Srinagar
1,585 m11 guides
In short
Summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, on both banks of the Jhelum, home of Dal Lake, the Mughal gardens and the wooden Old City.
Open the guideTravel Kashmir the Kashmiri way.
Kashmir travel, food and shopping, with real prices, from a friend in Srinagar.
In seasonChasing snow this year? Start here
Plan it in order
Five questions, in the order a friend would ask them. Skip one and it costs you a season, a day or a lot of money.
- Step 1
When to go
Snow, tulips, chinars and green valleys each have their months. Pick the wrong one and you miss the thing you came for.
Best Time to Visit Kashmir - Step 2
Where to go
Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg. A first trip rarely fits all four, so know which one to let go.
Places to Visit in Kashmir - Step 3
How many days
Five to seven for a first trip. Squeeze it into four and a place gets dropped on the way.
Kashmir Itinerary: 5 and 7 Days - Step 4
What it costs
Budget, mid-range and comfort, flights included, every fare dated. Know the number before a package quotes you more.
Kashmir Trip Cost
Step 5
Put it all in one plan
Answer six quick questions about when, who and your budget. You get a free day-by-day plan with hotels, what each day costs, and things picked for your kind of trip.
Where to go in Kashmir
Four places carry a first trip. Each guide has the sights, the real prices and how to get there.
Eat and shop like a local
The food Kashmiris actually eat, and how to buy the real thing without getting fooled.
- Kashmiri Harissa in SrinagarKashmiri harissa is a winter breakfast of mutton and rice, slow-cooked overnight with spices and mashed into a thick paste, topped with hot oil and eaten with bread from the local baker.
- Kashmiri Wazwan, Dish by DishWazwan is Kashmir's multi-course wedding feast, mostly mutton, cooked overnight over wood fires by hereditary chefs called wazas and served on a copper trami that four people share.
- Restaurants in SrinagarThe restaurants in Srinagar a local sends friends to are Ahdoos and Mughal Darbar on Residency Road for wazwan, Amigos for its chicken blast pizza, and the vegetarian dhabas near Dal Gate, the best known being Krishna Vaishno Dhaba.
Shopping
Shopping in Kashmir
Saffron from Pampore, pashmina with a label you can check, and the touts to walk past.
- Kashmiri Saffron: Buy It RightReal Kashmiri saffron comes from Pampore, south of Srinagar, and GI-tagged saffron cost ₹350 to ₹400 a gram in mid-2026, about ₹3.5 lakh a kilo and up.
- Real Pashmina: Spot a FakeReal pashmina is goat underfleece of 16 microns or finer, spun and woven by hand in Jammu and Kashmir.
Live
Conditions right now
Dated reports from the ground, so you know before you drive. Open the page for the full picture and the history.
- OpenIs Srinagar Airport Open?Open: flights running on 12 and 13 October, a few delays of 20 to 45 minutesUpdated 13 Oct, 9:00 am IST
- No report yetIs There Snow in Gulmarg?
Latest guides
Every guide answers the question first, then shows the prices with the date they were checked.
Buying guideKashmiri Saffron: Buy It Right
Real Kashmiri saffron comes from Pampore, south of Srinagar, and GI-tagged saffron cost ₹350 to ₹400 a gram in mid-2026, about ₹3.5 lakh a kilo and up.
Buying guideReal Pashmina: Spot a Fake
Real pashmina is goat underfleece of 16 microns or finer, spun and woven by hand in Jammu and Kashmir.
Food guideKashmiri Wazwan, Dish by Dish
Wazwan is Kashmir's multi-course wedding feast, mostly mutton, cooked overnight over wood fires by hereditary chefs called wazas and served on a copper trami that four people share.
Where to eatRestaurants in Srinagar
The restaurants in Srinagar a local sends friends to are Ahdoos and Mughal Darbar on Residency Road for wazwan, Amigos for its chicken blast pizza, and the vegetarian dhabas near Dal Gate, the best known being Krishna Vaishno Dhaba.
Food guideKashmiri Harissa in Srinagar
Kashmiri harissa is a winter breakfast of mutton and rice, slow-cooked overnight with spices and mashed into a thick paste, topped with hot oil and eaten with bread from the local baker.
How to reachJammu to Srinagar: Train, Road
Jammu to Srinagar is 269 km by rail and about 245 to 250 km by road on NH44.
Plan by monthSrinagar in January
Srinagar in January averages 7°C by day and -2°C at night, with cold spells to -6°C and ice at the edges of Dal Lake.
AttractionShankaracharya Temple
Shankaracharya Temple is a Shiva shrine on Gopadri hill, about 300 m above Srinagar and Dal Lake, reached by a 5.6 km road and 243 steps.
Plan, travel, eat and shop:Famous Food of KashmirFamous Things of KashmirHow to Reach KashmirPlan Your Kashmir TripPrice tracker
A source and a date on every price
Checked on the ground by trusted Kashmiris
Your local friend in Kashmir
Anyone going to Kashmir has a million questions and nobody to ask. What they find online is old, vague or contradicts itself, and many travellers end up overcharged or scammed.
Everything Kashmir is the friend who grew up there: it answers each question plainly, says what things cost and when that was last checked, and tells you what is closed before you drive there.