Kashmir is easier to visit than most first-timers expect, and different in a few specific ways that are worth knowing before you land. Your phone may not work. App cabs do not exist. Cash matters more than it does at home. The weather decides more of your itinerary than you do. None of this is a problem if you know it in advance.
This guide is the practical checklist. For the broader picture of the valley (its food, crafts, trekking and history) read our complete guide to Kashmir tourism. We are a tour operator based in Srinagar, and this is the advice we give friends, whoever they book with.
Before you book
How many days you need
- 4 nights is the minimum for Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg, and it is tight.
- 5–6 nights is right for a first visit: the four main places at a comfortable pace, a houseboat night, and a spare half-day for weather.
- 7 nights or more lets you add Doodhpathri, Yusmarg or a night in Pahalgam, or simply slow down.
Remember that your first and last days are partly travel. Flights out of Srinagar thin out by late afternoon, so the last day is effectively a morning.
When to go
There is no bad month, only different trips. Snow from December to February; tulips and blossom in March and April; green meadows and everything open from May to August; clear skies and autumn colour from September to November. The best time to visit Kashmir guide goes month by month. For a first visit, April–June or September–October gives you the most of the valley with the fewest weather surprises.
Where to stay
Base yourself in Srinagar and do Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgam as day trips. Every one of them is within three hours. Add one night on a houseboat on Dal Lake or Nigeen Lake, and if you have six nights or more, one night in Pahalgam to see the Lidder valley before the day visitors arrive.
Book these early
- Flights. They are the most volatile cost of the trip.
- Gulmarg Gondola tickets. Sold online on the official cable car corporation portal only, and sold out days ahead in season.
- Hotels in Gulmarg and Pahalgam, if you are staying there, especially in the snow season and in May–June.
- Your houseboat. By name, after seeing recent photos.
How much all this adds up to is covered in the Kashmir trip cost guide.
What will surprise you when you land
Your phone may not work
Prepaid SIM cards from outside Jammu & Kashmir do not work in the valley. This is a long-standing security rule, not a network fault. Postpaid connections from any state work normally. If you are on prepaid, either switch to postpaid before you travel or buy a local tourist SIM at Srinagar airport or Jammu railway station, with your ID and a photo. Hotel Wi-Fi is common in Srinagar and patchy elsewhere.
There are no app cabs
Ride-hailing apps are effectively absent. Transport is run by local taxi unions at fixed point-to-point rates. At Pahalgam, Sonamarg and Gulmarg, the last stretch to the sightseeing points is run by the local union too, and your own car is not allowed to drive it. This is why most visitors hire a car with a driver for the whole trip.
Cash still matters
ATMs are fine in Srinagar and the district towns, scarce in Gulmarg and Pahalgam, and absent at the meadows. Ponies, union taxis, shikara tips, roadside tea and many small shops are cash only. UPI works in most Srinagar shops and restaurants, but carry more cash than you think you need before you leave the city.
Security is visible
You will see armed police and security forces on the roads, at the airport and at tourist sites. This is normal in Kashmir and not a sign that something is wrong. Airport screening starts at the outer gate, so allow three hours for departure.
The weather overrules the itinerary
Snow closes the road to Gulmarg for a day; wind closes Gondola Phase 2; rain closes a road around Pahalgam. A good itinerary has a spare half-day and a driver who will swap days around. Do not fix every day of the trip in stone.
What to pack
Every season
- A government photo ID, the original. Hotels and Gondola tickets require it.
- A warm layer, even in summer. Gulmarg and Sonamarg are cold once the sun goes in.
- Comfortable shoes with grip. Meadows are uneven and often wet.
- Sunscreen and sunglasses. The sun at altitude, and on snow, is strong.
- A scarf or stole for women, for shrines and the Old City.
- A small first-aid kit, including motion-sickness tablets for the mountain roads.
- A power bank. Power cuts happen, especially in winter.
By season
- December–February: thermals, a proper down jacket, gloves, a woollen cap and waterproof shoes. Snow boots and coats can be hired at Gulmarg.
- March–April: layers, a warm jacket for evenings, a light rain jacket.
- May–August: light clothes for Srinagar, a fleece for the hill stations, a rain jacket.
- September–November: layers, and a warm jacket from late October, when nights drop close to freezing.
Etiquette and local customs
- Dress modestly. Shoulders and knees covered is a good rule everywhere. Women should cover their heads at shrines; men and women remove shoes.
- Ask before photographing people, particularly women, and particularly in the Old City.
- Friday midday is prayer time. Plan the gardens for Friday, and the Old City and Jama Masjid for another day.
- Alcohol is barely available. A few licensed shops and some hotel bars. Drinking in public is not acceptable.
- Public affection should be kept modest. Holding hands is fine.
- Ramadan changes restaurant hours and the rhythm of the day. Eat discreetly in public during daylight hours.
- Hospitality is real. You will be offered kahwa often. Accept it.
Scams and how to avoid them
Kashmir is not a scam-heavy destination, but a few problems come up often enough to be worth naming:
- Houseboats that do not match the photos. Book a houseboat by name, check recent reviews, and do not pay in full to an unknown website.
- Gondola ticket touts. Tickets are sold on the official portal. Anyone selling "guaranteed" tickets at the base station is selling a problem.
- Fake pashmina and saffron. Genuine pashmina carries a GI label; very cheap saffron is not saffron. Buy from registered sellers with a proper bill.
- Commission shopping stops. A driver who insists on a particular shawl shop or carpet showroom is often earning commission. You can say no.
- Pony price creep. Rates are fixed by the union. Agree the route and price by the rate card before you get on, not at the top.
- "Special price today" on a houseboat. Salesmen on shikaras visit houseboats in the evening. Browsing is fine; buying under pressure rarely is.
Health and altitude
Srinagar is at about 1,585 m, low enough that altitude is not a concern. The hill stations sit between 2,100 and 2,700 m, which most people do not notice. The exception is the Gondola to Apharwat, which takes you to almost 4,000 m in a few minutes. Move slowly at the top, drink water, and come back down straight away if anyone feels dizzy or breathless. Children, elderly travellers and anyone with a heart or lung condition should think twice about Phase 2.
Drink bottled or filtered water. Street food is generally fine where it is busy and hot.
A first trip that works
This is the shape we suggest to most first-time visitors with five nights:
- Day 1: Arrive in Srinagar. Afternoon shikara on Dal Lake, the Mughal gardens if time allows, houseboat night.
- Day 2: [Gulmarg](@destination-fcf68225f2c2). The Gondola in the morning, the meadow in the afternoon, back to Srinagar.
- Day 3: [Sonamarg](@destination-3fbaac531f39). Thajiwas Glacier by pony or on foot, back to Srinagar.
- Day 4: [Pahalgam](@destination-005d8322185f). Betaab Valley, Aru and Chandanwari by union taxi. Stay the night if you can.
- Day 5: Srinagar. The Old City, Jama Masjid, Shankaracharya Temple, shopping.
- Day 6: Depart. A morning flight, or the train from Srinagar.
For what else is worth seeing, see the best places to visit in Kashmir, including the quieter valleys like Doodhpathri and Yusmarg.
Mistakes first-timers make
- Trying to do too much. Four destinations in three nights means four days of driving.
- Moving hotels every night. You lose half a day to every check-in.
- Leaving the Gondola until you get there. In season, the tickets are gone.
- Not carrying cash to Pahalgam, Gulmarg or Sonamarg.
- Arriving on a prepaid SIM with no backup.
- Booking the cheapest quote without checking what it leaves out.
- Planning a same-day flight after a road journey. The road might close.
- Packing for the city, not the mountain. Summer in Srinagar is warm; summer at the top of the Gondola is not.
Your pre-departure checklist
- Photo ID (original) for every traveller.
- Postpaid SIM, or a plan to buy a local one on arrival.
- Cash for ponies, union taxis and tips.
- Gondola tickets booked on the official portal.
- Houseboat booked by name.
- Warm layers, whatever the month.
- A spare half-day in the itinerary.
- Return flight in the morning or early afternoon, three hours at the airport.
Planning a first trip with us
MIRHA Tour & Travels is based in Srinagar, and most of the people we look after are visiting Kashmir for the first time. Our packages include the private car and driver for the whole trip, the hotel and houseboat nights, and airport pickup. Every page lists what is not included, so the first surprise of your trip is not the bill.
The Classic Kashmir 5N/6D follows much the same shape as the trip above. For families, see the family packages; for everything else, the full list of Kashmir tour packages. Or tell us your dates and who is travelling and we will plan it with you, including the questions you did not know to ask.
