Things to do in Kabul
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Kabul
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring, the first window: mild weather, the heaviest rain in March and April, gardens green, and Nowruz on 21 March, currently suppressed in public.
Summer: hot, dry and dusty by day at 31 to 33 degrees, with cool evenings. Sightsee early and take Qargha and Paghman for altitude.
Autumn, the most reliable window: dry, clear and mild, with the best mountain light and orchards in fruit around Istalif.
Winter: cold with snow, icy roads and heavy smog in the bowl, but also buzkashi season and Kabul at its most dramatic under snow.
What's on
- Nowruz 21 March
Persian New Year, historically centred on the flag raising at Sakhi Shrine. Public celebration has been suppressed under current rule.
- Eid al-Fitr Moveable, end of Ramadan
Multi day family festival closing Ramadan. Sites and offices close and sightseeing schedules should pause. The month varies by year.
- Eid al-Adha Moveable, about ten weeks after Eid al-Fitr
Multi day family festival following the Hajj period. Expect closures and heavy family visiting. The month varies by year.
- Buzkashi season Winter season, typically December to January in Kabul
The horsemen's game in its traditional winter season, showcased in Kabul. Attend only with a local guide if a match is on.
Best things to do in Kabul
Bagh-e Babur
Terraced Mughal gardens restored after 2002, climbing to Babur's tomb and a marble mosque above the old city.
National Museum of Afghanistan
A rebuilt great museum of Afghan antiquity, from Palaeolithic tools to Kushan and Islamic art, on the Darulaman road.
Darul Aman Palace
Amanullah's 1920s palace, rebuilt after decades as a ruin and reopened in 2019, now a government landmark with gardens.
Tajbeg Palace
A hilltop royal palace and stabilised ruin, infamous for 1979, with the great view over the Darulaman plain.
Bala Hissar
The ancient citadel ridge above the old city, a military site viewed from below rather than toured inside.
Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque
A yellow 1920s riverbank mosque in an unusual European style, viewed from outside at the heart of the old city.
Pul-e Kheshti Mosque
The largest old city mosque by the river bridge, an exterior visit that anchors the market and bird market circuit.
Sakhi Shrine
A turquoise domed Shia shrine under Television Hill, holy ground visited quietly with a local guide.
Where to stay in Kabul
Shahr-e Naw
central base, eating and shopping
The downtown grid with the mid range and budget hotels, Chicken Street, and most of the restaurants.
Central Kabul and Zarnegar Park
top tier comfort and downtown sights
Home to the Kabul Grand Hotel, walkable to Zarnegar Park and the Abdur Rahman mausoleum.
Karte Parwan and Bagh-e Bala hill
setting, view and history
The hilltop district of the Hotel InterContinental Kabul and the Bagh-e Bala gardens, above the northern city.
Think twice about
- All of Afghanistan today, including Kabul, for leisure travel
Afghanistan is not a leisure destination today. Save this trip for when that changes.
- Border areas and roads out of Kabul after dark
Border crossings close at short notice, clashes have been reported, and any excursion should be a daylight, guide led trip.
- Checkpoints, military sites and government security perimeters as photo stops
Never photograph checkpoints, armed positions or security arrangements. Bala Hissar and Television Hill are viewed, not entered, unless permitted that day.
Best restaurants in Kabul
Barg Continental
Kabul's modern luxury dining room in Shahr-e Naw, serving polished Afghan banquets and international dishes.
Le Bistro Kabul
The historic expatriate French restaurant of pre 2021 Kabul, listed with status uncertain and to check on the day.
Sufi Mahal
The benchmark Afghan restaurant for ashak, mantu and Kabuli pulao, with cleaner cooking than the Kabul average.
Bukhara Restaurant
A busy local mid range restaurant mixing Afghan kebabs and pulao with Pakistani, Indian and Chinese dishes.
Istanbul Restaurant
Kabul's Turkish table for kebabs, flatbreads and baklava, a refreshing bridge after a week of Afghan grills.
Turkish Family Restaurant and Cafe
A large Turkish restaurant and cafe on Sulh Road, flexible from breakfast to a full shared grill dinner.
Bost Restaurant
A neighbourhood Afghan restaurant feeding its own district kebabs, pulao and qorma at local prices.
Mandawi Bazaar
Old city chaikhanas and stalls for grill skewers, bolani and endless tea, the cheapest way to eat in Kabul.
Outdoor things to do in Kabul
Qargha Reservoir
Kabul's classic lakeside day out, with picnic lawns, kebab restaurants and shore walks west of the centre.
Paghman
A cool garden valley and royal summer retreat west of Kabul, famous among Afghans for a proper family day out.
Istalif
A terraced pottery village north of Kabul, rebuilt after wartime destruction, where you buy turquoise ware at the workshops.
Koh-e Asamayi
Television Hill, the ridge splitting Kabul, for the panorama over the city bowl to the Hindu Kush snow line.
Bagh-e Bala
A 19th century hilltop garden and pavilion above northern Kabul, valued for its trees, calm and city view.
Gardens of Chihilsutun
A restored royal garden near Babur's Gardens, quieter than its famous neighbour and rich in Kabul garden tradition.
Kabul Zoo
A modest municipal zoo by the river, once home to Marjan the lion, and a real Kabul family Friday place.
Best hotels in Kabul
Kabul Grand Hotel
The former Serena, rebuilt by the Aga Khan network and renamed in 2025, Kabul's best known luxury address by Zarnegar Park.
Hotel InterContinental Kabul
The 1969 hilltop landmark with the great northern view, faded and storied, with no IHG connection since 1979.
Safi Landmark Hotel
A central four star tower over Kabul City Center mall in Shahr-e Naw, the sensible mid range default.
Heetal Plaza Hotel
A locally run mid range hotel in the Shahr-e Naw grid that served the NGO and regional business market.
Mustafa Hotel
The famous basic travellers hotel near Chicken Street, for decades the base of backpackers and freelance journalists.
Golden Star Hotel
A lower priced local hotel and restaurant on Haji Yaqoob Square, a budget fallback in the downtown grid.
Is Kabul expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | AFN 2,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | AFN 6,000 a person |
| Splurge | AFN 15,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Kabul Grand Hotel: weeks ahead
- Hotel InterContinental Kabul: weeks ahead
- Safi Landmark Hotel: a few days ahead
- Heetal Plaza Hotel: a few days ahead
- Book hotels and any Kabul trip only through a reputable local operator who can confirm that month that the property is operating.
- Reconfirm conditions when planning, when booking, and on the day of travel. Do not travel in present conditions.
Is Kabul safe?
- Do not travel now: Afghanistan is not a leisure destination in present conditions. Save this trip for when that changes.
- There is no consular support in person in Afghanistan, and standard travel insurance generally excludes travel in present conditions.
- Never walk off established paths and roads outside the city because of mines and unexploded ordnance.
- Women are currently barred from parks and gyms and need a male guardian for long distance travel under the August 2024 morality law.
- Ask before photographing people and never photograph checkpoints, armed positions or women without explicit permission.
Kabul travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Chicken Street antiques that are claimed to be genuine antiquities cannot legally be exported. Buy modern craft and jewellery instead.
- Large banknotes cannot be changed in Mandawi and the old city markets. Carry small afghani notes.
- Listings outlive restaurants and hotels in Kabul. Confirm every pick is open on the day through a guide or hotel.
Getting around Kabul: public transport and more
- Move by car with a vetted driver arranged by an operator or hotel. There is no visitor usable bus or metro system.
- Within the old city and within Shahr-e Naw, take short guided walks. Between districts, drive.
- Allow a generous buffer for the airport run. Kabul traffic and checkpoints slow everything.
- Do every excursion as a daylight trip and be back in the city before dark.
Who Kabul suits
| Solo travellers | Not ideal |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | OK |
| Couples | Not ideal |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Not ideal |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Kabul your trip
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