Kashmir in Winter 2026-27: Month by Month, What Is Open and What It Costs

Winter in Kashmir runs from November to February, and it is two different trips depending on where you stand. In Srinagar it is cold, clear and often dry: harissa mornings, bare chinars, a lake that freezes at the edges on the hardest nights. In Gulmarg it is snow, on the meadow from about mid-December and up on Apharwat from October to May. This page is the season plan: each month compared, what is open and what is shut, where to go, how to get in and around when it snows, where to sleep warm, and what a trip costs, with every price dated. For the snow itself, month by month and place by place, start with our snowfall in Kashmir guide. Each month has its own page too: Kashmir in November, Kashmir in December and Kashmir in January; the February page follows this week.

Kashmir in winter, month by month

January is the coldest month and, with February, the surest for snow. November is the quietest and cheapest. December is snow odds rising into the Christmas rush. The averages below are the India Meteorological Department's 1991 to 2020 normals for its stations at Srinagar (1,585 m), Pahalgam (2,200 m) and Gulmarg (2,650 m); the snow and crowd columns come from the last three winters, with dates.

November: the end of autumn, at the lowest prices

November is autumn turning into winter: chinars red until about mid-month, the saffron bloom ending in the first days, nights near or below freezing by the end. Snow is on Apharwat and the high passes, rarely on the Gulmarg meadow and almost never in Srinagar. It is the cheapest month we have priced: five days for two at Comfort from Delhi came to about ₹74,600 for 17 to 21 November 2026, flights included (checked 25 October). The chinars, the saffron fields and the week-by-week fares are in Kashmir in November.

December: snow arrives, then the Christmas rush

December is when winter settles in. Gulmarg's meadow usually turns white from about mid-month, Chillai Kalan begins on the 21st, and the Christmas to New Year week is the busiest of the whole winter: Gulmarg was nearly 100% full and Pahalgam above 80% on 30 December 2025. Mid-December, before the holidays, is the month's sweet spot: snow odds rising, rooms still quiet. The early, mid and late split, the Christmas numbers and a priced week are in Kashmir in December. The city in December, with Christmas week and New Year priced, has its own page.

January: Chillai Kalan and the surest snow

January is the coldest month and the heart of Chillai Kalan. Gulmarg is the safest bet for snow on the ground; Srinagar gets snow on some days, never on fixed dates. The quiet weeks after 5 January are the best value of the winter, and the last ten days have been the storm window in recent years: the big falls of 2026 came from 22 January, with two days of no flights. The dates, the 2027 calendar and the fares are in Kashmir in January; for the city on its own, Srinagar in January. When it snows in Srinagar, with the first-snow date for every winter since 2020, has its own page.

February: the skiers' month

February brings Gulmarg's heaviest snow of the year on the IMD normals, 208 mm against 161 mm in January, with days a little longer and a little milder: Srinagar averages 10.5°C by day and 0.7°C at night. Chillai Khurd runs to 19 February and Chillai Bachha to 2 March, so the cold is easing but the slopes are at their best. Our February page, with its own priced week, follows this one. It is here: Kashmir in February.

This winter so far, and what the last one did

Checked 29 October 2026: the first snow of 2026-27 fell above about 3,900 m on 5 September, Apharwat turned white again on 17 September, Zoji La and Gulmarg's higher reaches had light snow between 10 and 15 October, and 23 to 24 October brought snow to Sinthan Top, Peer Ki Gali, Aharbal and the Razdan Pass. The IMD's minimums for 26 October were 0.6°C at Gulmarg, 0.2°C at Pahalgam and 3.3°C in Srinagar, with dry weather forecast to 31 October and light rain or snow possible from 1 to 5 November (reported by Karmactive on 27 October). Nothing on the ground in the towns yet.

Keep last winter in mind when you read any snow promise. December 2025 to February 2026 brought 100.6 mm of rain and snow against a normal of 284.9 mm, 65% below normal; December alone was 78% below, and Gulmarg had no real snow in January until the 22nd. The year before, the Khelo India Winter Games were moved to March for lack of snow. Gulmarg still had snow on the meadow for the ski season, because it sits high enough; Srinagar had two snow days. No date is guaranteed, which is why this page plans around what stays open rather than around a forecast.

Is Kashmir open in winter?

Yes. Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam town and Sonamarg are open all winter, and the airport, the Vande Bharat from Katra and Jammu, and the highway all run, with snow-day interruptions. What closes is a short list, and most of it is closed by order, not by snow.

Some winter guides still send readers to Baisaran (the "Mini Switzerland" above Pahalgam), Chandanwari or Sinthan Top, or say Sonamarg is cut off. Baisaran and Chandanwari have been closed since April 2025 and the order runs to 31 December 2026; Sonamarg has been open every winter day since the tunnel opened on 13 January 2025. The full closed list, with the dates behind it, is in is Kashmir safe to visit.

Chillai Kalan: the 40 days that make a Kashmiri winter

Chillai Kalan, the great cold, runs from 21 December 2026 to 30 January 2027. Chillai Khurd, the small cold, follows from 31 January to 19 February, and Chillai Bachha, the baby cold, from 20 February to 2 March. The dates are fixed by the traditional calendar; the weather is not. In 2024 it opened with Srinagar's coldest night since 1974, -8.5°C on 21 December, and parts of Dal Lake froze. In 2025 it opened with snow on the higher reaches and then a December that ended 78% below normal.

It is also the season when the valley looks most like itself. People wear the pheran, the long woollen cloak (21 December is now marked as Pheran Day), carry a kangri of embers under it, and eat harissa. For our family, winter means harissa. Waris made the 4 am ride to a small shop in Rajouri Kadal, downtown, at 19, in freezing cold, and it was worth it every time; the family eats it with girda from the local kandur, and always buys it, never makes it at home. The shops are serving by 4 am from late October or early November, and a plate costs about ₹400 to ₹1,000 depending on where you get it. The best way is the local way: someone who lives nearby picks it up first thing, so if you know someone in the city, ask. For a sit-down version, Chai Jaai on the Bund serves it; what to order is in our guide to Kashmiri harissa.

Where to go in Kashmir in winter

Gulmarg first, Srinagar as the base, then Sonamarg for a snow day without the Gulmarg crowd. Pahalgam is for a quieter night and the forest; the meadows beyond are a bonus on a clear day. Ranked for a first winter trip:

Planning a winter trip and not sure how to split the nights? Get instant plan: a free day-by-day plan for your dates, with hotels for each night and what each day costs.

Gulmarg in winter

Gulmarg is where our family goes for snow, and the rule we follow is to stay the night rather than drive up and back in a day: the meadow at dusk and first thing in the morning, before the day visitors arrive, is the point. The ride up from Tangmarg with chains tied to the tyres is part of the fun, the views opening at every bend, and the memories that last are the simple ones, snowball fights and snow angels in fresh snow. Try skiing, even for one morning. Hotel Hilltop has good food, a bit expensive. Bring a spare set of clothes and shoes that can take snow, because the first set will be wet by lunch.

The facts: the meadow is white from about mid-December to early March and Apharwat, at the top of the Gondola, holds snow from October to May. Gulmarg is 6 to 10°C colder than Srinagar every month (0.7°C by day and -7.7°C at night in January). The Gondola runs all winter unless wind or heavy snow stops Phase 2; two guides report maintenance closures on the second and fourth Mondays. Rooms near the Gondola are the dearest in the valley and sell out first: the middle rate among well-reviewed hotels was ₹7,500 for 15 December 2026 and ₹10,500 for 13 January 2027 (read 25 October). Month by month weather is in Gulmarg weather, the slopes and lessons in skiing in Gulmarg, tickets in Gulmarg Gondola tickets and booking, rooms in best hotels in Gulmarg, and today's snow in Gulmarg snow report today.

Srinagar and Dal Lake in winter

Srinagar in winter is a slow city, and that is its charm: 7°C by day and -2°C at night in January, clear mornings, the Dal still and misty, the Mughal gardens open but bare with the fountains off. Snow in the city is a some-years thing: the first falls of the last two winters came on 27 December 2024 and 23 January 2026, and both melted in a day or two. Dal Lake does not freeze over. It freezes at the edges on the coldest nights, as on 10 January 2026, and in a hard December parts of it ice over, as on 21 December 2024; shikaras keep running unless ice blocks the channels. Never walk on it. Houseboats are open all winter with heating charged on the owners' card at ₹600 a room a day. The city month by month, the sights that are open and a three-day plan are in Srinagar in January; the lake itself in our Dal Lake guide; the boats in houseboats in Srinagar; rooms in best hotels in Srinagar.

Sonamarg in winter

Sonamarg is the winter trip that most guides still get wrong. Since the 6.4 km Sonamarg tunnel opened on 13 January 2025 the road from Srinagar stays open all winter, with no toll and chains compulsory in snow, and the meadow below Thajiwas gets some of the deepest snow a visitor can reach: about 4 feet fell in four days from 26 to 29 January 2026. That storm also shut the road on the 23rd and 27th and brought an avalanche to the Sarbal edge of town on the night of the 27th, with no one hurt, so go on a clear day and leave by early afternoon. The Sonamarg Development Authority listed 1,250 centrally heated hotel rooms for last winter. Zoji La no longer has a fixed winter closure, but it shuts for days after any storm, and Zero Point beyond it is only for days when the day's advisory allows. The route, the tunnel and the winter record are in Srinagar to Sonamarg, the pass in Zoji La, rooms in best hotels in Sonamarg.

Pahalgam in winter

Pahalgam in winter is a pine forest under snow and a town that sleeps early: 4.9°C by day and -6.1°C at night in January, with 136 mm of precipitation, most of it snow. Betaab Valley and Aru are open and reached by the union taxi at fixed rates (Aru and Betaab together ₹1,700 to ₹2,400 a vehicle), though the Aru road shuts after heavy snow until it is cleared. Baisaran and Chandanwari are closed by order. Coats and snow boots are on hire at the official rate of ₹120 an item a day, which is the cheapest way to dress a child for one snow afternoon. On a five-day trip Pahalgam is one night; on a three-day trip, skip it for Gulmarg. The sights and rules are in our Pahalgam guide, the drive in Srinagar to Pahalgam, rooms in best hotels in Pahalgam. The full winter page, with snow dates and a priced two-day plan: Pahalgam in winter.

Drung, Doodhpathri and Yusmarg: the clear-day extras

Drung waterfall, below Tangmarg on the Gulmarg road, freezes into columns of ice in a hard January and is a union-taxi stop from Gulmarg (₹3,000 to ₹3,800 return). Doodhpathri and Yusmarg, the meadows in Budgam district, are open in winter but snowed in for spells, with roads that close after a fall until they are cleared; ask the morning you go and do not plan a night around them. Gurez is cut off. For snow by altitude and the roads that close, see our Kashmir snow guide. What the meadow is like under snow, what runs and how the road behaves: Doodhpathri in winter.

The freeze record by date and the detour's fares are in our Drung Waterfall guide.

How to reach Kashmir in winter: flights, fog, the train and the highway

Fly in, keep a spare day, and know the train. Srinagar airport runs about 60 flights a day between 8 am and 5 pm and closes for the day in dense fog or heavy snow: on 23 and 27 January 2026 every flight was cancelled, 58 of them on the 27th, with visitors stranded after the Republic Day weekend. Fog is the December risk, snow the January one.

• Flights. Return fares from Delhi were ₹13,691 for 15 to 19 December 2026 (checked 1 October) and ₹13,062 with one stop or ₹14,467 nonstop for 12 to 16 January 2027 (checked 25 October); from Mumbai about ₹24,569 for the December dates. Book an afternoon or evening flight home so a foggy morning does not cost you the day, and check Srinagar airport status before you leave for the airport.
• The train. The Vande Bharat leaves Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra at 8:10 am and 2:55 pm and reaches Srinagar in three hours; the same trains now start from Jammu Tawi at 6:20 am and 1:20 pm, 4 hours 50 minutes to Srinagar. Each pair skips one weekday. It is the winter fallback: on 24 January 2026 it ran while the highway was shut. Timings, fares and the Tatkal rule are in Katra to Srinagar train and Jammu to Srinagar.
• The highway. NH44 from Jammu is open in winter, 6 to 7 hours by taxi at ₹7,000 to ₹9,500, but it shut from 23 January 2026 for snow. The Mughal Road closes for the season from late December. If you must come by road, come up by day and keep the train as plan B.

Getting around in snow: chains, 4x4s and short days

Tangmarg is where winter starts for most visitors. In snow, only 4x4s and cars with chains drive the last 13 km up to Gulmarg: chains are fitted by registered vendors at ₹600 a pair (the official rate) or you switch to a local 4x4 for ₹1,200 to ₹1,600 one way. Chains are compulsory on the Sonamarg road in snow too, and the Pahalgam side valleys are union taxi only, at fixed rates. A day trip to Gulmarg from Srinagar costs ₹3,000 to ₹3,700 by taxi; a multi-day cab ₹2,500 to ₹4,500 a day.

The days are short. The sun sets at about 5:20 pm in late December and reaches 6 pm only by the end of January, so plan every drive to end by sunset: Gulmarg is 1.5 to 2 hours from Srinagar, Sonamarg 2.5 to 3, Pahalgam about 3. The routes are in Srinagar to Gulmarg, Srinagar to Sonamarg and Srinagar to Pahalgam.

Where to stay in winter, and how the room is heated

Ask one question before you pay: how is the room heated, and is the heating included? On a houseboat the owners' association card charges heating at ₹600 a room a day, on top of the room. Gulmarg's rooms near the Gondola cost the most and sell out first; Srinagar's are the cheapest and the best heated on average, which is why the city makes the base. The middle rates below are from our own checks of every well-reviewed hotel we track in each place.

Which hotels are worth those rates, ranked by reviews with the heating noted where the listing states it: best hotels in Srinagar, best hotels in Gulmarg, best hotels in Pahalgam, best hotels in Sonamarg, and houseboats in Srinagar for a night on the water.

A five-day Kashmir winter itinerary

Day 1 Srinagar (a shikara in the midday sun, an early night in a heated room). Day 2 up to Gulmarg with a stop at Drung, a forenoon Gondola slot, the meadow in the afternoon, and the night there. Day 3 the long drive south by Pampore to Pahalgam. Day 4 Aru and Betaab by union taxi first thing, then back to Srinagar. Day 5 harissa for breakfast, the old city, and an afternoon flight home, with the day otherwise free. In our January model those five days cost two people ₹7,550, ₹19,600, ₹9,500, ₹11,250 and ₹5,800 at Comfort (rooms for 13 January 2027, read 25 October 2026, flights not included); November and December run a little cheaper.

With three days, drop Pahalgam and give Gulmarg the second night. With seven, add Sonamarg as a day trip and a second Srinagar day for the old city and Hazratbal. The full day-by-day versions with their Budget and Luxe costs are in our Kashmir itinerary and on each month page.

What a winter trip to Kashmir costs

About ₹75,000 to ₹83,000 for two for five days at Comfort, flights from Delhi included, depending on the month. Our priced weeks: ₹74,600 for 17 to 21 November 2026, ₹79,500 for 15 to 19 December 2026 and ₹82,600 for 12 to 16 January 2027; Christmas week at least ₹86,100. Budget trips ran ₹55,600 to ₹58,000 for two, Luxe ₹1.09 lakh to ₹1.28 lakh. Flights are the swing: from Mumbai, Kolkata and the south they can cost more than the rest of the trip.

Snow adds costs of its own that a summer trip does not have: chains or a 4x4 from Tangmarg, the Gondola, ski hire, a lesson, a hired coat for a child, heating on a houseboat, all priced on this page. How each total is built, line by line, is in Kashmir trip cost.

Things to do in Kashmir in winter

• Ride the Gondola to Apharwat. Book the first morning slot on the operator's portal; Phase 1 is ₹800 and Phase 2 ₹1,000 a person. Phase 2 closes in high wind, so do it on your first clear morning, not your last.
• Learn to ski. A half-day group lesson is ₹800 to ₹1,200 and a ski set ₹500 to ₹800 a day on the meadow. The Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering runs six 14-day courses from 20 December 2026 to 13 March 2027 with boarding, lodging and gear for ₹10,000 up to age 25 and ₹20,000 above; booking opens on 12 November 2026 at 10 am and the January batches fill.
• Sledge, and lose a snowball fight. The meadow is the children's ski slope; a wooden sledge and a pair of waterproof gloves make the afternoon.
• Take a shikara in the midday sun. The first hour is ₹700 on the official card; the lake is at its stillest in winter and the mist burns off by late morning.
• Eat harissa before sunrise. Downtown, from late October to about March. Then noon chai and a girda from the nearest kandur.
• Walk a Mughal garden under frost. Nishat and Shalimar are open and empty in winter, the terraces bare, the chinars black against the snow on the Zabarwan hills.
• Buy a pheran. Lal Chowk and Polo View sell the long woollen cloak locals wear all winter; it is the one souvenir you will use on the trip itself.

What to wear in Kashmir in winter

Thermals under everything, a heavy jacket, waterproof snow boots, gloves, a warm cap, and a spare full set of clothes and shoes for the day in the snow: that last one is the family rule, learnt the hard way in Gulmarg. In Srinagar in November a warm jacket and closed shoes are enough by day; from December, and at any time in Gulmarg, dress for the night temperature, not the day. Coats and snow boots are on hire at Pahalgam at the official rate of ₹120 an item a day, and ski gear in Gulmarg, so you do not need to buy snow boots for one afternoon. A full packing list by place and month, for children and older parents too, is in Kashmir winter clothes.

Who should come to Kashmir in winter, and who should wait

Come if snow is the point, if you want the valley quiet and cheap, or if you can keep one day loose. Wait for spring if you want gardens and tulips, or if your schedule has no slack at all.

If you are still weighing winter against another season, best time to visit Kashmir puts all twelve months side by side.

Before you book a winter trip

Where these dates and numbers come from

• Temperatures are the India Meteorological Department's 1991 to 2020 normals for its Srinagar, Pahalgam and Gulmarg stations; the 26 October readings and the outlook to 5 November are the IMD's, as reported on 27 October 2026. Snow dates, cancellations and the January 2026 storm come from dated news reports (UNI, ETV Bharat, Kashmir Life, Greater Kashmir, Kashmir Observer, KNO, IANS); the 2025-26 deficit is the MeT Srinagar figure reported by ETV Bharat on 3 March 2026.
• Closures are the official order of 7 July 2026 and the 31 December 2026 end date reported by The Wire. Gondola, chains, union taxi, coat hire, houseboat heating and IISM fees are official rates with their check dates on each table; fares are Google Flights lowest returns on 1 and 25 October 2026; room rates are the middle of every well-reviewed hotel we track with an online rate for the nights named. Every price shows its label and date on the site.
• Family lines are Waris's own: the harissa ride to Rajouri Kadal at 19, Gulmarg with chains on the tyres, the night on the meadow, Hotel Hilltop, the spare set of clothes. Nothing else on this page is first person.