Gulmarg travel guide

Gondola rides, ski slopes and alpine meadows on Apharwat. Most people stay 2–3 nights. Best months: Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.

Highlights

• Gulmarg Gondola (Phase 1 and 2)
• Skiing (Dec–Mar)
• Meadow walks and St Mary's Church
• Alpather Lake trek (summer)
• Drung waterfall

Things to do in Gulmarg

• Gulmarg Gondola to Kongdoori and Apharwat · 4 h · about ₹1,800 per person. Book online on the official cable car site only, days ahead in season. Phase 1 to Kongdoori (about 3,050 m) is the family ride; Phase 2 to Apharwat (about 3,950 m) has snow most of the year but often shuts in wind. Go early.
• Ski or snowboard lessons (Dec–Mar) · 4 h · about ₹3,500 per person. Beginners learn on the nursery slopes by the village with a certified instructor; experienced skiers ride Phase 2 for long off-piste runs (with a guide and avalanche gear).
• Sledge rides and snow play · 2 h · about ₹1,000 per person. Sledge pullers and boot-and-coat rentals have official rate cards; ask to see them before agreeing a price.
• Meadow walk: golf course, St Mary's Church and the Maharani temple · 2 h · free. A loop of the bowl-shaped meadow past one of the world's highest golf courses, the stone church and the hilltop temple.
• Alpather Lake hike (summer) · 6 h · about ₹2,500 per person. From the Phase 2 station or Kongdoori, a day hike or pony ride to a lake that stays frozen into June. Go with a local guide, and only from about late June to September.
• Drung waterfall · 2 h · about ₹1,200 per person. A short drive from Tangmarg; the waterfall freezes solid in mid-winter, which is when most people come to see it.

Where to stay in Gulmarg

• Guesthouses and huts in Gulmarg and Tangmarg (budget, ₹2,500–₹5,000 a night): Basic heated rooms; Tangmarg is cheaper but 30 min below the slopes.
• Hotels around the meadow and near the gondola (mid, ₹6,000–₹14,000 a night): Walk to the gondola and ski slopes; book early for Dec–Mar.
• Ski resorts and luxury hotels on the meadow (premium, ₹16,000–₹45,000 a night): Spa, ski storage and views of Apharwat; peak prices at Christmas and New Year.

What to eat

• Kashmiri rajma, haak and rice: Dhabas near the gondola base and hotel restaurants
• Kahwa and hot pakoras on the snow: Stalls at the Phase 1 station

Getting there

• ~1.5–2h to Srinagar and SXR
• ~2.5h to Doodhpathri
• ~4h to Pahalgam via Srinagar

Good to know

• The Phase 2 gondola to Apharwat often closes in high wind or heavy snow; book online and keep a flexible day.
• Late March–April is slushy between snow and grass; April can be wet.

Kashmir itineraries with Gulmarg

• Tulip season in Srinagar, with a night in Gulmarg · 5 days, Srinagar → Gulmarg · from ₹24,700 per person, base estimate before flights. Timed for spring: the Tulip Garden and almond blossom in Srinagar, then a night in Gulmarg while the snow is still on the slopes.
• First time in Kashmir: Srinagar, Doodhpathri and Gulmarg · 6 days, Srinagar → Gulmarg · from ₹34,300 per person, base estimate before flights. A shorter trip with fewer long drives: Srinagar's lake and gardens, a day in the meadows of Doodhpathri, and two unhurried nights at Gulmarg.
• Gulmarg ski week · 6 days, Srinagar → Gulmarg · from ₹37,750 per person, base estimate before flights. Four days on the snow: lessons on the nursery slopes for beginners or guided Phase 2 runs for experienced skiers, with a night in Srinagar to start.
• Winter snow: Srinagar, Sonamarg and Gulmarg · 6 days, Srinagar → Sonamarg → Gulmarg · from ₹35,525 per person, base estimate before flights. Kashmir under snow: the lake in winter, Sonamarg through the new all-weather tunnel and two nights at snowy Gulmarg.
• Classic Kashmir: Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam · 7 days, Srinagar → Gulmarg → Pahalgam · from ₹39,150 per person, base estimate before flights. The valley's three big names: houseboats, shikaras and Mughal gardens in Srinagar, a night by the Gulmarg gondola, then two nights among Pahalgam's rivers and side valleys.
• Kashmir honeymoon: houseboat, snow and river · 7 days, Srinagar → Gulmarg → Pahalgam · from ₹37,900 per person, base estimate before flights. Two nights on a deluxe houseboat, two at Gulmarg with the gondola and snow, and two at a riverside resort in Pahalgam — with slow mornings built in.
• Luxury Kashmir: heritage houseboat and Gulmarg resort · 7 days, Srinagar → Gulmarg · from ₹33,800 per person, base estimate before flights. Three nights split between a top-category houseboat and a lakeside palace-style hotel, then three at a Gulmarg resort with a spa and the gondola on the doorstep.
• Vaishno Devi and Kashmir by train · 7 days, Katra (Vaishno Devi) → Srinagar → Gulmarg · from ₹35,950 per person, base estimate before flights. The pilgrimage and the valley in one trip: the Vaishno Devi yatra from Katra, the Vande Bharat train over the Chenab bridge to Srinagar, then two nights in Gulmarg.
• Grand Jammu and Kashmir: Katra to Pahalgam · 11 days, Katra (Vaishno Devi) → Srinagar → Sonamarg → Gulmarg → Pahalgam · from ₹63,125 per person, base estimate before flights. Everything in one go: the pilgrimage at Katra, the train into the valley, Srinagar with a meadow day, Sonamarg's glacier, Gulmarg's gondola and Pahalgam's valleys.