Five days is the most popular length for a Kashmir trip, and it is enough to see the valley properly: Srinagar and Dal Lake, then Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgam, one each day. The plan that makes it work is simple: stay in Srinagar all four nights and drive out to a different place each day. You unpack once, and you never lose half a day to a hotel change.
Below is the day-by-day plan we run ourselves, with drive times, what to do at each stop, what each day costs beyond the package, and the variations for honeymoons, winter, spring and families. We are a tour operator in Srinagar; the plan works just as well if you book it yourself.
The 5-day plan at a glance
- Day 1: Arrive in Srinagar. Mughal gardens, Shankaracharya Temple, shikara on Dal Lake.
- Day 2: Gulmarg day trip (50 km, about 2 hours each way). Gondola and meadows.
- Day 3: Sonamarg day trip (80 km, about 3 hours each way). Thajiwas Glacier.
- Day 4: Pahalgam day trip (90 km, about 2.5 hours each way). Betaab Valley, Aru, Chandanwari.
- Day 5: Morning in Srinagar, then fly home.
Gulmarg comes first deliberately. It has the Gondola, the activity most likely to be cancelled by weather, so putting it on day 2 leaves room to swap it with day 3 or 4 if the cable car is shut.
Day by day
Day 1: Arrive in Srinagar, gardens and Dal Lake
Land at Srinagar airport, about 30–45 minutes from the city, and check in. If you land before noon, the afternoon is enough for the Mughal gardens on the Dal's eastern shore: Nishat Bagh, the largest, with terraces down to the lake; Shalimar Bagh, built by Jahangir for Nur Jahan; and the small Chashme Shahi with its spring. Shankaracharya Temple, on the hill above the city, gives the best view over Dal Lake.
End the day on the water. A shikara hour around sunset is the classic first evening in Kashmir: past the houseboats, the floating gardens and Char Chinar island. Rates are fixed by the Tourism Department, roughly ₹700–800 per boat per hour.
- Tip: take the earliest flight you can. A late landing turns day 1 into an arrival day only.
- Tip: the gardens have small entry fees and close around sunset. Do them first and the lake last.
- Night: Srinagar, in a hotel or, if you want it, a houseboat.
Day 2: Gulmarg
Leave by 8 am. The drive runs through rice fields and apple orchards to Tangmarg, then climbs through pine forest to the meadow at about 2,650 m. Most of the day is the Gulmarg Gondola: Phase 1 to Kongdori at about 3,050 m, and, weather permitting, Phase 2 to Apharwat at almost 4,000 m, where there is snow for most of the year.
- Gondola tickets: about ₹800 for Phase 1 and ₹1,000 for Phase 2 at 2026 fares. Book on the official cable car corporation portal only, days or weeks ahead in season. Phase 2 is often closed by wind; Phase 1 alone is worth it.
- Without the Gondola: walk the meadow, the golf course and St Mary’s Church, or take a pony towards Khilanmarg. Pony rates are fixed by the union.
- In winter: this is the snow day. Hire boots and a coat at Tangmarg or Gulmarg for a few hundred rupees.
- Altitude: Phase 2 takes you to nearly 4,000 m in minutes. Walk slowly, drink water, and come down if anyone feels unwell.
- Night: back to Srinagar by early evening.
Day 3: Sonamarg
The longest drive of the trip, up the Sindh valley past Kangan and Gund to the "meadow of gold" at about 2,730 m. The main sight is Thajiwas Glacier, about 3 km from the road head, by pony or on foot. In summer and early autumn the road continues over Zojila to Zero Point, a snowfield that local union vehicles run to; it closes with the first heavy snow.
- Pony to Thajiwas: fixed union rates, paid locally. Walking takes about an hour each way and is easy going.
- In winter: the Z-Morh tunnel now keeps Sonamarg reachable, and the meadow becomes a snowfield. Expect snow play rather than a glacier walk.
- Lunch: simple dhabas at the road head. Carry snacks; options are limited.
- Night: back to Srinagar.
Day 4: Pahalgam
South-east along the Jhelum, past the saffron fields at Pampore (in flower for about two weeks from late October) and the cricket bat workshops at Sangam, then up the Lidder valley to Pahalgam at about 2,130 m. From the town, your car stops: the three valleys are reached only by local union taxi at fixed rates:
- [Betaab Valley](@destination-betaab-valley): the meadow and river most people picture. Closest to town.
- Aru Valley: wider and quieter, with a village and meadows above it.
- Chandanwari: the start of the Amarnath Yatra route, with snow lingering into early summer.
The April 2026 union tariff ran from about ₹900–1,600 for Betaab alone to ₹2,100–3,000 for all three points, depending on the vehicle. Carry cash: the union taxis and ponies do not take cards.
- Tip: Pahalgam is the longest day. Leave Srinagar by 8 am to have time for all three valleys.
- In winter: Aru and Chandanwari are often snowbound. The union stand will tell you what is open that day.
- During the Amarnath Yatra (roughly July to August): expect traffic controls and crowds on the Pahalgam road.
- Night: back to Srinagar for the last night.
Day 5: Srinagar and departure
Flights out of Srinagar thin out by late afternoon, so this is a morning, not a day. With a few hours, choose one: the Old City (Jama Masjid, Khanqah-e-Moula on the Jhelum, Hari Parbat), Hazratbal Shrine on the western shore of the Dal, or an early shikara to the floating vegetable market. Reach the airport three hours before departure: screening starts at the outer gate.
Five versions of the same five days
Honeymoon
Swap the first night to a deluxe houseboat and add a candlelight dinner. If you can, move the Pahalgam day to an overnight, so you see Betaab Valley in the early morning. The Glimpse of Kashmir 4N/5D honeymoon is built this way and includes Gondola Phase 1 and the Pahalgam union cab. The honeymoon cost guide compares all eight of our honeymoon packages.
Winter (December to February)
The same order works, with two changes: keep a spare half-day, because snow can close the Gulmarg road for a day, and expect Pahalgam to be shorter, with Betaab the likeliest of the three valleys to be open. Gulmarg is the highlight; consider swapping Pahalgam for a second day there if you are coming for snow.
Spring (late March to April)
Put the Tulip Garden on day 1 or day 5. It opens around the third week of March for about a month, and is busiest at weekends. Expect some rain; March and April are the wettest months in Srinagar.
Family with young children or grandparents
Sonamarg is the hardest day for small children and elderly travellers: the longest drive and a pony ride to the glacier. Swap it for Doodhpathri or Yusmarg, both about 1.5 hours from Srinagar, with easy meadows and no queue. Skip Gondola Phase 2 for anyone with a heart or breathing condition.
Vaishno Devi and Kashmir
Take the train to Katra, do the yatra, then the Vande Bharat to Srinagar in about three hours. Add a day at each end. The how to reach Kashmir guide covers the trains and timings.
Five days or more?
Five days is enough to see the four headline places, but it has no slack. A sixth day buys you the Old City properly and a buffer for weather; a seventh lets you sleep a night in Pahalgam and take a houseboat night without losing sightseeing. If you have the time, the 7-day Kashmir itinerary is the more relaxed version of this trip.
What five days costs
Our Kashmir 4N/5D package follows this plan day for day. It is priced as a total for the group, so the per-person cost falls as the group grows:
- 2 people: ₹27,200 total, about ₹13,600 each, private sedan.
- 4 people: ₹38,200 total, about ₹9,550 each, Innova.
- 8 people: ₹70,500 total, about ₹8,800 each, Tempo Traveller.
- 12 people: ₹96,600 total, about ₹8,050 each, Tempo Traveller.
That covers four nights’ accommodation, breakfast and dinner, the private vehicle with driver, all transfers and sightseeing, tolls, parking, the driver’s allowance, a shikara hour and GST. For a tighter budget with 2★ hotels and a houseboat night, the Budget Kashmir Escape is ₹21,500 for two.
Not included, and worth budgeting for:
- Flights to and from Srinagar, the largest single cost.
- Gulmarg Gondola: about ₹1,800 per person for both phases.
- Pahalgam union taxi: ₹900–3,000 depending on the points and the vehicle.
- Pony rides at Sonamarg, Pahalgam and Gulmarg, at fixed union rates.
- Garden and monument entry fees, lunches, and personal expenses.
The Kashmir trip cost guide totals all of this for couples, families and groups.
Mistakes that cost a day
- Booking the Gondola on arrival. In season it is sold out.
- Moving hotel every night. Four nights in Srinagar is faster than four hotels.
- Leaving Srinagar at 10 am. Every day trip here is better started by 8.
- An afternoon flight home. It barely exists, and screening takes time.
- No cash for Pahalgam. The union taxis and ponies are cash.
- A prepaid SIM from outside J&K. It will not work in the valley.
Book this itinerary with us
MIRHA Tour & Travels is based in Srinagar. The Kashmir 4N/5D runs this plan year-round, with our own drivers who reorder the days when the weather asks for it. If you are coming for the first time, read the first-timer’s guide before you pack.
See the full range of Kashmir tour packages, the honeymoon packages, or send us your dates and group size and we will adapt this plan to your season.
