What this journey costs
Rs 13,000 to Rs 34,000
- Toyota Yaris or Corolla
- Rs 13,000
- Honda BR-V
- Rs 14,000
- Toyota Hiace Grand Cabin
- Rs 34,000
Indicative only. The figure we quote for your journey is the one that counts, and once quoted it does not change. What moves a price: the exact addresses at each end, the vehicle the party and luggage actually need, whether the car waits or returns empty, and the motorway toll where one applies.
Murree is 64 km from Islamabad and about an hour and a half away, right up until it is not. The Murree Expressway, the four-lane E-75 that opened on 30 August 2011, made the hill station a straightforward afternoon trip for most of the year. The N-75 is the older route, 90 km from Islamabad through Murree to Kohala, and it is still the road you end up on when the expressway is restricted.
For roughly nine months of the year this is one of the easiest journeys in the country. For the other three it is the single Pakistani road on which planning matters most, and no honest page about it can lead with the ninety-minute figure alone.
The winter position, stated plainly
The official snow season runs from 15 December to 25 February. For the 2025-26 season the authorities published a set of rules that tell you a great deal about what to expect: no parking on the approach roads, on Mall Road or in the markets, with illegally parked vehicles sealed; entry via the motorway and the GT Road capped and temporarily shut altogether once Murree reaches capacity; unrestricted entry retained for holders of local identity cards; metal snow chains advised; twenty snow-clearing vehicles on three shifts; and nineteen facilitation centres open from 15 December. There was also an explicit official warning against running gas heaters inside vehicles, because of the suffocation risk.
That last instruction is not theoretical. In January 2022 twenty-two people died in cars stranded in snow above Murree and the town was declared calamity-hit. More recently, the Murree Expressway was closed outright to traffic after heavy snowfall on 1 January 2026. A journey that takes an hour and a half in October can take three to five hours in January, or not be possible at all.
What we will and will not do in snow
If the road is capped or closed, or if the vehicle you have booked is not appropriate for the conditions on the day, we will say so and we will not send it. We would rather lose the booking than put a driver and a family into a queue on a mountain road in the dark. Between mid-December and late February, ask us about conditions before you commit to a plan that depends on arriving.
The vehicle matters more here than anywhere else
On the M-2 almost anything with four wheels will do. On the Murree road it will not. A 658 cc Suzuki Alto is a perfectly good city car and it is the wrong car for this gradient with four adults and luggage in it. The sensible floor for Murree is a full-size sedan such as a Corolla; for winter running, or for a family with bags, a higher vehicle with proper ground clearance is the better answer. If you are asking us to price this journey in January, expect us to quote a vehicle class rather than the cheapest one available.
Fuel prices are part of that arithmetic too. Petrol reached Rs 343.10 a litre under the OGRA notification effective 26 August 2026, against Rs 264.61 twelve months earlier. A hill route consumes noticeably more than a motorway cruise, which is one reason the cheap online quotes you find for Murree tend not to survive contact with a full car.
Where people actually go
Most requests are not simply “Murree”. They are Mall Road for the afternoon, or Patriata for the chairlift, or Bhurban for a hotel, or a continuation to Nathia Gali and the Galiyat, and each of those changes the road time by a meaningful amount. Nathia Gali in particular is a further run beyond Murree on mountain road, not a short hop. Give us the actual destination and whether the car waits or returns, because a car that waits four hours at Patriata and a car that drops and leaves are two different journeys.
For price context, inDrive’s City to City page recommends about Rs 1,800 for Islamabad to Murree. That is a one-way, negotiated figure for whoever accepts it, with no return and no checks on the driver or the vehicle. On a road where the vehicle choice is the safety decision, that is the part worth thinking about rather than the number.
Tell us the journey and we will price it. A submitted request is not a booking until availability, price and terms are confirmed.
The journey in figures
- Distance
- 64 km
- Drive time
- About 1 hour 30 minutes in clear conditions
- Road
- Islamabad Expressway, then the E-75 Murree Expressway
- In winter
- Three to five hours, or closed outright
Murree runs an official snow season from 15 December to 25 February. Entry over the motorway and GT Road is capped and shut once the town reaches capacity, parking on Mall Road and the approach roads is prohibited, and snow chains are advised. The Murree Expressway was closed outright after heavy snowfall on 1 January 2026.
Every way of making this journey
We are one row in this table, and not the cheapest one. Here is what the alternatives actually cost and what each of them asks of you.
| Option | Typical cost | Time | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus, Daewoo or Faisal Movers | Rs 500 - 720 | About 2 h | Third-party fare lists, not operator sites. Drops at the terminal, not your hotel. |
| inDrive City to City | Rs 1,800 | About 1 h 30 m | One way. Snow-season capacity closures apply to every vehicle equally. |
| iDrive.pk, car with a driver | Rs 13,000 to Rs 34,000 | — | A fixed price once quoted, a vetted driver whose photo and vehicle registration you see before the journey, and a car sized to your party and luggage. Booked before you travel, so it does not depend on having a local SIM when you land. |
Costs for other operators checked on August 31, 2026 and published from their own booking systems, official notices or named third-party sources. Fuel in Pakistan moved from Rs 264.61 a litre in September 2025 to Rs 343.10 by August 2026, so fares here move quickly. Treat these as a guide and confirm with the operator.
Which vehicle actually fits
Seat counts are the manufacturer figures. The passenger and luggage numbers beside them are what the vehicle carries in practice, with the cases people really travel with. If your party is near the limit, tell us the number of bags rather than the number of people, because that is what decides it.
- Suzuki WagonR 3 passengers, 2 cases Short city transfers on a budget. The tall boot helps more than the engine does.
- Toyota Yaris or Corolla 3 to 4 passengers, 2 to 3 large cases The workhorse. City work, airport transfers and the motorway run between Lahore and Islamabad.
- Honda BR-V 5 passengers with luggage, or 7 with almost none Family airport transfers on paved routes. The third row eats the boot, so it suits children or short hops rather than seven adults with cases. Not a mountain vehicle.
- Toyota Fortuner 5 passengers with full luggage, 7 travelling light Rough road and mountain work: Skardu, Hunza, Naran, Babusar. Ask for the diesel four-wheel-drive, because the petrol version is two-wheel-drive.
- Toyota Land Cruiser 4 to 5 passengers with full luggage Protocol and expedition work, and a genuine choice for Skardu and Deosai. It returns 5 to 10 km a litre, which at Rs 343 a litre is the honest reason it costs what it costs.
- Toyota Hiace Grand Cabin 13 passengers plus the driver The group and family vehicle. Gulf arrivals into Sialkot and Peshawar with heavy luggage, tour groups, weddings, long intercity runs.
- Toyota Coaster 25 to 29 passengers with hold luggage Large groups, corporate shuttles and pilgrimage travel. Worth knowing that the motorway toll alone is Rs 3,350 each way against Rs 1,430 for a car.
How booking works
- 01 Tell us the journey Where from, where to, when, how many of you and how much luggage. Precise addresses matter more than you would think, because a Rawalpindi address and an Islamabad address twenty minutes apart are very different journeys.
- 02 We quote a fixed price One figure for the whole journey, with the vehicle class it assumes. If a motorway toll or a waiting period is part of it, you see that too.
- 03 You see the driver and the car Before the journey you get the driver photograph and the vehicle registration, so you know exactly who and what you are looking for.
- 04 You travel At an airport your driver waits inside arrivals with a name sign. Check the photograph and the registration plate against what we sent you before you get in.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Islamabad to Murree?
About an hour and a half for 64 km in normal conditions, on the Islamabad Expressway and then the E-75 Murree Expressway. In snow it can be three to five hours or more, and the road is sometimes closed altogether.
When is the snow season?
Officially 15 December to 25 February. Restrictions published for the 2025-26 season included parking bans on the approach roads and Mall Road, and entry being capped or temporarily shut once the town reaches capacity.
Can Murree be closed to visitors?
Yes. Access via the motorway and the GT Road is capped and can be shut temporarily once Murree is full, with unrestricted entry kept for local identity card holders. The Murree Expressway itself was closed to traffic after heavy snowfall on 1 January 2026.
Do I need snow chains?
The published advisory for the 2025-26 season recommended metal snow chains. If you are travelling in the snow season, raise it with us when you request the journey so the vehicle is equipped rather than assumed to be.
Is a small car enough for Murree?
No. A 658 cc city car is underpowered for the gradient with a full load, and we do not offer it for this route. A full-size sedan is the sensible floor, and in winter or with a family and luggage a higher vehicle with proper ground clearance is better.
Can the driver wait while we spend the day there?
Yes. Tell us roughly how long, because a waiting car and a car that drops and leaves are priced differently and planned differently.
Can we go on to Nathia Gali or the Galiyat?
Yes, but treat it as a separate leg rather than a short extension. It is a further mountain run beyond Murree and it changes both the timing and the vehicle choice.
Can we stop at Patriata or Bhurban?
Yes. Add the stops to the request so the route and the waiting time are priced in from the start.
Is the older N-75 an alternative?
It is the road you end up on when the expressway is restricted. It runs 90 km from Islamabad through Murree to Kohala and it is slower, so it is a fallback rather than a preference.
What happens if the weather turns while we are there?
The driver stays in contact and we will tell you honestly if the descent should be brought forward. On this road that judgement is the service.
Is it safe to run a heater in the car if we are stuck?
Not a gas heater. The official advisory for Murree warns against using gas heaters inside vehicles because of the suffocation risk. This is a direct response to people having died in stranded cars here.
Will the price change if the journey takes longer than expected?
No. The price is fixed once quoted and accepted, for the journey as described. If you change the plan, for example by adding a waiting period or a further destination, we requote first.
Tell us the journey and we will price it
Send the route, the date, the number of travelling and how many cases you have. You will get one price for the whole journey and the vehicle class it assumes. If we cannot cover it properly we will say so rather than take the booking.