Shalimar Bagh — the Mughal garden on Dal Lake's north shore
Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar: the Mughal garden laid out by Jahangir in 1619 on Dal Lake's north-east shore, its canal and terraces, and the road time.
Jammu and Kashmir⛰ 1,585 m3 itineraries
Srinagar
Srinagar, Kashmir: Dal Lake and its shikaras, the Mughal gardens of Shalimar, Nishat and Chashme Shahi, the old city's wooden shrines and the spring tulips.
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A spring day in Srinagar — the tulip garden and the Mughal gardens
Day plan · First visit · nature
A spring day in Srinagar: the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, then Chashme Shahi, Pari Mahal, Nishat and Shalimar, timed to avoid the crowds.
Best Mar–Apr
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One day in Srinagar — the Mughal gardens and a shikara on Dal Lake
Day plan · First visit · Temples & heritage
A one-day Srinagar plan: the Mughal gardens of Shalimar, Nishat and Chashme Shahi, Pari Mahal above the lake, and a shikara ride on Dal Lake. Free to copy.
Best Apr–May · Sep–Oct
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Two days in Srinagar — the old city's shrines, then the lake and gardens
1 night · 2 days · culture · Temples & heritage
A two-day Srinagar plan: the Khanqah-e-Moula, Jama Masjid, Hari Parbat and Shankaracharya Temple, then Hazratbal, Shalimar, Nishat and Dal Lake. Free to copy.
Best Apr–May · Sep–Oct
See the plan →Going together
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Srinagar, the warm-season capital of Jammu and Kashmir, stands in the Kashmir Valley at about 1,585 m, on the banks of the Jhelum and on the shores of Dal Lake, between the hills of Hari Parbat and Shankaracharya. Only Kathmandu has a bigger urban area in the Himalayas, by Wikipedia's reckoning. The city is known for its houseboats, its gardens and its traditional handicrafts, from shawls to papier-mâché.
The heart of a visit is Dal Lake, with its shikara boats, houseboats and floating gardens, and the three Mughal gardens on its shore: Shalimar Bagh, Nishat Bagh and Chashme Shahi. Above the lake are Pari Mahal and the hilltop Shankaracharya Temple, and in spring the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden blooms. In the old city stand the Jama Masjid, the wooden Khanqah-e-Moula and the Hari Parbat Fort, and the Hazratbal Shrine is on the lake's northern bank. The Kheer Bhawani Temple at Tulmulla is about 32 minutes out.
Getting here is easy by air: Srinagar airport is about 12 km from the city. By road, Delhi is about 798 km, and Wikipedia says the highway connecting the city with the rest of India sees frequent blockades from snow, landslides and avalanches, so check the road. Summers are warm, winters cold and snowy, and spring is the wettest season; read when to visit. Copy the one-day plan or the two days in the old city and gardens, and read things to do in Srinagar and how to reach Srinagar. Before any journey to Kashmir, check the current local conditions and your own government's travel advice.
Photos: Pradeepkjoshi (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Sanu N (CC BY-SA 4.0) · JyotiPN (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Places worth the drive
Pari Mahal — the terraced garden of fairies above Dal Lake
Pari Mahal, the palace of fairies, above Dal Lake in Srinagar: a seven-terraced Mughal garden raised by Dara Shikoh around the 1650s, with views and road time.
Nishat Bagh — the terraced Mughal garden of joy on Dal Lake
Nishat Bagh, the Garden of Joy on Dal Lake's east bank: built in 1633 by Asif Khan, the second biggest Mughal garden in Kashmir, with road time from Srinagar.
Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden — Asia's largest tulip garden
The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in Srinagar: about 30 hectares of tulips on seven terraces above Dal Lake, opened in 2007, and the spring festival.
Hari Parbat Fort — the hill fort above Srinagar's old city
The Hari Parbat Fort above Srinagar's old city: walls begun by Akbar in 1590, the present fort of 1808, and the temple, mosques and gurdwara on the hill.
Dal Lake — shikara boats, houseboats and floating gardens in Srinagar
Dal Lake in Srinagar: 18 square kilometres of water with shikara rides, houseboats, floating gardens and Mughal gardens on its shore, and the best months to go.
Chashme Shahi — the royal spring garden above Dal Lake
Chashme Shahi, the royal spring garden above Dal Lake in Srinagar: built in 1632, the least extensive of the three Mughal gardens, with terraces and times.
Shankaracharya Temple — the hilltop Shiva temple above Srinagar
The Shankaracharya Temple in Srinagar: a Shiva temple some 300 m over the valley on the Zabarwan Range, called the oldest in Kashmir, with views and times.
Kheer Bhawani Temple — the spring shrine at Tulmulla near Srinagar
The Kheer Bhawani Temple at Tulmulla, about 25 km from Srinagar: a goddess shrine built over a sacred spring that changes colour, and its annual fair.
Khanqah-e-Moula — the wooden shrine of Shah-e-Hamadan on the Jhelum
The Khanqah-e-Moula, or Shah-e-Hamadan Mosque, on the Jhelum in Srinagar: built in 1395, a showpiece of Kashmiri timber building with papier-mâché decoration.
Jama Masjid Srinagar — the great wooden Friday mosque of the old city
The Jamia Masjid of Srinagar at Nowhatta: begun in 1394 and completed in 1402, rebuilt in 1672, with 378 wooden columns, four turrets and a garden courtyard.
Hazratbal Shrine — the white-domed Sufi shrine on Dal Lake
The Hazratbal Shrine beside Dal Lake in Srinagar: a Sufi dargah and mosque holding the Moi-e-Muqqadas relic, with its history and the road time from the centre.
On the map
Open the Srinagar map →The places a Srinagar day reaches, with the road time from town. Each opens on the map with its plans and pages beside it.
Before you go
All articles →Things to do in Srinagar — the lake, the gardens, the old city and day trips
Things to do in Srinagar: a shikara on Dal Lake, the Mughal gardens, the old city's mosques, the hilltop temple, spring tulips and day trips to Gulmarg.
How to reach Srinagar — by air, rail and the Jammu highway
How to reach Srinagar by air, by the Jammu–Baramulla railway and by road from Jammu, Chandigarh and Delhi, with measured distances and the winter road warnings.
Best time to visit Srinagar — tulips, lotus, autumn colour and snow
When to visit Srinagar: spring for tulips, summer for Dal Lake's lotus, dry autumn for colour, and cold snowy winters, with measured temperature and rainfall.
Nearby destinations
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Questions people ask
How do you reach Srinagar?
By air, to Srinagar airport about 12 km from the city, or by road from Jammu, about 240 km and 273 minutes on our routing. Delhi is about 798 km by road. Wikipedia says the highway often closes in snow, landslides and avalanches, so check the road before you travel.
What are the best things to do in Srinagar?
Take a shikara across Dal Lake, visit the Mughal gardens of Shalimar, Nishat and Chashme Shahi, climb to the Shankaracharya Temple, see the wooden Khanqah-e-Moula and the Jama Masjid in the old city, and in spring visit the tulip garden. The Kheer Bhawani Temple and Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg make day trips.
When is the best time to visit Srinagar?
Spring for the tulips and gardens, though it is the wettest season, summer for warm days and the lotus on Dal Lake in July and August, and autumn, the driest season, for the chinar colour. Winter is cold with moderate to heavy snow, and Dal Lake can freeze. See our best-time guide.
Photographs by Wikimedia Commons contributors (CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA), resized; each picture is credited on its own page.