Day Trips from Islamabad: Taxila and Rohtas
Travel advisory, 31 October 2026. The US State Department lists Pakistan at Level 3, Reconsider Travel (page dated 16 June 2026), and advises against or to reconsider travel to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The UK FCDO page, updated 27 October 2026, does not name Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree or Taxila, but it advises against all or all but essential travel to other parts of the country, including parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Islamabad has seen serious attacks, among them a district-court bombing in November 2025 and a mosque bombing at Tarlai on the city edge on 6 February 2026. Read travel.state.gov and the UK travel advice before you book. Expect checkpoints, protest road closures and mobile-network shutdowns, stay away from crowds and demonstrations, and carry your original passport.
Day trips that fit the advisory
Two day trips sit in Punjab, which the UK FCDO does not name, and both are reachable by road: Taxila and Rohtas Fort. Murree is also in Punjab. Khanpur Dam and the Galliyat hill villages sit across the provincial line in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which the US flags. Lahore, Swat, Hunza and Gilgit are not day trips.
Taxila
Taxila is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1980, about 35 km northwest of Islamabad. The site list is on UNESCO . The Taxila Museum charges foreign visitors about PKR 500, and opening hours differ between sources, so check before you go. The sites of Dharmarajika, Jaulian and Sirkap may charge their own small fees. Plan a full morning and take water.
Compare Taxila tours on Viator .
Rohtas Fort
Sher Shah Suri built Rohtas Fort between 1541 and 1548 near Dina. It is a UNESCO site, inscribed in 1997, about 110 km from Islamabad, and the drive takes 2 to 2.5 hours. The foreigner fee is quoted anywhere from PKR 500 to PKR 1,500, so ask at the gate. See UNESCO for the listing.
Murree
Murree is a hill station about 60 km from Islamabad, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours by road. Summer weekends are crowded. In winter, snow and landslides close the road, and entry bans were imposed in February and March 2025 and again in February 2026, so check the road before leaving.
Khanpur Dam
Khanpur Dam is in Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Water sports run there, but tourist activity was suspended in October 2024 over jetty disputes, parasailing accidents happened in 2021, drownings have occurred, and paragliding is banned for security reasons. Police control security at the site. Given its location and its record, it is not a default choice.
Nathia Gali and Mukshpuri
Both are in the Galliyat hills of Abbottabad District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Snow and landslides bring seasonal entry bans, the latest in February 2026, and visitor numbers surged in April 2026. Check conditions and the advisories above before planning an overnight or a long day.
Not day trips
Lahore, Swat, Hunza and Gilgit are far too distant for a day. Swat is on the FCDO do-not-travel list.
Read more: Multi-day trips and Attraction tours .