Bring cash: foreign cards often fail in Kabul

Guesthouses in central Kabul, especially around Shahr-e Naw, can be short on reliable water, electricity and Wi-Fi, so ask before you confirm. Prices are often negotiable, particularly for longer stays. Many travelers buy a local SIM and use it as a hotspot, and a vendor operates near the Gulbahar Business Center…

Opened in 1945 as the Kabul Hotel and rebuilt in the 2000s, this garden hotel beside Zarnegar Park was long known as the Serena. Since February 2025 it has traded as the Kabul Grand Hotel, so older listings and maps may still say Serena. Book through the hotel's own website to be sure you have the right property. If…

Travel in Kabul and beyond needs a permit from the culture ministry's office, and the office is closed on Fridays and Islamic holidays. Some sites may turn you away without it, so collect it early and carry it. Avoid Ramadan and Eid weeks if your schedule is tight, since offices close and transport thins. In Ramadan…

In the days before Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, Kabul's markets fill with dried fruit, nuts, sweets and bakery goods that families buy for guests. Dry-fruit sellers in Taimani and sweet stalls in the Mandawi area are good places to browse. Eid follows the lunar calendar, and the date announced in Afghanistan has…

Kabul has no ride-hailing apps, so you flag a taxi on the street and the fare is whatever you agree before the door closes. Ask your guesthouse for a typical fare for the route, then bargain politely, because foreigners are often quoted about double. Shared minibuses run fixed routes through the day and cost far less…

About 20 km west of the city, Paghman is Kabul's old summer retreat, with garden staircases, fountains and the Taq-e Zafar arch modeled on Paris's Arc de Triomphe. Walk the garden terraces, then take the mountain trails above town for views over the valley. June, August and September are dry, and hotels can arrange a…

About an hour north of Kabul, Istalif's main street is lined with pottery shops selling glazed dishes in turquoise and deep green, a craft handed down through families. Watch a potter at work if invited, and buy a few small pieces you can carry. Shops hold more stock than customers, so polite haggling over tea is…

Palaces, government buildings, military sites and checkpoints are not to be photographed, and guards enforce this. At the Darul Aman parliament building, visitors have been let in only on condition of no photos. Ask before photographing any person and follow guards at religious sites. Spend your shots on gardens…