Jammu and Kashmir
Photos: kash (CC BY 4.0) · KennyOMG (CC BY-SA 3.0) · varun Bajaj from PANCHKULA, india (CC BY 2.0)
Union territory in the western Himalaya: Srinagar's Dal Lake and Mughal gardens, the meadow resorts of Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg, and the Jammu division's temples, with the Vaishno Devi and Amarnath pilgrimages.
Plan around season and pilgrimage dates: April-June and September-October suit the Kashmir Valley meadows, December to early April is ski and snow season in Gulmarg, and the Amarnath Yatra (July-August) fills Pahalgam and Sonamarg. Fly into Srinagar (SXR) or Jammu, or take the train from Jammu or Katra to the valley.
Highlights: Shikara rides and houseboats on Dal Lake and Nigeen Lake, Srinagar · Mughal gardens: Shalimar Bagh, Nishat Bagh, Chashme Shahi and Pari Mahal · Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in April · Gulmarg Gondola to Kongdori and Apharwat, and skiing December to early April · Pahalgam, Betaab Valley and Aru in the Lidder valley · Thajiwas glacier and the Great Lakes trekking country around Sonamarg · Vaishno Devi shrine above Katra · Amarnath cave pilgrimage (July-August) · Chenab Bridge on the Jammu-Baramulla railway · Remote Gurez valley on the Kishanganga river
When to go
Green best · blue good · red avoid · this month outlinedDestinations
Towns, valleys and cities worth the trip, with how they rate this month.
Srinagar
Summer capital on the Jhelum: Dal Lake houseboats and shikaras, Mughal gardens, Hazratbal and the old city.
Jammu
Winter capital on the Tawi: Raghunath Mandir, Bahu Fort, Mubarak Mandi and Amar Mahal, and the main rail and road gateway to the territory.
Pahalgam
Lidder valley resort and start of the Pahalgam route of the Amarnath Yatra, with Betaab Valley, Aru, Chandanwari and Baisaran nearby.
Yusmarg
Meadow resort at about 2,396 m in Budgam district, 53 km south of Srinagar, with walks to Nilnag lake and the Doodh Ganga.
Doodhpathri
High meadow at about 2,730 m in Budgam district, 42-45 km from Srinagar, on the Shaliganga stream; snowbound in winter.
Bhaderwah
Chenab valley town at about 1,613 m called 'Chota Kashmir', with Padri, Guldanda and Jai valley nearby and the Mela Patt festival.
Gulmarg
Meadow resort at about 2,650 m with the two-stage Gulmarg Gondola to Apharwat, India's best-known ski slopes and an 18-hole golf course.
Sonamarg
Meadow of gold at about 2,730 m in the Sindh valley: Thajiwas glacier, the Baltal base of the Amarnath Yatra and the road to Zoji La.
Katra
Base town for the 12 km walk up Trikuta mountain to the Vaishno Devi cave shrine, with its own railhead.
Patnitop
Pine-forested hill stop at about 2,024 m, 112 km from Jammu, now bypassed by the Chenani-Nashri tunnel.
Gurez
Remote Kishanganga valley near the Line of Control, 123 km from Srinagar over the Razdan pass, cut off about six months a year.
Top sights
Betaab Valley
Meadow valley near Pahalgam named after the film Betaab.
Amar Mahal Palace
French chateau-style Dogra palace (1890), a museum since 1975.
Bahu Fort
Oldest fort in Jammu on the left bank of the Tawi, with the Bawe Wali Mata temple.
Vaishno Devi Temple
Cave shrine of Vaishno Devi on the Trikuta hills, about 12-13 km trek from Katra.
SPS Museum
Srinagar's main museum, opened in 1898, with about 80,000 objects.
Hazratbal Shrine
White marble shrine on the northern bank of Dal Lake housing the Moi-e-Muqqadas relic.
Shankaracharya Temple, Srinagar
Ancient Shiva temple on Shankaracharya Hill, about 300 m above the city.
Raghunath Temple
Rama temple complex in Jammu's old city, built 1835-1860.
Nature and outdoors
Dr Farooq Abdullah Park Manigam
Dal Lake
Srinagar's best-known lake, famous for shikara rides and houseboats.
Nishat Bagh
Terraced Mughal garden on the eastern shore of Dal Lake.
Chashme Shahi
Smallest of the three Mughal gardens, built around a freshwater spring in 1632.
Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden
Asia's largest tulip garden, open for about a month each spring.
Shalimar Bagh
Largest of Srinagar's Mughal gardens, built by Jahangir in 1619 for Noor Jahan.
Alpather Lake
Lake at the base of the twin Apharwat peaks, about 13 km from Gulmarg; pony trails from Gulmarg.
Drung Waterfall
Waterfall in Tangmarg tehsil that freezes completely in deep winter.
Things to do
Musical Fountain
The musical fountain along with laser show was inaugurated in April 2019. It runs three times a day after 7 pm and consists of a 15-minute show. Apart from the musical fountain the show also depicts the history of Kashmir through a laser show.
Hokersar
A Ramsar site and a bird sanctuary.
Where to eat
Ahdoos
Kashmiri, Chinese eatery in Srinagar, known for Rogan Josh.
Mughal Darbar
Kashmiri, Mughlai, Indian eatery in Srinagar, known for Wazwan.
Cafe de Linz
Kashmiri, Indian, Chinese eatery in Srinagar, known for Gushtaba.
The Chinar, The LaLiT Grand Palace
Indian, Asian eatery in Srinagar, known for Chicken with apricots.
Stream Restaurant
Indian, Chinese, Kashmiri eatery in Srinagar, known for Naan.
Jade Dragon, Vivanta by Taj
Chinese, Asian eatery in Srinagar, known for Dimsums.
Shamyana Restaurant
Kashmiri, Asian eatery in Srinagar, known for Rogan Josh.
Arabian Barbecue
Multi-cuisine eatery in Srinagar, known for Kebabs.
Shopping
Food to try
- Wazwan: Multi-course Kashmiri banquet, mostly meat dishes, cooked overnight under a head chef (vasta waza)
- Rogan josh: Lamb in a rich red gravy, a wazwan staple
- Rista and gushtaba: Pounded-meat balls in red gravy (rista) and in a yoghurt gravy (gushtaba)
- Yakhni: Lamb cooked in a yoghurt gravy
- Tabak maaz: Fried lamb ribs
- Dum aloo, haak and modur pulav: Kashmiri potatoes, collard greens and sweet saffron rice
- Harissa: Slow-cooked winter mutton dish, sold in Srinagar's old city
- Kahwa and nun chai: Saffron-spiced green tea and pink salted tea
- Rajma-chawal and kalari kulcha: Jammu favourites; kalari is a local cheese
Festivals
- Tulip Festival: Months: 4; Description: Spring festival at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, Srinagar
- Amarnath Yatra: Months: 7 · 8; Description: Pilgrimage to the Amarnath ice lingam cave via Pahalgam or Baltal; 2026 yatra began 3 July
- Navratri at Vaishno Devi: Months: 9 · 10; Description: Nine-night festival, one of the shrine's main festivals
- Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr: Months: 2 · 3; Description: In 2026 Ramadan ran 18 Feb-19 Mar; many restaurants close in daylight hours
- Mela Patt: Months: 7 · 8; Description: Bhaderwah's folk festival on Naga Panchami
- Vibrant Bhaderwah Festival: Months: 12; Description: Five-day festival in late December