Places to Visit in Lahore with Family and Kids

The best places to visit in Lahore with family are Lahore Zoo, easy to reach and good for all ages; Lahore Safari Zoo, where you drive through enclosures without leaving the car; Jallo Park, for a full day outdoors with a lake and rides; and the Lahore Museum and Army Museum for older children with some patience for history. Between them they cover a range from toddlers to teenagers, and most are a half day or a full day out.

This guide rates each on facilities, how much walking is involved, and the age group it suits best, so you can build a family itinerary around the ones that fit your group.

Lahore Zoo

Lahore Zoo, on Mall Road in the heart of the city, is one of the oldest zoos in South Asia and the easiest wildlife outing for a family staying centrally. It is well shaded in parts, has walking paths suitable for a pram, and is close enough to the Lahore Museum and Anarkali to combine into a single morning. Our full guide to Lahore Zoo covers current tickets, timings and which animals to look out for.

It suits every age, though very young children will get more out of two or three hours than a full day, given the walking involved.

Lahore Safari Zoo

Lahore Safari Zoo, on Raiwind Road on the southern edge of the city, works differently from the main zoo: much of it is a drive-through park, where you stay in your own car or a park vehicle and animals, including lions in a dedicated safari section, move around close to the road. This makes it genuinely easy with toddlers and anyone who tires quickly on foot, since there is far less walking than at the Mall Road zoo. Check current ticket prices before you go, since entry and vehicle fees here have changed more than once in recent years and are best confirmed on the day.

Jallo Park

Jallo Park, on the eastern edge of the city towards Wagah, is Lahore's largest outdoor family park: a wildlife breeding and botanical area built around a large lake, with boating, gardens, aviaries and a sports complex. General entry to the park itself has been free, with separate charges for specific attractions such as boating and rides, though which attractions are open and what they cost varies, so treat any figure you see online as a guide and check locally. It suits a full day out more than a quick visit, and works well combined with a stop at the Shalimar Gardens or on the way to or from Wagah, since both are on the same side of the city.

Lahore Museum

The Lahore Museum, on the Mall, is Pakistan's most important museum, with Gandhara sculpture, Mughal and Sikh galleries and coins. It works well for school-age children with an interest in history, less so for toddlers, since it is a look-don't-touch museum with limited space to run around. Allow an hour and a half to two hours, and pair it with a walk through nearby Anarkali Bazaar. See our Lahore Museum guide for current hours and tickets.

Army Museum Lahore

The Army Museum, in the Cantonment, mixes indoor galleries with outdoor displays that include a helicopter and an aircraft children can walk around, which makes it more engaging for younger visitors than a standard history museum. It suits school-age children and teenagers particularly well, and is a reasonable half-day option if the zoo or Jallo Park don't appeal.

Building a family day or two

• One family day: Lahore Zoo in the morning, then Anarkali Bazaar or the Lahore Museum in the afternoon, both close by.
• A full day outdoors: Jallo Park, with a packed lunch and comfortable shoes, or Lahore Safari Zoo if you would rather stay mostly in the car.
• With teenagers: the Army Museum, followed by an evening at Fort Road or one of the malls; see our guide to things to do in Lahore at night.
• With very young children: Lahore Safari Zoo over the main zoo, since there is less walking, and keep any one outing under three hours.

Toilets, food and rest stops

All five places on this list have toilets and some form of food available on site, though standards vary and are generally more basic at Jallo Park and the safari zoo than at the malls-adjacent stops. Carrying wet wipes, a change of clothes for younger children, and your own snacks and water is worth it everywhere on this list, since queues for food stalls can be long at busy times.

Practical tips for families

• Go early, especially from April to September, when the middle of the day is uncomfortable for walking outdoors with children.
• Carry water and snacks. Food is available at most of these places, but not always close to where you are standing.
• Prams work on the paved paths at the zoo and Jallo Park, less well on grass or gravel.
• Weekends and public holidays are far busier at every venue on this list; a weekday visit is calmer and quicker.
• Confirm current ticket prices before you go. Fees at Lahore's public attractions have risen and changed structure more than once in recent years, so what you read online, including here, may not match what is posted at the gate.

Who this list suits

These are the right choices for a family with a day or two to spend outdoors and indoors in roughly equal measure, and with children from toddler age through teens. Families with only older teenagers, or without children at all, will likely get more out of the historical sights in our places to visit in Lahore guide, which covers the fort, the mosque and the old city in more depth. If you would like a family trip to Lahore built into a longer visit to Pakistan, tell us your dates.

Frequently asked questions