Kashmir Itinerary for 5 and 7 Days: Day by Day, With Costs (2026-27)

This is the route we would give a friend visiting Kashmir for the first time: Srinagar first, then Gulmarg, then Pahalgam, and back to Srinagar before the flight. Below it is laid out for 5, 7 and 4 days, with the drive times, what to book and what each day costs. For everything before you set off, start with our Kashmir travel guide.

How many days are enough for a Kashmir trip?

Five to seven days are enough for a first Kashmir trip. Five days covers Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam at a steady pace. Seven adds Sonamarg and a second day in Srinagar. With four days or fewer, keep to Srinagar and Gulmarg.

Four rules that shape every Kashmir itinerary

• Sleep your first night in Srinagar. It is the easiest place to arrive, at 1,585 m, and it lets your body adjust before Gulmarg at 2,650 m and the Gondola's top station near 3,980 m.
• In winter, stay a night in Gulmarg. Day visitors arrive late in the morning and queue for the Gondola. If you wake up on the meadow, you are on the snow before them.
• Start early in Pahalgam. Aru, Betaab Valley and Chandanwari are reached only by Pahalgam Taxi Union cars, which run from about 7 am to 5 pm, with the last sightseeing trips leaving around 1 pm.
• End in Srinagar. Spend the last night near the airport, so a delay in the mountains does not cost you your flight. In winter keep the last day free: on 27 January 2026, all 58 flights to and from Srinagar were cancelled.

Kashmir itinerary for 5 days

Two nights in Srinagar, one in Gulmarg and one in Pahalgam. This is the trip most first-time visitors should take.

Day 1: Arrive in Srinagar, sunset on Dal Lake

Land, check in and keep the day light. Take a shikara at sunset, when the lake turns gold and the houseboats light up, then eat tujji at Makai Point off Boulevard Road. Before you push off, say "sightseeing only, no shops". Night in Srinagar, on a houseboat if you want that experience.

Day 2: Srinagar to Gulmarg, the Gondola

Gulmarg is about 56 km from Srinagar, 1.5 to 2 hours by road. Leave early, take a forenoon Gondola slot (8 am to 11:59 am) while the sky is clearest, and spend the afternoon on the meadow. In winter, stay the night in Gulmarg; in summer you can return to Srinagar.

Day 3: Gulmarg to Pahalgam, by the Lidder

The longest drive of the trip: back down to Srinagar, then about 90 to 95 km south through Pampore, where the saffron fields are, and Anantnag, and up the Lidder valley. Allow most of the day with stops. Walk by the river and see the Mamal Temple in the evening. Night in Pahalgam.

Day 4: Aru, Betaab and Chandanwari, then back to Srinagar

Take the "ABC" tour by union taxi from the stand in the main market as early as you can; it covers Aru, Betaab Valley and Chandanwari in one trip and costs less than booking them separately. Drive back to Srinagar in the afternoon, 2.5 to 3 hours. Night in Srinagar.

Day 5: Srinagar gardens, then fly home

With an afternoon flight, see Nishat Bagh and Shalimar Bagh in the morning, or Lal Chowk and Polo View for shopping. In winter, treat this as your spare day and book an afternoon or evening flight.

Kashmir itinerary for 7 days

Seven days adds a full day in Srinagar and a day trip to Sonamarg, and it leaves room for weather. Four nights in Srinagar, one in Gulmarg and one in Pahalgam.

Day 1: Arrive in Srinagar

As above: check in, shikara at sunset, an early night.

Day 2: Srinagar: the lake and the gardens, and downtown

Shankaracharya Temple early, then Nishat Bagh and Shalimar Bagh, lunch, and Chashme Shahi or Pari Mahal. If you have the energy, spend the late afternoon downtown at Jamia Masjid and Khanqah-e-Moula, the Srinagar most visitors never see. Sleep on a houseboat tonight.

The full two-day route through the city is in our Srinagar guide.

Day 3: Sonamarg day trip

About 80 to 87 km from Srinagar, under three hours, through the Z-Morh tunnel. Walk or take a pony to Thajiwas Glacier; Zero Point needs a union taxi from Sonamarg and depends on the Zoji La road being open. Back to Srinagar for the night.

Day 4: Srinagar to Gulmarg

As day 2 of the five-day plan. Night in Gulmarg.

Day 5: Gulmarg to Pahalgam

In winter, take a ski lesson on the beginner slopes in the morning while the snow is firm, then drive to Pahalgam. Night in Pahalgam.

Day 6: Pahalgam valleys, back to Srinagar

The ABC tour in the morning, then the drive back. Night in Srinagar.

Day 7: Spare morning, fly home

Harissa for breakfast downtown if it is between mid-October and March, a last walk on the Boulevard, then the airport.

Prefer a slower trip? Drop Sonamarg and spend a second night in Pahalgam instead: two nights there is better than one.

Kashmir itinerary for 6 days

Six days is the seven-day plan with one Srinagar day removed. Keep Sonamarg if you want the glacier, or drop it and give Pahalgam its second night.

• With Sonamarg: day 1 Srinagar, day 2 Sonamarg day trip, day 3 Gulmarg (night there), day 4 drive to Pahalgam, day 5 the Pahalgam valleys and back to Srinagar, day 6 fly home.
• Without Sonamarg: day 1 Srinagar, day 2 Gulmarg (night there), day 3 drive to Pahalgam, day 4 the Pahalgam valleys and a second night by the Lidder, day 5 back to Srinagar for the gardens and a houseboat night, day 6 fly home.

Where to sleep each night

Book Srinagar and Gulmarg first; Gulmarg has the fewest rooms and the highest rates. These are the middle rates for one night on 15 December 2026 among the well-reviewed hotels we track, checked on 30 September 2026.

Our ranked lists: hotels in Srinagar, hotels in Gulmarg, hotels in Pahalgam and hotels in Sonamarg.

Kashmir itinerary for 3 or 4 days

Do Srinagar and Gulmarg, and do them properly. Trying to add Pahalgam turns a short trip into three days in a car.

• Day 1: arrive in Srinagar, shikara at sunset.
• Day 2: the gardens and the lake in the morning, downtown and Hazratbal in the afternoon.
• Day 3: Gulmarg and the Gondola. In winter stay the night; in summer return to Srinagar.
• Day 4: back to Srinagar and fly home. With only three days, make Gulmarg a day trip on day 2 and fly on day 3.

How the itinerary changes by season

Month by month, with temperatures, in the best time to visit Kashmir.

Distances and drive times

Routes, buses and the chains rule are in our Srinagar to Gulmarg guide.

What to book, and in what order

• Flights or train seats, especially for December to February, April to June and holiday weeks.
• Your Srinagar stay, including the houseboat night, and your Gulmarg night in winter.
• The Gulmarg Gondola, on the official portal only, as soon as your dates are fixed. Book both phases in one booking.
• One cab for the whole trip, with the places, hours and extras agreed in writing.
• Ski lessons and gear in winter, if you want an instructor on a particular day.

How to book the cable car, slot by slot, is in our Gulmarg Gondola guide.

What this itinerary costs

For two people from Delhi in mid-December 2026, the five-day itinerary costs about ₹58,400 on a budget, ₹80,000 at mid-range and ₹1.23 lakh in comfort, flights included. The seven-day itinerary comes to about ₹97,800 at mid-range.

Every line of that, with fares from eight cities, is in our Kashmir trip cost guide.

With children, older parents, or on a honeymoon

• With small children or older parents: take Gondola Phase 1 only; Kongdoori is lower and has tea stalls and easy walks, while Phase 2 goes close to 4,000 m. Choose May, June or September, and avoid the coldest weeks of late December and January.
• On a honeymoon: spend the houseboat night on Nigeen Lake, which is joined to Dal by a narrow channel and far quieter, and give Pahalgam two nights.
• For snow: give Gulmarg two nights and try a ski lesson; it is where most people go for serious skiing.

When and where snow falls is in snowfall in Kashmir.

Mistakes to avoid

• Trying to see everything: three places done well beat six done in a rush.
• Day-tripping Gulmarg in winter: you arrive late, queue for the Gondola and leave as the light gets good.
• Reaching Pahalgam after lunch: the last union taxi trips leave around 1 pm, so an afternoon arrival means the valleys wait until the next morning.
• A tight flight home in winter: snow can cancel flights. Keep the last day free.
• A prepaid SIM from home: it will not work in Jammu and Kashmir. Bring a postpaid SIM or buy a tourist SIM on arrival.

Want this route adjusted to your dates and budget? Use our Plan my trip form and a Kashmiri replies within 48 hours.