Erbil

Get in

thumb|Modern area in the outskirts of the centre

Get around

Public transportation is available in the form of taxis and some bus routes, but automobiles are the main mode of transportation. Compared with other cities in the Middle East, shared taxis and buses are very infrequent and impractical. If you don't know your way around or have a guide with local knowledge it is inadvisable to try public transportation alone. In terms of taxis there are several choices:

Careem Taxi: Careem is like the Uber of Erbil. Many people use this taxi app to go to places in Erbil, and it is fairly cheap. The costs vary by the distance of the place you are going to.

See

thumb|Jalil Khayat Mosque in Erbil thumb|Kurdish Textile Museum in the Hewler Citadel thumb|Mosaic on the Battle of Arbela

Do

Stroll around in the deserted city inside the citadel in the centre of Erbil. Hundreds of houses that appears to have been abandoned in a hurry. Walk into the court yards, sleeping rooms and bed rooms or up to the rooftop terraces to enjoy a spectacular panorama of Erbil or ponder what life might have been in this place before the inhabitants were repopulated. In season, see the Erbil SC football team play a match at Franso Hariri Stadium, south of the city center. Erbil SC is a regular winner in the Iraqi Premiere League, runner-up in the Asian Football Cup, and beloved by many locals. Explore Erbil's nascent local art scene at the Shanadar Gallery, in Shandar Park, then take in Kurdish, Arab, and Persian music at one of the many restaurants/show venues in the city.

Buy

thumb|Shop in the Teyrawa bazaar Grand Majidi Mall is a new mall, and it is very popular for tourists, and it has many famous brands. Erbil Avenue is a very new mall, completed in December 2025. It doesn’t really have anything to shop, however it has a paintball arena, a padel court, and famous restaurants such as EL&N London and Street Burger Gordon Ramsay.

Eat

Many good restaurants exist in Erbil. However, the vast majority serve kebabs and chicken, with some Lebanese and Turkish restaurants. Options for foreign food are limited. Most restaurants, except those in high-end hotels, do not serve alcohol or accept credit cards.

Drink

thumb|Outdoors at a café

You can buy a wide variety of beer, wine and liquor at pretty reasonable prices in Ainkawa, the Christian suburb of Irbil. Just look for any of the local liquor stores. A litre of Jack Daniels for about US$22 is cheaper than in Tennessee where it is bottled! Remember that Erbil is a predominantly Muslim city: drinking in public is unacceptable and public drunkenness is frowned upon.

In addition, the bars at the major luxury hotels (such as the Divan and the Rotana) are popular gathering spots.

Sleep

There is an active couchsurfing community in Erbil, which offers a low cost alternative for hotels if you only plan to stay a few days in Erbil.

Go next

Sulaymaniyah is an easy 2-3 hour drive. Described as the centre of education and culture in Kurdistan. The city features the best museums in Iraqi Kurdistan, good hotels and a number of pleasant parks including Chavvy Land.