Sialkot (Urdu/Punjabi: سیالکوٹ) is a city of 656,000 people (2017) in the northeast of the Pakistani province of Punjab. The city is about 5,000 years old. It is frequently visited by foreign buyers on business assignments.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
It was established by Raja Sul and invaded by Alexander the Great in 327 BCE. It was re-established by Raja Sálbán in 200 CE. He built the famous Sialkot Fort. The city is famous for its small industries, such as surgical goods, sports goods, leather garments, musical instruments, uniform badges, health gloves, stainless steel utensils, and many other exportable items. It fetches more than a billion US dollars of foreign exchange every year. The city has progressed rapidly.
There are some air-conditioned buses that roam around the city. These buses pick passengers wherever they see. They are cheap and comfortable. There are also plans for introduction of metro bus service in near future. The most common means of public transport is auto rickshaw. Taxis are also available in plenty. Careem ride hailing service is pretty popular amongst young people and foreigners. Rental car service is available near the bus station and under Jinnah Park Flyover.
1 Sialkot Fort. One of the oldest forts in Pakistan, first built by Raja Sálbán, king of the area during the 2nd century CE and is believed to have re-established the city. (updated Jun 2020) 2 Sialkot Cathedral. This cathedral consecrated in 1857 is in cantonment area. (updated Jun 2020) 3 Iqbal Manzil, Iqbal Rd. Birthplace of Muslim poet and philosopher Muhammad Allama Iqba, the national poet of Pakistan. Contains a museum and a library. (updated Jun 2020) Marala Headworks (Marala Head). A quite popular picnic spot on Chenab River. People come to eat fresh fish and boating in the river mostly during the weekends. A good place to enjoy the landscape and natural beauty.
Chicken Cottage, Hotel Taj Palace, Katchery Road. Coffee, cocktails, snacks. Dinners Club, Hotel Taj Palace, Katchery Road. Pakistani, Chinese. Vivo Cafe & Grill, Ghazi Road at V-Mall Sialkot Cantt, ☏ +92 52 4298991. 13:00-23:30. Upscale. Good Salads, steaks, oriental, continental and Italian food. Best food, Great service. The music played there is lovelly and the staff is very polite to customers. little expensive. KFC, Near Bus Stand, Cantt, toll-free: 111-532-532 (non-geographic number). Fast Food. Pizza Hut, Ghazi Road at V-Mall Sialkot Cantt. Fast food. Yorkshire, Railway Road. Pakistani, Continental. Silver Spoon, Aziz Shaheed Road Sialkot Cantt. Chinese & continental.
Masooms Cafe, Cantonment Plaza Sialkot Cantt. Frangoz Cafe, near McDonald's, Clover Mall, Mehmood Ghaznavi Road, Sialkot Cantt.
Sialkot is a safe city as compared to the other cities of Pakistan. Crimes such as pocketing and robbery are not very common. Violent crime is very rare. The people of Sialkot are friendly to the visitors.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
In Jul, Sialkot typically sees ~33°C daytime highs and 18 rainy days.
Cheapest destinations travellers searched recently — refreshed daily.
Flight prices are real fares travellers found in the last 48 hours, refreshed daily — the booking site confirms the final price. Train, bus and ferry fares are shown on the operators' booking sites. Weather data by Open-Meteo; exchange rates: ECB reference. Data updated 2026-07-25. Some links earn Stayonomy a commission at no cost to you.
stayonomy