Gujranwala is Pakistan's fifth-largest city, an industrial centre in Punjab with a population of well over a million. It is known across the country as the "City of Wrestlers" — traditional Punjabi wrestling (pehlwani) has been a local passion for generations, and matches at Sheranwala Bagh draw big crowds.
The city's other claim to fame is food. Gujranwala is a serious eating town: tikkas, kebabs, and nan with chai are the daily staples, and the street food stalls lining the main bazaars serve some of the best in Punjab. The haveli that was Maharaja Ranjit Singh's birthplace is the main historical sight, with the Sheranwala Bagh Baradari and a handful of Sikh-era and pre-Partition Jain buildings clustered nearby.
The old city is compact enough to cover on foot in half a day. The bazaars along GT Road and around the Estcourt Clock Tower are the heart of the working city — cloth, cutlery (Gujranwala has been a metalworking centre for over a century), and food stalls — and well worth wandering, particularly in the late afternoon.