Karachi is Pakistan's largest city and its commercial capital, a sprawling metropolis of some 15 million people on the Arabian Sea coast. It is a city of extreme contrasts — immense wealth and deep poverty, a historic old town and vast new suburbs, beaches facing one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. It is not a conventional tourist destination, but travellers who engage with it find a city of enormous energy and genuine hospitality.
The colonial centre, around Saddar and the old administrative district, contains the main Victorian-era buildings: Frere Hall, the Empress Market, and the old city courts. Kharadar, one of the oldest residential neighbourhoods, is where Jinnah was born. His mausoleum — the Mazar-e-Quaid — is the city's defining monument, a gleaming white marble structure that draws visitors from across the country. The National Museum on Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road is the best single introduction to Pakistan's history.
Clifton and the Defence Housing Authority to the south are where most of the restaurants, cafés, and shopping are concentrated. The Karsaz Road strip further east has the Pakistan Air Force Museum and Maritime Museum, both worth a morning. The beaches west of the city — Sandspit, Hawke's Bay, French Beach, Paradise Point — are popular weekend escapes, and Sandspit and Hawke's Bay are internationally significant nesting grounds for sea turtles.
Karachi's climate is warm year-round; the coolest months are December to February. The monsoon brings heavy rains from July to September. Security conditions vary and it is worth checking current advice before visiting.