Highest Hill Station of Punjab
With an elevation of 2291m, Murree is one of the oldest and most famous hill station of Pakistan, established in British Era, till date is a scenic Hill Station overlooking mountains of Kashmir. It lies on crossroads of Galiyat, Punjab and Kashmir. Its known for its enormous snowfall in winters with hundreds of tourists strolling on Mall road for food and shopping. Kashmir Point offers unhindered views towards mountains of Kashmir. Nearby activities are chairlift in Patraita and Ayubia, hiking to Mushkpuri Top and a walk on Pipeline Track both starting from Dunga Galli.
1 spot to explore
Getting there, what to do, where to stay, and what to eat — the local ground truth.
Murree is a 60 to 90 minute drive from Islamabad on the Murree Expressway (M-2 extension), the closest hill station to the twin cities. From Lahore, allow 5 to 6 hours via the M-2 to Islamabad, and onward. Peak-season Saturdays and Sundays add 2 to 3 hours to the drive from Islamabad, plan mid-week or leave before 07:00.
Mall Road is the colonial-era pedestrian spine of Murree, lined with restaurants, bakeries, walnut-wood shops and the country's oldest confectioneries. Evening walks between GPO chowk and Kashmir Point are the standard Murree evening. Get here on foot from any hotel in town.
Kashmir Point at the eastern end of Mall Road gives unhindered views toward the Kashmir foothills on clear days. Pindi Point at the western end has an old chairlift down to a viewing platform. Both are half-hour stops on a Mall Road walk.
Patriata (New Murree), 20 minutes south of Murree town, has a 2.5 km chairlift-and-cable-car system that climbs to a summit at 2,300 m with wider views than Mall Road offers. Popular family day trip, half a day. Runs year-round weather permitting.
Murree is famous for its December to February snowfall, which is the peak reason most Pakistanis visit. Snow is unreliable in a warming climate but a heavy fall in January or early February still brings hundreds of thousands of visitors on the following weekend, so plan a mid-week trip if you want snow without the traffic gridlock.
Bhurban, a 20-minute drive from Murree town centre, hosts the region's two flagship hotels, the Pearl Continental Bhurban and Serena Bhurban, both with pools, spas and reliable heating in winter. In Murree town itself, options are older colonial hotels and boutique lodges of variable standard, best booked through an operator for a filtered choice.
Winter weekend traffic on the Murree Expressway can be extreme after a heavy snowfall, in January 2022 hundreds of vehicles were stranded overnight in a blizzard. If you plan a winter trip, target mid-week, leave in the morning and check the weather forecast for the following days. Summer (May to August) is pleasant with mid-twenties highs, and the shoulder months (March to April, October to November) are the quietest and often the most scenic.
Murree is an old British colonial hill station established in 1851, and the built environment, from the church to the older cottages, still carries that stamp. Local Potohari-Punjabi Rajput culture takes over from October onward when the summer crowds thin out. Food is standard Pakistani hill-station fare with grilled fish, chapli kebab and the famous Murree pine-honey being the road-side staples.
March – May
Best timeCool 12–22°C days — pine forest greens up, cherry and dogwood bloom, and Kashmir Point views clear after winter.
June – September
Best timePeak season — cool 15–25°C escape from the plains, dense pine forest and long light for Mall Road walks.
October – November
Best timePine and oak turn copper — the sharpest views across to Kashmir and the cleanest golden-hour light.
December – February
Best timeSnow-tourism peak — fresh snow across Mall Road and Patriata, cosy hotels and chairlift open through the season.
