Kashmir in 7 days: Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg

Seven days covers the whole Kashmir valley — Dal Lake and the Mughal gardens, the quiet meadows at Doodhpathri, the Gulmarg gondola to 3,979m, two nights on the Lidder at Pahalgam, and the Thajiwas glacier at Sonmarg. Several governments maintain advisories for Jammu and Kashmir, and this guide opens with that.

South Asia
7 days
≈ AED 1,700 / person
All four Kashmir valleys at a proper pace — behind a live travel advisory

Researched & checked by Nitesh Parasher Last verified 26 October 2026

Before you go

Read this first

Several governments advise against all, or all but essential, travel to parts of Jammu and Kashmir, including the Kashmir valley. The wording differs by country and changes with conditions — check your own government’s current advice before booking anything.

What sits behind those advisories:

A long-running security situation, with insurgency, heavy military deployment and periodic unrest over more than three decades. Checkpoints and visible armed forces are routine.
Attacks have targeted tourists. In April 2025, gunmen killed civilians at Baisaran meadow above Pahalgam, a site on most visitor itineraries. A serious India–Pakistan military exchange followed.
Communications have been cut before, including extended internet and mobile shutdowns in 2019–2020. Assume connectivity can be withdrawn.
Border proximity. The Line of Control is close and areas near it carry stronger warnings.
Conditions change quickly, and roads, flights and permits close with them.

Travel insurance usually will not cover a region your government advises against. Check the policy wording specifically.

This guide is not an encouragement to go. It exists because Kashmir is one of the most beautiful places in Asia, because millions of Indian travellers go each year, and because an honest page is more use than a silent one. Read your government’s advice and make your own decision.

Seven days is the whole valley at a workable pace: Srinagar, the little-visited meadows at Doodhpathri, Gulmarg, two nights on the Lidder at Pahalgam, and the glacier at Sonmarg.

The extra two days over the short version buy Sonmarg and a second Pahalgam night, which is the difference between seeing the valleys and walking in them. Five days does Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam only.

Figure INR 44,000 (≈ AED 1,718) per person. April to October.

Before you go: the admin

Visas and registration

e-Visa at the official indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa and nowhere else. Srinagar is not an e-Visa port of entry — arrive through Delhi.
Expect repeated registration and identity checks at hotels and checkpoints.

The SIM card problem

Prepaid SIMs issued outside Jammu and Kashmir do not work here — including Indian prepaid numbers from other states and most tourist SIMs.
Postpaid Indian connections work, as does international roaming on a foreign number.
Download maps and bookings before you arrive, and warn people at home.

Flying in from the Gulf

Srinagar (SXR) via Delhi, about 90 minutes. No direct Gulf flights.
Flights are weather-dependent. Leave a buffer day before any international connection.

Money

Carry cash — ₹12,000–15,000 for a week is sensible. ATMs are Srinagar-centric and card machines depend on connectivity that is not guaranteed.

Day by day

Day 1 — Srinagar and the lake

13:00 — Onto a houseboat, ideally on Nigeen rather than Dal, which is quieter. Carved cedar, heavy furnishing, and a legacy of the period when outsiders could not own land and built on the water instead.
15:00 — The Mughal gardens: Shalimar Bagh (1619, built by Jahangir for Nur Jahan), Nishat Bagh with twelve terraces for the zodiac, and the smaller Chashme Shahi.
18:00 — A shikara at sunset, through the lotus channels. Agree the price and the length first.
Ask the houseboat to arrange tomorrow’s 05:00 boat tonight.

Day 2 — The old city, and the floating market

05:00 — The floating vegetable market: growers trading from boats for an hour and then gone. The best thing in Srinagar, and almost nobody who sleeps on land sees it.
09:00 — Hazratbal Shrine, white marble on the northern shore. Heads covered; the inner chamber is restricted.
10:30 — Jamia Masjid, 1394, with 378 deodar columns each a single trunk. Closed to visitors around Friday prayers.
12:00 — The old city for papier-mâché, walnut carving and pashmina. Buy with a bill from an established shop — shahtoosh is illegal everywhere.
16:00 — Shankaracharya Temple for the view over the whole valley. Phones are not allowed at the top.

Day 3 — Doodhpathri

08:30 — Two hours south-west, and almost nobody goes.
11:00 — Doodhpathri, which means “valley of milk”: alpine meadow at 2,700m with a shallow river running white over the stones, which is where the name comes from. It is what Gulmarg was before the cable car — no development to speak of, a few horses, and grass.
12:00 — Walk upstream for an hour and you will have it entirely to yourself.
16:00 — Back to Srinagar, or push on towards Gulmarg to save tomorrow’s drive.

Day 4 — Gulmarg

08:00 — Two hours west, to 2,650m.
10:00 — The Gulmarg Gondola, among the highest cable cars in the world: Phase 1 to Kongdoori at 3,080m, Phase 2 to Apharwat at 3,979m, with snow most of the year. Book Phase 2 online in advance — limited capacity, sells out, and closes in bad weather without notice, so go up while the morning is clear.
Dress for the summit. 25°C in the meadow and below freezing at the top within the same hour.
13:00 — The meadow. Summer is wildflowers with the world’s highest golf course on it; winter is serious lift-served skiing, among the best in Asia.
Stay in Gulmarg so you can take the first gondola if today clouded out.

Day 5 — East to Pahalgam

09:00 — Three hours east via Pampore’s saffron fields.
Pahalgam sits at 2,200m, where two rivers meet.
13:30 — Betaab Valley, named after a film shot there, which is as Bollywood as it sounds and genuinely lovely.
15:30 — Chandanwari, where the Amarnath pilgrimage begins.
Baisaran meadow above Pahalgam was the site of the April 2025 attack. Ask your hotel in the morning about current local advice rather than assuming.

Day 6 — The Aru valley on foot

08:00 — Aru Valley, 12km up and much quieter: the trailhead for the Kolahoi glacier and the best walking in Kashmir.
09:00 — A day hike up the valley with a local guide, which is the single best use of the extra day this itinerary buys. The paths are not signed.
Walk rather than ride where you can. Agree pony prices and routes in advance, in writing — the most common source of friction in Kashmir, and the asking price changes at the top.
17:00 — Back in Pahalgam.

Day 7 — Sonmarg, then out

07:30 — Three hours north to Sonmarg at 2,800m, on the road to Ladakh.
11:00 — The Thajiwas glacier, a short pony ride or a 45-minute walk up from the meadow, and the closest most visitors get to standing on ice in Kashmir.
This is the gateway to Zojila Pass, over which the road runs to Ladakh — the two trips join here, and a Kashmir week extends naturally into Ladakh if you have another week and the pass is open.
14:00 — Back to Srinagar, two hours, for the evening flight. Allow properly for the road.

Costs and practicalities

Best time to visit

April — the tulip garden, the largest in Asia, opens for about three weeks. Blossom everywhere, cold nights.
May to August — the meadows at their best; Doodhpathri and Aru are at their greenest. July and August bring the Amarnath Yatra, which fills Pahalgam and Sonmarg and tightens security considerably.
September to early November — the quietest and arguably the loveliest: clear air, chinars turning gold, saffron flowering at Pampore from late October.
December to March — Gulmarg’s skiing is world-class, Srinagar is cold and beautiful, and the roads to Pahalgam, Sonmarg and Doodhpathri close with snow. This seven-day route does not work in winter.

Sonmarg and Doodhpathri are the first things snow closes, which is why this itinerary is an April-to-October one and the five-day version is more flexible.

Travel tips

Check your government’s advice and your insurance wording first.
Your prepaid SIM will not work.
Carry cash, more than feels necessary.
Book Gondola Phase 2 online.
Agree pony and shikara prices in advance, including the return leg.
One houseboat night, not seven. Wonderful, and the plumbing is period.
Hire a local guide for the Aru valley walk. It is the best day of the week and the paths are not signed.
Expect checkpoints and a visible military presence. Do not photograph installations or personnel.
Ask your hotel each morning about roads and where it is sensible to go.

What this trip actually costs

Two people, 6 nights, mid-range comfort, international flights excluded:

Item	Cost
1 houseboat night + 5 hotel nights (Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam ×2, Sonmarg)	INR 36,000 (≈ AED 1,406)
Car and driver, 7 days, including airport runs	INR 26,000 (≈ AED 1,015)
Gondola both phases, ponies, shikara, glacier, garden entries	INR 14,000 (≈ AED 547)
Food and drink, 7 days	INR 9,000 (≈ AED 351)
SIM, cash buffer, tips, extras	INR 3,000 (≈ AED 117)
Total for two	INR 88,000 (≈ AED 3,436)

Roughly INR 44,000 (≈ AED 1,718) per person, excluding the Delhi connection.
The negotiated items are where money leaks — ponies, gondola-side guides and shikara extensions. Fix every price before you commit.
Kashmir is cheaper than its reputation; this is a domestic holiday market.
Houseboats vary enormously — the old ones on Nigeen are worth paying for.
Hotel picks here are chosen on location, not on commission — always check prices and recent reviews before booking.

What to pack

Layers and a proper warm one. Apharwat is below freezing most of the year.
Waterproofs, outside high summer.
Walking boots — this itinerary has real walking in it at Aru and Thajiwas.
Cash and a backup card.
Downloaded maps and bookings.
Sun cream, which matters more on snow and at altitude.
Modest clothing, and a scarf for women at the shrines.

FAQ

Is it safe to travel to Kashmir? This page cannot answer that for you. There are active advisories, a 2025 attack targeted tourists at a site on this route, and conditions change. Read your government’s current advice, check your insurance, and decide.

What do the extra two days buy over five? Sonmarg, Doodhpathri, and a second night at Pahalgam — which turns the Aru valley from a drive-past into a day’s walk.

Will my phone work? Only on roaming or an Indian postpaid connection. Prepaid SIMs from outside J&K are blocked.

Can I continue to Ladakh from here? Yes — Sonmarg is the gateway to Zojila Pass and the Srinagar–Leh road, usually open June to October. It is a spectacular two-day drive and a natural extension.

Is Doodhpathri worth a day? If you want a meadow without a cable car on it, yes. It is what Gulmarg looked like fifty years ago.

Prices and entry rules change, and what you need depends on your passport; last checked 26 October 2026, so confirm with the embassy or your airline before booking.