Howdy all. Continuing on with my series of Lahore blog posts, last time I brought to your attention the sites of Lahore’s Walled or Old City. But Lahore is a very big city and there’s a lot more to it than JUST the Walled City and the contents within. So today I’ll try to detail the places outside of the Walled City that I visited.

The Lahore Museum

The principle museum in Lahore is, perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly, the ‘Lahore Museum’. Housed in an historic building, you can reach the museum by metro (Stop GPO) and a 10 minute walk from there. I believe the building dates back to the late 19^th Century and it really is a lovely place to house the collections it has. At 1000 Pakistani rupee you pay a lot more than locals who only have to fork out 50 Rs. I have discussed two-tiered pricing before and perhaps this is the most stark difference I have ever encountered when you consider that the ratio is 20 to 1. Having said that 1000 Rs is about $4USD. So on that point alone it is hard to argue the price.

As for the contents, the most interesting are the exhibitions leading up to Pakistan’s emergence as a nation. If you are interested in the Pakistani history of the Partition, there are also chances in Karachi to learn about that. There are exhibitions filled with archaeological finds and the like and much more. If you like museums or beautiful buildings, check it out. If you only want to see one museum in Lahore as I did, this is probably the museum you need.

Anarkali Bazaar

Shopping is the thing to do in Lahore! Bargains to be had everywhere. If you haven’t had your fill exploring and shopping the Walled City, head to Anarkali Bazaar which has everything (again) you might want to buy. Certainly an emphasis on shoes here too, it’s more open than the Walled City and goes on and on.

Eventually you will hit food street where the hawkers may wrestle for your custumorage. Loads of colour and fun, it’s not too far from a metro station at one end but finding it is more of an issue as I found it wasn’t particularly well signposted.

Shalimar Gardens

Another stop on the metro line, Shalimar Gardens is a must! These extensive gardens with shrines and water features are where many Lahorites spend time, and yes there is a small entrance fee but it’s well worth it because you can walk and experience the gardens for as long as you like, perhaps meet and chat with a few locals, and just chill really, which is nice as Lahore is a bit mad from time to time.

Another interesting feature of these gardens is that they sit under a flight path. So – if you are into your aviation – you can watch the bellies of planes as they take off and land! The gardens were created and constructed with their paths and steps and layers 1641-42, and in 1981 became a UNESCO World Heritage Site!

Shrine of Mian Mir

This was a little harder to get to having to resort to Uber to get here. This beautiful shrine was nice and quiet when I did visit and nestled away in a back street. Here I was allowed to use my phone to capture photos and video but not my Sony Action Camera nor my DSLR. This beautiful Sufi Shrine dates back to the 17^th Century. Not too far from it are some gardens (100 metres) where there were many cricket games being played and in the centre of the gardens, a shrine!

Dai Anga Mosque

This mosque stands next to the train tracks right near the main train station. Beautiful colours on the façade, it’s really quite something. Try not to be like Andy and visit at prayer times! There’s like this secret platform right next to the mosque which was very cool indeed, the gate was wide open and made for some cool photographs. Possibly the where the Pakistani equivalent to the Hogwart’s Express leaves from!

Data Darbar

This shrine is actually in a different area again, sort of half way between Anakarli Market and the Minar E Paksitan. Data Darbar is a Shrine to Ali Hujwiri and is in fact the largest Sufi Shrine in all of South Asia, and although it’s certainly had a make over the site dates back to the 11th century, including a mosque, and was rebuilt in the 19th century. Here I wasn’t allowed to use my DSLR nor my action camera (which I had removed from the selfie-stick) but like a number of places using my phone for photos and video was okay, and that phone certainly turned out to be a great back up on more than one occasion in Pakistan and other countries I visited on my trip. This one is really beautiful, I would recommend NOT skipping it if you are in town.

Well folks, there’s a fair list to start you on your ‘non-Walled City’ Lahore tour! Don’t forget to take the Metro and really get a good sense of the city from ever so slightly above! Hope that this has opened this city up to you in some small way! It’s a very rewarding city to visit! Thanks for popping in today, take care wherever you are in the world, and, May the Journey Never End!