Places to Visit in Jhelum

Jhelum is a GT Road city on the western bank of the Jhelum River, about ninety minutes from Islamabad and roughly three hours from Lahore, and the best places to visit in Jhelum mix a UNESCO fort, a colonial-era church, a hilltop trek and a river crossing into a day or two that's easy to build a route around. Most visitors come for Rohtas Fort just outside the city, but Jhelum itself has enough to justify slowing down rather than treating it as a drive-through stop.

This guide covers the city's own sights, the Tilla Jogian trek nearby, and the wider area, including a Khewra Salt Mine side trip.

Rohtas Fort: the main reason most people come

Rohtas Fort, Sher Shah Suri's 16th-century fortress, sits about 16 km north-west of Jhelum near Dina, off the GT Road, and it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site with walls running for several kilometres, twelve gates and the ruined palaces of Haveli Man Singh and Rani Mahal inside. It needs two to three hours to see properly and is the single best reason to build a Jhelum stop into a longer trip. Our full Rohtas Fort guide covers the drive, tickets, the gates and a walking route through the fort.

St John's Church: a colonial garrison church

In Jhelum Cantonment, a short walk north of the river and the old rail bridge, stands St John's Church, a mid-19th-century Anglican garrison church built as a memorial to British soldiers killed in the 1857 uprising, when part of the Bengal Native Infantry stationed at Jhelum mutinied. A lectern inside carries the names of the 35 men of the 24th Regiment of Foot who died. It's one of the earliest surviving Christian places of worship in northern Punjab, built in the same Anglo-Gothic style used for garrison churches across the province at the time, and it's now part of the Diocese of Rawalpindi within the Church of Pakistan.

It's a quiet, low-key stop, best visited respectfully as an active place of worship rather than treated purely as a photo opportunity.

The riverfront and the old GT Road bridge

The Jhelum River runs along the edge of the city, and the old iron-truss bridge linking Jhelum to Sarai Alamgir on the opposite bank, built by British engineers in the 1870s, is worth a look if you're interested in the city's colonial-era infrastructure. The riverfront itself is a simple, low-key spot rather than a developed promenade, and it makes a pleasant short stop for a walk or a photo rather than a destination to plan an afternoon around.

Tilla Jogian: a hill trek with a ruined monastery

About 25 km west of Jhelum, Tilla Jogian is a hilltop site that was once an important centre for Nath Yogi ascetics, with a monastic complex where Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, is said to have spent time meditating, and which later Mughal emperors, including Akbar and Jahangir, are recorded as having visited. After Partition, the Hindu and Sikh communities who maintained the site largely left, and the temples and buildings have fallen into ruin since.

Reaching the top involves a genuine climb over rocky paths and old stone steps, and it's a trip for visitors interested in history and willing to put in the effort, rather than an easy roadside stop. If you're short on time, Rohtas Fort and St John's Church make a fuller use of a single day than trying to fit Tilla Jogian in as well.

A Khewra side trip

The Khewra Salt Mine, one of the largest salt mines in the world, lies south of Jhelum in the Pind Dadan Khan area, reached via the GT Road and a turn south. It's far enough from the city that it works better as its own half-day trip, either on the way to or from Jhelum, than as an add-on to a Rohtas visit on the same day. If salt mine tunnels and the mine's underground formations interest you, build a separate block of time around it rather than trying to combine it with everything else on this list.

How to plan your time

• A single day from Islamabad or Lahore: Rohtas Fort is the priority; add St John's Church and a short riverfront stop if time allows.
• An overnight in Jhelum: Rohtas Fort on one day, with Tilla Jogian or a Khewra side trip on the other, depending on whether you prefer a hike or a mine visit.
• Passing through on the GT Road: St John's Church and the riverfront both suit a short stop without taking you far off the main road.

Getting to Jhelum

Jhelum sits directly on the GT Road (N-5), so driving from either Islamabad or Lahore is straightforward, and the city also has a railway station on the main line between the two. There's no need for a permit or special arrangement to visit; it's an ordinary Punjab city with normal road access year-round, though the summer months from May to August bring serious heat with little relief, so October to March is the more comfortable window for a day of walking around forts and churches.

Food and where to stay

Jhelum is a normal, working Punjab city rather than a tourist town, so don't expect a cluster of guesthouses built around its sights. The GT Road through the city and out towards Dina is lined with the usual dhabas and mid-range hotels you'd find on any major Punjab route, and they're a reasonable option if you'd rather split the day with Rohtas Fort than rush it. For a wider choice of hotels, most visitors base themselves in Islamabad or Rawalpindi instead and treat Jhelum as a day trip, which keeps things simple if you're already staying in the capital.

For the wider area, our guide to day trips from Islamabad sets Rohtas alongside other stops such as Taxila and Katas Raj, and our plan page can help if you'd like help putting an itinerary together.

Frequently asked questions