Is Peshawar Safe for Tourists? The Picture in 2026

Is Peshawar safe? For Pakistani visitors, a daytime trip to the old city, the museum and the main bazaars usually passes without trouble, and people come from all over the country every week to eat and shop. But the risk is real, and higher in 2026 than for several years. Militants have attacked police in and around the city repeatedly, the UK government advises against all travel to Peshawar, and the border conflict with Afghanistan is still going on. If you go, keep to the central areas in daylight, check the news the night before, and be ready to postpone.

This guide sets out the current picture as plainly as we can, which parts of the city visitors actually use, how to dress and behave, and who should go now and who should wait.

What is the security situation in Peshawar in 2026?

Militant violence has risen across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 2023, and Peshawar, as the provincial capital and the city closest to the Afghan border, has had its share. The worst recent attacks in the city were a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in the old city in March 2022, which killed more than 60 worshippers, and the bombing of the mosque in the Police Lines in January 2023, which killed 84 people, most of them policemen.

The last twelve months have brought smaller but steady incidents:

• November 2025: a suicide bomber and two gunmen attacked the Federal Constabulary headquarters in Peshawar, killing three officers.
• February 2026: militants made coordinated attacks on police posts in Peshawar district as fighting broke out on the Afghan border.
• August 2026: a roadside bomb near the motorway toll plaza injured two policemen in a police van.
• September 2026: counter-terrorism police killed suspected militants in raids in Badhber and Shamshatoo on the city's outskirts, and on 24 September a policeman was killed in a raid near Warsak Road, where police said they were looking for would-be suicide bombers.

Elsewhere, the picture is worse. On 18 September 2026 an attack on the police lines in Kohat, south of Peshawar, killed 31 people, and on 2 August a suicide bombing at a rally in Swat killed at least 14. Islamabad is not immune either: a bombing at a mosque in Tarlai in February 2026 killed 32.

Two things put this in proportion. First, most attacks in and around Peshawar are aimed at the police, the security forces and, at times, Shia worshippers, not at visitors; the danger to a visitor is being nearby. Second, the old city, the bazaars and the restaurants are full every day with people from Peshawar and beyond, living ordinary lives. Both things are true at once.

The Afghan border

Pakistan and Afghanistan have been in open conflict since late February 2026, with air strikes, border fighting and short ceasefires, and the Torkham crossing west of Peshawar has been largely closed to ordinary traffic since October 2025. The city itself is not a front line, but the Khyber district that begins at its western edge is much closer to it. Our guide to the Khyber Pass explains what that means for a trip to Jamrud.

What do foreign governments advise?

The UK's Foreign Office, whose advice was last updated on 22 September 2026, advises against all travel to Peshawar, including the city, and to the neighbouring districts of Khyber and Charsadda, and against all but essential travel to Nowshera and Mardan. If you hold another passport, read your own government's advice as well.

For Pakistani citizens this advice has no legal force, but it is a fair summary of how serious the risk is judged to be. For overseas Pakistanis and foreign visitors it matters more: travelling against your government's advice can void your travel insurance, and your embassy's ability to help may be limited.

Which parts of Peshawar do visitors use?

Almost everything a visitor comes for is in three parts of the city:

• The old walled city: Qissa Khwani, Chowk Yadgar, Andar Shehr, the Mahabat Khan Mosque, the heritage trail, Sethi House, Gor Khuttree and Namak Mandi. It is crowded and conservative, and best seen on foot in daylight.
• Saddar and the cantonment: the Peshawar Museum, the railway station, older hotels and wider roads.
• University Town and Hayatabad: the newer western suburbs, with many hotels, restaurants and Karkhano Market.

Our guide to places to visit in Peshawar covers each, and our one-day itinerary sets them in order.

What to leave out:

• The outskirts and the edges of the tribal districts, including the areas where police operations were reported in 2026. There is nothing there for a visitor.
• Bala Hisar Fort, the Frontier Corps headquarters, except from the road outside.
• Large gatherings at sensitive times: political rallies, Friday prayers at the biggest mosques, and Muharram processions, especially on the 9th and 10th.
• The road west beyond Jamrud, unless you have checked the current situation and been told it is open.

Crime and everyday hassle

The everyday risks are those of any big, crowded Pakistani city. Keep your phone and wallet out of reach in the bazaars, carry a bag across your front, and agree fares before you get into a rickshaw. Ride-hailing apps work in Peshawar and remove the haggling.

What to wear and how to behave

Peshawar is one of the most conservative cities in Pakistan, and the old city especially so.

• Men: shalwar kameez or long trousers with a shirt. Shorts will draw stares.
• Women: loose clothing that covers arms and legs, with a dupatta or scarf over the head in the old city and in mosques. Many local women wear a chador or burqa. The bazaars are overwhelmingly male, and women will be more comfortable with family or in a group.
• Mosques: visit outside prayer times, take off your shoes, and ask before taking photographs.
• Photography: always ask before photographing people, especially women. Never photograph police, soldiers, checkposts or military buildings.
• Ramadan: don't eat, drink or smoke in public during the day.

Visitors who are polite and dressed for the place are usually met with real warmth. Urdu is understood everywhere; the city speaks Pashto and Hindko.

Practical precautions

1. Check the news the night before and the morning you travel. If there has been an attack in the city that week, or a march or sit-in is planned, go another time.
2. Keep to daylight in the old city. For dinner in Namak Mandi, take a car there and back rather than walking the lanes late.
3. Carry your CNIC for checkpoints, and foreign nationals their passport and visa. Expect bag searches at hotels and markets, and cooperate.
4. Stay in the central areas, in an established hotel in Saddar, University Town or Hayatabad.
5. Expect mobile signal to be suspended in parts of the city on some security-sensitive days, such as Ashura. Agree meeting points in advance and keep an offline map.
6. Tell someone your plans, and on a first visit go with someone who knows the city.
7. Know the numbers: police 15, Rescue 1122 for ambulance and fire.

Our travel guide has wider advice on checkpoints, ID and travelling in Pakistan.

Should you go now?

Go, with the precautions above, if you are an adult Pakistani traveller comfortable in crowded, traditional bazaars, especially with a friend or relative in the city. Most visits are uneventful, and Peshawar's history and food are a real reward.

Think harder if you are travelling with young children, if anyone in the group will be anxious the whole time, or if you are a woman travelling without family. None of these rules Peshawar out, but a local host makes a real difference.

Wait if you are an overseas visitor whose government advises against travel and whose insurance will not cover you, or if there has been a serious incident in the city in the days before you go.

If you want Gandharan art and old bazaars without the risk, the Taxila Museum holds some of the finest Buddhist sculpture in the country, and Lahore's walled city has lanes, havelis and food on a similar scale. If you would like help deciding, tell us your plans.

Frequently asked questions