Srinagar travel guide

Houseboats and shikaras on Dal Lake, Mughal gardens and the old city. Most people stay 2–4 nights. Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov.

Highlights

• Shikara ride on Dal Lake
• Houseboat night
• Shalimar and Nishat Mughal gardens
• Tulip Garden (late Mar–Apr)
• Old city mosques and shrines

Things to do in Srinagar

• Shikara ride on Dal Lake · 2 h · about ₹500 per person. Hourly rates per boat are posted at the ghats on Boulevard Road; agree the route (Char Chinari, the floating gardens, Nehru Park) before you set off. Sunset is the classic time.
• Dawn floating vegetable market · 2 h · about ₹900 per person. Growers trade vegetables from boats in the Dal's inner channels for an hour or so around sunrise; book the shikara the evening before.
• Shalimar, Nishat and Chashme Shahi gardens · 4 h · about ₹150 per person. Terraced 17th-century Mughal gardens along the lake's east shore, each with a small entry fee. Add Pari Mahal above Chashme Shahi for the view over Dal.
• Tulip Garden (spring only) · 2 h · about ₹100 per person. The Zabarwan foothill garden opens for roughly three to four weeks from late March into April; dates depend on the bloom and are announced each year. Weekdays and early mornings are calmer.
• Old city walk: Jamia Masjid and Khanqah-e-Moula · 3 h · about ₹1,200 per person. The wooden Khanqah-e-Moula on the Jhelum and the great Jamia Masjid courtyard are the highlights; a local guide helps in the lanes. Dress modestly, women cover their heads, and avoid Friday prayer times.
• Hazratbal shrine and the Nigeen shore · 1.5 h · free. The white marble shrine on the lake's north shore; remove shoes, dress modestly, and note that women may enter only part of it.
• Shankaracharya temple hill · 2 h · about ₹300 per person. Drive up the hill, then climb about 240 steps to the stone temple for a view over Dal and the city. Expect a security check; leave bags in the car.
• Wazwan dinner · 2 h · about ₹1,500 per person. The Kashmiri multi-course feast of rista, rogan josh and gushtaba is cooked by wazas; restaurants serve smaller tramis (shared platters) for two to four.
• Craft workshops: papier-mache, pashmina and carpets · 2.5 h · free. Ask to see the work being done before buying. Genuine pashmina comes with a GI label; shahtoosh is illegal, and very cheap pashmina is usually blended.
• Badamwari almond garden and Hari Parbat · 2 h · about ₹100 per person. The almond trees below Hari Parbat fort blossom in March, a couple of weeks before the tulips.

Where to stay in Srinagar

• Budget houseboats and guesthouses on Dal Lake's inner channels (budget, ₹2,000–₹4,500 a night): The houseboat experience on a budget; shikara access, simpler rooms, shared decks.
• Hotels on Boulevard Road and Rajbagh (mid, ₹4,000–₹9,000 a night): Road access, heating and lake views; easiest base with kids or older parents.
• Deluxe houseboats on Nigeen and Dal lakes (mid, ₹5,000–₹12,000 a night): Carved walnut interiors, meals included, and a quieter lake at Nigeen.
• Luxury hotels on the Zabarwan slopes and heritage houseboats (premium, ₹14,000–₹45,000 a night): Garden hotels above the lake and top-category houseboats with butler service.

What to eat

• Wazwan dishes: rista, rogan josh and gushtaba: Wazwan restaurants in the old city and around Lal Chowk
• Kahwa (saffron and almond green tea): Houseboats, cafés and the samovar stalls in the old city
• Noon chai and girda or tsochvoru bread: Neighbourhood bakeries (kandurs) in the morning
• Harissa (slow-cooked mutton, winter only): Old-city harissa shops at dawn, roughly Nov–Mar
• Nadru (lotus stem) yakhni and monje haak: Kashmiri home-style restaurants; vegetarian options are easy to find

Getting there

• ~30 min to SXR airport
• ~1.5–2h to Gulmarg
• ~2.5h to Sonamarg
• ~2.5–3h to Pahalgam
• ~3h by train to Katra

Good to know

• Chillai Kalan (21 Dec–31 Jan) is the coldest spell: sub-zero nights, frequent power cuts and snow-related flight delays.
• Check current government travel advisories before you go and follow local instructions; security checkpoints are common.

Kashmir itineraries with Srinagar

• Srinagar long weekend · 4 days, Srinagar · from ₹15,400 per person, base estimate before flights. Three nights based in Srinagar: the lake, the gardens and the old city, with a final day in the Doodhpathri meadows.
• 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.
• Autumn in Kashmir: chinars and saffron · 6 days, Srinagar → Pahalgam · from ₹27,850 per person, base estimate before flights. Kashmir's quiet season: red chinar leaves in the gardens, saffron flowering around Pampore and crisp, clear days in Pahalgam.
• 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.
• Kashmir on a budget · 7 days, Srinagar → Pahalgam · from ₹35,200 per person, base estimate before flights. One long base in a budget houseboat or guesthouse with shared taxis and public transport, a meadow day trip and two nights in Pahalgam.
• Kashmir with friends: rivers, glaciers and passes · 7 days, Srinagar → Sonamarg → Pahalgam · from ₹41,150 per person, base estimate before flights. Summer adventure: rafting on the Sindh and the Lidder, Thajiwas glacier, the Zojila road to Zero Point, and Pahalgam's side valleys.