Islamabad to Murree: Route, Timings and What to Skip

Murree is the trip nearly every visitor to Islamabad makes, and the one most often done badly. It is 60 km, under two hours, and entirely feasible as a day return — provided you leave early and know what the last four kilometres are like.

The route

Take the Islamabad–Murree Expressway. It is the fast, modern route: dual carriageway most of the way, climbing steadily from about 500m at Islamabad to 2,300m at Murree. The old Murree Road via Bhara Kahu is slower, narrower and only worth taking if the Expressway is closed.

• Islamabad (Zero Point) to the Expressway toll: 20 minutes
• Expressway climb: about an hour
• Final ascent to Mall Road: 15 minutes clear, 60+ minutes in season

That last line is the whole trip in miniature. The drive is easy. Murree town in peak season is a parking problem with a view.

Leave early. Genuinely early.

On a summer weekend or during Eid holidays, leaving Islamabad at 7am and leaving at 10am produce completely different days. Late departure means the Expressway is fine and then you spend an hour crawling the last stretch into town looking for parking that does not exist. Local drivers know the overflow parking areas and will drop you at Mall Road and wait elsewhere — which is the single biggest practical argument for a chauffeur on this route.

What to actually see

• Mall Road — the promenade, the shops, the food. Crowded, and that is part of it.
• Kashmir Point / Pindi Point — viewpoints at either end of the ridge; Pindi Point has the chairlift.
• Patriata (New Murree) — 15 km on, and the better chairlift-and-cable-car experience. If your day only fits one, many visitors prefer Patriata to Mall Road.
• Bhurban — quieter, greener, where the PC hotel is. A good lunch stop.

What to skip

The roadside "zoo" attractions and the horse rides on Mall Road are overpriced and grim. And unless you have a specific reason, do not plan to stay overnight in Murree town itself — the Galiyat an hour on are quieter, cooler and considerably more pleasant.

The loop worth adding

Rather than driving up and back the same way, continue from Murree to Nathia Gali (35 km, 1 hr 15 min) through Ayubia, walk part of the Pipeline Track, and return to Islamabad via Abbottabad and the Hazara Motorway. It turns a four-hour round trip into a full, varied day and you never sit in the same queue twice.

Winter: read this before you book

Murree gets real snow from December to February, and it is beautiful and occasionally serious.

• The final ascent can close, sometimes at short notice.
• Chains are occasionally required. Not every vehicle carries them.
• The famous January 2022 closure — when hundreds of cars were stranded overnight — happened because thousands of vehicles drove up into a forecast blizzard.

In winter we will steer you towards an SUV rather than a sedan, and if the forecast is bad we will tell you to go another day. Book a Land Cruiser or MG HS for a snow-season trip.

Costs and practicalities

• Expressway tolls are modest; your driver handles them.
• Fuel up in Islamabad — mountain stations are more expensive and occasionally dry.
• It is 10–15°C cooler than Islamabad. In summer take a layer; in winter take a proper coat.
• Cash for parking, snacks and the chairlift. Cards are not universal.