This bustling city is dominated by the history of the Sikhs and many of their sacred shrines are found in and around the city, the chief being the "Harmindar sahib" or the Golden Temple. The city lies on the main Grand Trunk (GT) road from Delhi to Jalandhar to Amritsar connecting up to Lahore in Pakistan. Today, the Wagah Border, between India and Pakistan, is accessed via the city of Amritsar, making it an important transit point between India and Pakistan.
	The city is the administrative centre for the Amritsar district. Amritsar developed from a small village pool to a business centre. However, it did not become the industrial centre of Punjab due to its proximity to the volatile Indo-Pak border. The city boasts an international airport Raja Sansi Airport, that is about 11km from the city centre.
	The main commercial activities include tourism, carpets and fabrics, farm produce, handicrafts, service trades and light engineering. Shopping in Amritsar includes woollen blankets, wollen clothing and Phulkari embroidery. Amritsar is well known for its "Papads" (made of gram flour and fried or roasted) and "wadis's"(dried dumplings of lentils and spices that are fried and used in Indian curries) of and for Aam papad - a sticky sweet and sour confection made by compressing sheets of mango pulp. Carpets and dry fruits are also worth checking out. Katra Jaimal Singh near the Telephone exchange in the old city is good for shopping. For the adventurous, a stroll further down the alleys and by-lanes of the Bazaar area can lead to the discovery some interesting knick-knacks.
	The city has a rich and vibrant culture, and Punjab is famous for its robust joyous and energetic dances - the Bhangra performed solely by men, and the Gidda, performed by women. and being in the heartland of Punjab , boasts of excellent Punjabi cuisine. The area near the Golden Temple is vegetarian, and excellent Lassis and jalebis can be found here. Nan bread, Kulchas- chana, the hearty "mah kid daal" a rich buttery lentil dish and simple well made fresh vegetables are available in the many "dhabas" (roadside eateries) in this area, the most famous of which is the Bharawan da dhaba.

Most places within the city are in easy reach, and transport is easily available. The area around the Golden temple forms the hub for the tourist traffic and has several hotels in all price ranges from budget hotels at 250/- to more plush ones at Rs.2000/-. Rented cars are available and you can book one through a travel agent or your hotel. These are chauffeur driven taxis, self-driven vehicles are not available. Cars are usually rented on a half day or full day charge. Un-metered auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are the most common mode of local transport within the city. Auto-rickshaws can be hired for a full day at Rs. 500, and for half a day at Rs. 300. Taxis are available around the station and near Ritz Hotel. If you wish to travel short distances within the city and don’t mind some exercise, bicycles available from the Hide Market are worth trying out.