating competition down the road.
At the heart of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Pishin Valley has known for farming and stunning gardens. The Valley of Pishin is the heart and soul of celebrations, colourful crops, and cultural events! Pishin Valley marks as the most popular site in Balochistan and an important tourist attraction for adding Quetta beauty.
5. Museum of Quetta
Quetta Museum is one of the historical sites in the city where the museum is famous for the West Pakistan civilization. The museum locates near Akbar Bugti Cricket Stadium where the museum displays archaeological galleries including pottery pieces, remarkable weapons, manuscripts, tools, and special clay products that are reminiscent of the Stone Age artefacts from Zhob and Kalat Valleys.
In addition, the museum has a religious display as well in which it has a copy of the Quran that has inscribed the hand of Aurangzeb, the Mughal Emperor. To talk about the geological displays, the museum has fossils that have discovered 540 million years ago. Once you visit this museum, you will enjoy knowing these leftovers artefacts and will expand your knowledge behind these stunning displays! When you visit this spot, this is one of the things to do in Quetta!
6. Hazarganji Chiltan National Park
Hazarganji Chiltan National Park is the most recognized destination where the national park marks as the iconic places to visit in Quetta. Hazarganji means ‘a thousand gems’ which shows the park has a thousand gems hidden in 35,000 Accho parking lot. The national park locates 16km from Quetta, comprises 325,000 acres of land, and locates near the mountain.
The Park was discovered in 1980 and was built to protect markhor and Barbary Chiltan goats. To add to this, the Quetta famous places. To enjoy the physical features in the South-Western province, you will enjoy visiting this beautiful national park!
Once you enter this place, you will enjoy the peacefulness of the land and the nearby mountains! Chiltan goats have an estimated population of 800 species and are known for various plants such as juniper, pistachio and almond trees. Visitors come here because of its bearable weather and the beautiful surroundings that mark as
7. Askari Park
Askari Park was developed by the Pakistan Army in the mid-1990s and locate near FC Hospital. This considers the largest park in Quetta where children, families and different age groups visit and enjoy a relaxing time together. Askari Park comprises eye-catching places that will leave you in awe and enjoyment that makes a great family time.
There are certain days to visit the parks where visitors are intended to be the family days like Saturday and Sunday to provide safety and a healthy environment. In addition, various foodstuffs and small stalls sell various desi foods, drinks and snacks to enjoy the area. Once you enter this park, you will enjoy the beautiful surroundings and the peaceful atmosphere! To plan for a family outing, you ought to visit Askari Park!
8. Ziarat
Ziarat is the capital district of Balochistan where the place locates 125 kilometres from Quetta and comprises 8850 meters above ground level. The district marks the most spectacular places in the South Western region where Ziarat surrounds lush green trees and steep mountains that will leave you in awe and astounded! Once you enter the natural beauty of Ziarat, you will feel like not leaving Quetta after seeing this place!
The mountains have the highest peak of 11400 feet and most tourists visit Ziarat Residency where Muhammad Ali Jinnah has spent two memorable months in the resident. Ziarat has dense green trees where it considers the second largest juniper bush trees in the world. The junipers trees represent the true beauty of the region where these trees have existed 7000 years old. This makes Quetta famous places to visit where you will enjoy the surrounding trees!
9. Local Bazaar
Quetta is the basis of three well-known typical bazaars for customers who like dickering with local commodities. On
Quetta has outdoor markets and stalls where the area has three big bazaars in the city. They are Suraj Ganj Bazaar, Liaqat Bazaar and Kandahari Bazaar. Kandahari Bazaar locates in Shehrah-e-Iqbal while Suraj Ganj and Liaqat Bazaar locate in Shah-e-Liaqat. The bazaars offer local handicrafts, particularly the fantastical Baluchi mirror on tapestries, carpets, dressing rooms and clothing.
In these three local bazaars, you will find watch pelt coats, jackets, undershirts, gems, shoes, jewellery, bangles and sandals. To plan for a shopping spree, do not forget to visit these three bazaars! This marks one of the places to visit in Quetta. When you visit these bazaars, you will enjoy buying these Balochi tapestries, carpets and cheap dry fruits!
10. Kan Mehtarzai Railway Station
Kan Mehtarazai Railway Station marks as the oldest railway station in Pakistan where the station locates in Zhob Valley and situates 16 miles west of the Muslim Bagh. This makes it the most famous railway station in the world where the station is 2224 meters above sea level and takes 2 hours to drive by car. Although the Railway Station does not consider a monument but has marked one of the most recognized attractions in Balochistan.
Once you visit this ancient Railway Station, you will realize that Kan Mehtarzai Railway station is a beautiful place for tourists to visit in Quetta!
This place leaves a history behind it where the station opened its service in 1921 and shut down its operations in 1986 due to poor preservation. Kan Mehtarzai marks the tallest railway station in Pakistan, which considers the must-go place in Quetta where you will feel awed by the ancientness of the abandoned site!
Wrap Up
Here are the ten Quetta famous places where each place leaves a physical or historical background that will leave you in the wanders of visiting this stunning city in Balochistan. With various valleys and historical sites, Quetta will never make you feel bored and you will fascinate the stunning artefacts and the natural beauty in the South-Western province. Once you visit these famous places, be sure not to miss out these beautiful places in the city!
