Kabul, Afghanistan
Few capital cities arrive with as much baggage as Kabul. For decades, most of what the outside world has seen of Afghanistan’s capital has been war, political upheaval and tragedy. Yet beneath those headlines is a city with more than two thousand years of history, Mughal gardens, crowded bazaars, restored royal palaces, mountain views and one of the most fascinating cultural crossroads in Asia.
Sitting at roughly 1,800 metres above sea level and surrounded by barren mountains, Kabul feels immediately different from almost every other capital. It is chaotic and dusty, sometimes surprisingly green, deeply conservative and historically layered. Alexander’s armies passed through this region. Babur made Kabul his home. Afghan kings attempted to transform it into a modern capital. Empires fought over it.
Kabul is not an easy destination, and at present it is certainly not a conventional tourist destination. But for anyone interested in Afghanistan, Central Asia, the Persian world or the history of the Silk Roads, it is one of the most intriguing cities on Earth.
Why Visit Kabul?
Kabul’s attraction is not based around a checklist of spectacular monuments.
The city itself is the experience.
Markets spill into narrow streets. Mountains rise behind neighbourhoods that seem to climb almost vertically up their slopes. Men drink endless glasses of green tea. Bread emerges from traditional tandoor ovens. Old Soviet buildings stand beside mosques, mobile-phone shops and new apartment blocks.
And almost everywhere, Afghanistan’s complicated history is visible.
Kabul has been damaged, rebuilt, damaged again and rebuilt again. Understanding the city means understanding something about Afghanistan itself.
Best Things to See in Kabul
1. Gardens of Babur
Bagh-e Babur is probably Kabul’s most beautiful historical site.
The gardens were established by Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire, who captured Kabul in 1504 and developed a particular affection for the city.
Babur eventually conquered much of northern India, but Kabul remained special to him. His remains were ultimately brought here, and his simple tomb sits above the garden.
The complex follows the Persian-Mughal garden tradition, rising across a series of terraces divided by a central watercourse. The approximately 11-hectare site underwent extensive restoration after suffering severe damage during Afghanistan’s wars.
From the upper terraces you can also appreciate Kabul’s unusual geography: a sprawling city enclosed by mountains.
QuixoticGuide tip: Kabul becomes much easier to understand once you see it from above.
2. Darul Aman Palace
Few buildings symbolize Afghanistan’s turbulent modern history better than Darul Aman Palace.
King Amanullah Khan commissioned the huge neoclassical palace during the 1920s as part of an ambitious project to modernise Afghanistan.
The palace later became one of Kabul’s most recognisable ruins after being heavily damaged during years of conflict.
It has since been extensively restored.
Standing before its monumental façade, it is difficult not to think about what the building represents: Afghanistan’s repeated attempts to modernise, the destruction that followed and the desire to rebuild yet again.
The National Museum of Afghanistan is nearby, making the two logical to combine.
3. National Museum of Afghanistan
Afghanistan may be associated today with the Islamic world, but its archaeological history stretches through an extraordinary collection of civilizations.
Greek.
Bactrian.
Buddhist.
Kushan.
Hindu.
Islamic.
The National Museum of Afghanistan tells that much larger story.
Its collections suffered catastrophic looting and destruction during decades of war, yet surviving and recovered objects still provide a glimpse into Afghanistan’s former position at the crossroads between Persia, Central Asia, India and the Hellenistic world.
For travellers interested in history, this may be Kabul’s most important museum.
Check opening conditions locally before visiting.
4. Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque
Beside the Kabul River stands one of the city’s strangest and most recognisable mosques.
Shah-Do Shamshira, meaning roughly “King of the Two Swords,” hardly resembles the stereotypical Afghan mosque.
Its bright yellow façade, arched windows and almost European decorative style make it immediately noticeable among the surrounding buildings.
The streets around it also provide a good introduction to central Kabul’s intensity: traffic, traders, pedestrians and markets all competing for the same limited space.
Access to religious sites can change, so foreigners should never assume that entry is permitted.
5. Kabul’s Old City
This is where Kabul feels least like a capital designed by governments and most like a city that simply grew over centuries.
Explore the old commercial districts and you encounter narrow streets, workshops, bread sellers, fruit stalls, money changers and tiny shops stacked almost on top of one another.
The old city once sat beneath defensive walls stretching across the surrounding hills. Sections remain visible today.
The historic Bala Hissar, Kabul’s old fortress, dominates part of this landscape, although recent visitor information indicates that the fortress itself is currently closed.
This is a city to observe slowly rather than race through.
6. Ka Faroshi Bird Market
One of Kabul’s most unusual traditional markets is the Ka Faroshi Bird Market.
Hidden among narrow passages in the old city, traders have historically sold pigeons, partridges, canaries and other birds here.
It is less a conventional tourist attraction than a fragment of everyday Kabul.
Markets like this are precisely why exploring the city with someone who knows Kabul is so valuable: without local knowledge, many of its most interesting places are remarkably easy to walk straight past.
7. Chicken Street
The name sounds more exciting than its origin.
Chicken Street — Koch-e-Murgha — became famous during Afghanistan’s overland-travel era of the 1960s and 1970s, when Kabul sat on the legendary Hippie Trail between Europe and India.
Backpackers came here looking for carpets, jewellery, lapis lazuli and Afghan handicrafts.
The golden age of Chicken Street is long gone, and the street has changed enormously, but it remains one of Kabul’s best-known commercial addresses.
If buying old objects, be extremely careful about anything that could legally qualify as an antiquity. Export restrictions can be strict.
8. Mausoleum of Timur Shah
Timur Shah Durrani moved the Afghan capital from Kandahar to Kabul in 1776, helping establish the city’s modern political importance.
His large octagonal mausoleum stands close to the old city.
It is not Kabul’s grandest monument, but historically it is one of the most important: Kabul’s position as Afghanistan’s capital essentially begins with Timur Shah.
9. Qargha Lake
For a completely different side of Kabul, head towards Qargha Lake on the western edge of the city.
The reservoir has traditionally been a popular recreational escape for Kabul residents, particularly during warmer weather.
Beyond the lake rise the dry mountains that define so much of the Afghan landscape.
Current security conditions should always be checked locally before travelling outside central Kabul.
Look Up
One of Kabul’s defining characteristics is something no museum can reproduce: its geography.
Mountains surround almost the entire city.
Informal neighbourhoods climb their slopes while roads, apartment blocks and commercial districts fill the valley below.
Unlike cities where mountains form a distant backdrop, Kabul seems to grow directly into them.
At sunrise and sunset, the landscape can be magnificent.
What to Eat in Kabul
Afghan cuisine rarely gets the international recognition it deserves.
Start with Kabuli palaw, Afghanistan’s best-known dish: fragrant rice usually served with meat, carrots and raisins.
Then look for mantu, steamed dumplings filled with seasoned meat and topped with yoghurt and sauces; ashak, dumplings commonly filled with leeks; freshly baked naan; grilled kebabs; and bolani, thin flatbread stuffed with ingredients such as potato or leek.
Finish with tea.
Then have another tea.
Hospitality and tea are practically inseparable in Afghanistan.
When to Visit Kabul
Kabul’s elevation gives it far more pronounced seasons than many travellers expect.
April–May brings milder temperatures and greener scenery.
September–October is another attractive period, with generally pleasant daytime temperatures and cooler evenings.
Summer can be hot and dusty, while winter can be genuinely cold, with snow possible across Kabul and the surrounding mountains. Spring and early autumn are generally considered the most comfortable periods for exploring the city.
Getting to Kabul
International flights currently operate to Kabul International Airport (KBL).
As of August 2026, scheduled connections include routes to cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, Doha, Delhi and Tashkent, although schedules can change quickly. Dubai is one of Kabul’s largest international gateways.
From Europe, Istanbul and Gulf hubs therefore provide some of the most straightforward connections.
For an aviation enthusiast, arriving in Kabul is itself memorable: the final approach reveals a vast city squeezed between rugged mountains.
Visa
Most foreign visitors require an Afghan visa before travelling.
The situation is unusually complicated because not every Afghan diplomatic mission abroad has the same relationship with Afghanistan’s de facto authorities. Belgium’s Foreign Affairs Ministry specifically warns that visas issued by diplomatic missions still aligned with the former Afghan government may not necessarily be recognised by Taliban authorities.
Never assume that information from an old embassy website is sufficient.
Confirm the requirements directly with the Afghan authorities or a recognised issuing mission immediately before travel.
Money
The currency is the Afghan afghani (AFN).
Afghanistan remains heavily cash based. Access to international banking and foreign cards can be inconsistent, so travellers should not rely entirely on ATMs or card payments.
There are also restrictions on how much foreign currency can legally be carried into or out of Afghanistan.
Languages
Afghanistan’s two official languages are:
Dari — closely related to Persian/Farsi
Pashto
Dari is widely spoken in Kabul.
Even knowing a few words transforms interactions:
Salam — Hello
Tashakur — Thank you
Khoda hafez — Goodbye
Dress and Behaviour
Afghanistan under Taliban rule has exceptionally conservative rules governing public behaviour.
Men should wear modest clothing and avoid shorts or sleeveless shirts. Rules for women are considerably stricter; current UK travel guidance states that foreign women are also required to fully cover their body and hair and cover their face in public. Restrictions also affect women’s ability to travel independently over longer distances.
Public displays of affection should be avoided.
Alcohol and pork products are prohibited.
Visitors should treat these rules as laws rather than merely cultural suggestions.
Photography in Kabul
Kabul is incredibly photogenic.
But it is also somewhere where taking the wrong photograph can create serious problems.
Do not photograph military installations, checkpoints, government buildings, airports or other sensitive infrastructure. Even buildings that appear harmless may be considered sensitive.
Official Belgian guidance specifically warns against photographing military installations, government buildings, diplomatic facilities, strategic junctions, airports, bridges, camps and dams.
When photographing people, ask first.
When uncertain, don’t take the photograph.
How Long Do You Need in Kabul?
If conditions permitted normal sightseeing, two to three full days would give a good introduction.
A possible itinerary would be:
Day 1: Gardens of Babur → Old Kabul → Shah-Do Shamshira → markets
Day 2: National Museum → Darul Aman Palace → western Kabul
Day 3: additional neighbourhoods, local markets and Qargha, depending entirely on current access and security conditions
In present circumstances, however, itineraries need to remain flexible. Sites can close and local rules can change with little warning.
Kabul Is More Than a War Story
The easiest way to misunderstand Kabul is to imagine that its history began in 1979, 2001 or 2021.
It didn’t.
Kabul existed long before the Soviet invasion, long before the Taliban and long before Afghanistan appeared nightly on Western television.
It was a trading city between civilizations. A Mughal capital. A royal capital. A stop on the Hippie Trail. A city of poets, merchants, students, craftsmen and migrants from across Afghanistan.
War is part of Kabul’s story.
But it isn’t the entire story.
That is ultimately why Kabul remains such a compelling place: behind one of the world’s most familiar geopolitical names lies a city that most of the world has never actually seen.