Away With The Steiners

Lahore to Islamabad by Bus: A Complete Review.

Sarah Steiner

So, you’ve made it to Pakistan and no doubt you have been welcomed with amazing Pakistani hospitality. Aside from choosing where to stay the next big question is how to travel around in Pakistan.

Well, it is our third time traveling in Pakistan and we have now tried multiple bus companies (and trains and taxis and everything in between) and can recommend the bus from Lahore to Islamabad.

This time round we took the Faisal Movers bus from Lahore to Islamabad.

So here is our review of Faisal Movers bus and everything you need to know to book your bus ticket and enjoy the ride from Lahore to Islamabad!

Which bus to take? 

There are many different bus companies in Pakistan that travel the larger distances between cities.

There are far too many to list them all here. But the three main bus services that operate between Lahore and Islamabad are:

This time we have taken the Faisal Movers bus from Lahore to Islamabad. 

Faisal Movers bus from Lahore to Islamabad and how to get the bus from Islamabad to Lahore.
Three Faisal Movers Business Class buses.

Why take Faisal Movers bus? 

We have already reviewed the trip by Road Master (and had a great journey).

However, one advantage of Faisal Movers bus from Lahore to Islamabad is that you don’t need to book in advance.

This may not initially seem like an advantage as far as being organized for your travel in Pakistan. But in fact, booking a bus ticket in Pakistan is not that straightforward.

You are required to have a local phone number (great if you can buy a SIM card in Pakistan) and you need a Pakistani National ID number. And so because of this, it is easiest to ask your hotel or Tour Guide to assist with booking a bus ticket in Pakistan in advance.

Or you can opt to take the risk travel without prebooking a bus ticket and try Faisal Movers. Which we can now recommend!

How do you get a bus ticket for the Faisal Movers bus from Lahore to Islamabad? 

I admit I was a little skeptical when our friendly guide told us you don’t need to book in advance. And instead, just turn up at the Faisal Movers bus terminal in Lahore. 

And in fact, this is exactly right.  

The Faisal Movers Bus Terminal is operated by Abdullah Travels in Lahore.

We got a taxi to the bus terminal from our hotel and arrived at 12:20pm. The next available Business Class bus was at 2:00pm. And it was great!

I do suggest however that you turn up earlier. We had had far too many late nights and didn’t get up early.

Normally for big travel days we always try to travel in the morning so that we are on the road early and have time to get to our hotel and get check in while its daylight.

The main Faisal Movers Bus Terminal in Lahore.

Which class of bus to take? 

Faisal Movers Buses offers two classes of bus ticket from Lahore to Islamabad. 

I asked at the booking office (at the Faisal Movers Bus Terminal) what the difference of the two classes was.  And I could see outside looking at the size of the buses that Business Class did look significantly more luxurious. 

It turns out the Business Class busses have reclining seats, massage chairs(!), snacks and drinks as refreshments as well as WIFI and AC. 

The luxurious inside of the Faisal Movers Business Class Bus.

How much does a bus ticket cost from Lahore to Islamabad? 

There are two options of ticket pricing with Faisal Movers bus from Lahore to Islamabad: 

Payment for the bus tickets at Abdullah Travels Faisal Movers Bus Terminal in Lahore is taken by cash only.

Faisal Movers Bus Terminal in Lahore

On the Faisal Movers website there are two stations that are shown in Lahore.  

Faisal Movers has its main terminal at Abdullah Travels on Band Road in Lahore.  This is where we got the Faisal Movers bus to Islamabad from. 

You will know you are in the right place in Lahore to get the Faisal Movers bus to Islamabad as the whole stretch of road along Band Road has so many (I couldn’t even count how many!) different bus companies.

The larger companies are visible and stand out as you travel along Band Road. And Faisal Movers is one of the largest bus terminals.

What are the facilities like at the Faisal Movers Bus Terminal in Lahore?

There is a ticket office (operated by Abdullah Travels) at the Bus Terminal.

If you are travelling by Business Class there is a large air conditioned waiting room with clean toilets.

The staff are lovely and gave us a complimentary coffee and juice for the kids. And there is also a smaller waiting room for Executive Class.

There are public toilets outside in the main courtyard of the Faisal Movers Bus Terminal.

And there is a small convenience store with snacks and drinks and everything else you could think of that you might need for your journey by bus from Lahore to Islamabad!

The ticket office and main courtyard of Faisal Movers Bus Terminal in Lahore.

How long is the journey by bus from Lahore to Islamabad? 

The bus journey between Lahore and Islamabad takes around 5 hours.

It is slightly shorter if you are embarking or disembarking at Rawalpindi instead of the Faizabad Bus Terminal in Islamabad (more about that below).

Does the bus stop on the way? 

The Faisal Movers bus from Lahore to Islamabad stops once at a large highway stop about halfway into the journey.

There are restaurants and kiosks as well as public toilets.

The bus stops for 15 minutes only.

Arriving in Islamabad

The Faisal Movers bus from Lahore stops first at the large bus station in Rawalpindi.

This is not the closest stop to Islamabad, however. (Don’t make our mistake! We hopped off at this bus station on our last trip to Pakistan).

In fact, the Faisal Movers bus from Lahore to Islamabad stops in Rawalpindi and then stops at the bus station in Faizabad.

The Faizabad bus station is only 10km or 20 minutes by taxi from the bus station to F7 in Islamabad.

Getting to and from the Faisal Movers Bus Station in Lahore

It’s easy to get around in Lahore by rickshaw or taxi.

Even if you don’t have a SIM card in Pakistan you can ask your hotel to call you an InDrive taxi (or rickshaw taxi).

The main road outside the Faisal Movers Bus Terminal in Lahore.

Getting to and from the bus station in Islamabad

Arriving at the Faisal Movers Bus Terminal in Faizabad (Islamabad) is slightly overwhelming with regards to taxi drivers hawking their services.  

We were lucky (check out our YouTube video of the bus from Lahore to Islamabad) and got a very friendly taxi driver who drove us from the Bus Terminal to our hotel in F-7 Islamabad for 1000 PKR ($3.30 USD).

We gave him a good tip as he was so kind – and honest – and it seems like a very reasonable fare for a 20-minute drive.

Anyway, there is no shortage of transport options once you arrive at the Faisal Movers Bus Terminal in Faizabad! 

The Faisal Movers Bus Terminal in Rawalpindi (make sure not to get off the bus here!).

Where to stay in Islamabad

These are the hotels we have stayed at in Islamabad and can recommend. 

Each of these hotels in Islamabad is within walking distance of the F-7 Markaz (and more importantly within walking distance of the amazing Kabul Restaurant!). 

Our room at Grand Peace House II in Islamabad (walking distance to F-7).

Where to stay in Lahore 

These are the hotels where we stayed in Lahore and can recommend for your visit. 

Our rather plush looking room at Grand Millennium Hotel in Lahore.

More about travel planning for Pakistan and beyond…

These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel. 

Read more from travel in South Asia

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