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Travel Tales from India and Abroad
A House Boat at Dal Lake in Srinagar, India

Things to do in Kashmir

Posted on March 30, 2015April 12, 2021

I have been lucky to visit Kashmir three times and I find it incredibly beautiful. As the season moves to summer vacation time you might be looking for a trip to Kashmir. I have out forth a list to things to do in Kashmir. I hope you will enjoy it. And I sincerely hope that another flood doesn’t materialize in Karshmir.

Srinagar

  1. Stay in a House Boat

It is an amazing experience to stay in a house boat in Srinagar. There are many house boats both at Dal Lake and Nagin Lake across various budget ranges. For me the most beautiful aspect of staying a house boat was to wake up in the middle of the lake and see it come alive in the morning with shikaras selling breakfast, flowers and souvenirs.

  1. Take a Walk around Dal Lake
evening-dal-lake-srinagar
An Evening by the Dal Lake, Srinagar

Walking around Dal Lake in the evening is a thing of beauty. The setting sun makes the surface of the lake glow. I would stop at the road side tea shop and have chai as well when I was tired of walking.

  1. Go to the Floating Vegetable Market on Dal Lake
floating-vegetable-market-dal-lake
The Floating Vegetable Market, Dal Lake, Srinagar

There is a local floating vegetable market on Dal Lake which sells wholesale vegetables. It has become a tourist attraction too. One has to wake up early to go there as the market disperses by 7.30 am or so.

  1. Go Paragliding
paragliding-srinagar
Paragliding at Srinagar

Paragliding is available at Srinagar from Astanmarg area. I could not do it personally as our bookings didn’t work out but I did see the site and it was a beauty.

  1. Visit Pari Mahal
view-pari-mahal
View of Srinagar from Pari Mahal

Pari Mahal is a garden in Srinagar. The garden itself is beautiful but the view of the city from the garden is breathtakingly beautiful.

Gulmarg

  1. Take the Gondola Ride
gondola-ride-gulmarg
The Gondola Ride, Gulmarg

The gondola ride at Gulmarg is very popular and rightly so. The ride is dependent on weather. On some days it is not possible to go the level two due to the weather, on some days the ride may just not happen at all. But if possible do try going to both the levels. In the skiing season it is fun to skiers zipping around on the slopes.

  1. Visit the St. Mary’s Church
st-marys-church-gulmarg
The St. Mary’s Church, Gulmarg

St. Mary’s Church is situated on a vast meadow and the location itself makes it so beautiful. A mass is said in the church every Sunday and the priest comes in from Srinagar!

  1. Go when there is Snow
snow-gulmarg
Snow at Gulmarg

Gulmarg gets snow, a lot of snow. When I was there in March it had five feet of snow. And snow is so much fun. There is a skiing institute in Gulmarg too, so if you are planning to learn skiing, Gulmarg is one of the options.

Pahalgam

  1. Do Rafting on Lidder
rafting-lidder-pahalgam
Rafting at River Lidder

There is rafting available on the River Lidder in Pahalgam. It was open for a small stretch when I was there and the water was oh so cold! But it was a lot of fun as well. Pahalgam is picture postcard beautiful even otherwise.

Everywhere

  1. Try Kahwa
kahwa
Kahwa is Amazing

If you like tea you have to try kahwa the Kashmiri tea. It is a tea made without milk and everyone does it a little differently. I am otherwise a big fan of Chai but kahwa comes quite close. When in Kashmir, I drink only Kahwa. You have to give it a try, chances are you will get addicted like me!

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42 thoughts on “Things to do in Kashmir”

  1. Alok Vats says:
    March 30, 2015 at 2:08 pm

    Such a nice post Mridula πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:41 am

      Thank you Alok.

      Reply
  2. SREEDHAR BHATTARAM says:
    March 30, 2015 at 2:18 pm

    It’s called the Switzerland of India…. A Beautiful Place…. Lucky that you traveled thrice to the Place!

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:38 am

      Indeed I was lucky!

      Reply
  3. Shilpi Dutta says:
    March 30, 2015 at 2:56 pm

    Hey Globetrotter! I relived the memories of my parent’s honeymoon which I had seen in their picture album. I have never been to Kashmir. Staying in a house boat and visiting Gurmarg is my dream. You blog post just ignited those hidden desires of mine. Great post as always !!!! Keep it up

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:37 am

      Shilpi I hope you do go soon. And if possible do post some of your parents Kashmir pictures!

      Reply
  4. rupam { xhobdo } says:
    March 30, 2015 at 3:19 pm

    Awesome post Mridula ji πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:36 am

      Thank you Rupam.

      Reply
  5. Ulrika says:
    March 30, 2015 at 5:12 pm

    Wow! It’s so beautiful it almost hurts! πŸ™‚

    The house boat is gorgeous and starting your day on the water like that must be so nice.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:36 am

      Ulrika it was indeed an awesome experience. πŸ˜€

      Reply
  6. Manpreet Raina says:
    March 30, 2015 at 5:32 pm

    Superb! I jus’ loved it. The pictures are very well defining the incredibility of the awesomeness of the place. Going to Kashmir has always been in the wishlist. Wish i’ll go the soon πŸ™‚ Peace for all the flood-stricken people there!

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:35 am

      Manpreet looks like Jhelum is receding so good for the region.

      Reply
  7. Archana Kapoor says:
    March 30, 2015 at 5:33 pm

    Beautiful write-up and amazing pics! I hope to get to Kashmir someday! πŸ™‚ thanks for sharing Mridula πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:34 am

      Do go Archana it is incredibly beautiful.

      Reply
  8. Niranjan says:
    March 30, 2015 at 6:01 pm

    Nice list of things to do in Kashmir. Would love to visit when its snowing.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:33 am

      Yes Niranjan it is a lot of fun when it snows in Kashmir.

      Reply
  9. Tushar says:
    March 30, 2015 at 10:55 pm

    View of Srinagar from Pari Mahal, The Gondola Ride, Gulmarg, Snow at Gulmarg – all are beautiful photos.
    Kashmir Tourism website link is a great information. Thanks Mridula. Is it your travel agency?

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:32 am

      Thank you Tushar, and no it is not my travel agency.

      Reply
  10. Vishal Rathod says:
    March 31, 2015 at 7:20 am

    Hi Mridula,

    A bit surprised to see kahwa on number one. This just shows your liking for tea.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:31 am

      True Vishal, my blog, my bias πŸ˜€

      Reply
  11. Mahesh Semwal says:
    March 31, 2015 at 9:32 am

    Have been to Srinagar many times , thanks for refreshing memories. I miss morning walk around Dal lake.
    No doubt view from Pari Mahal is awesome.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:30 am

      Mahesh the little I saw, I agree Kashmir is awesome.

      Reply
  12. yogi saraswat says:
    March 31, 2015 at 9:53 am

    what a beautiful trip . Everything is there . Really Kashmir is like heaven and your photographs proving it.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:28 am

      Yogi ji these are a collection from three trips! πŸ˜€

      Reply
  13. Indrani says:
    March 31, 2015 at 10:40 am

    Whoa! Great presentation, wonderful pics.
    I can understand why pak is fighting over it. πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:27 am

      Indrani πŸ˜€ I have heard that it is equally beautiful on the other side too!

      Reply
  14. Amit Agarwal says:
    March 31, 2015 at 11:40 am

    Awesome pictures! A great post!

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:25 am

      Thank you Amit.

      Reply
  15. Julia Dutta says:
    March 31, 2015 at 4:55 pm

    Superb! Never seen anything so beautiful as this one Mridula.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:24 am

      Thank you so much Julia.

      Reply
  16. Lady Fi says:
    March 31, 2015 at 6:58 pm

    Kashmir looks so gorgeous – as does that houseboat!

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 1, 2015 at 11:24 am

      Thank you Lady Fi.

      Reply
  17. Moon says:
    April 1, 2015 at 12:12 pm

    Kashmir is on my travel bucket list. So, thank you for the post πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 27, 2015 at 2:50 pm

      I hope you will go soon!

      Reply
  18. Ragini Puri says:
    April 3, 2015 at 11:56 am

    Thanks for the details Mridula ma’am. Have never been to Kashmir and did not feel inclined enough…but now I am curious. πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 27, 2015 at 2:51 pm

      Ragini I also went on various FAMs, it is incredibly beautiful. i wish it would become peaceful too.

      Reply
  19. Sunita Singh says:
    April 19, 2015 at 7:53 pm

    You are quite lucky to have visited Kashmir thrice, which is truly the “Paradise on Earth”. Everything about the place is intriguing and captivating, which makes it the most coveted destination among travelers. You article beautifies the place further. Thanks for sharing your experience.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 27, 2015 at 2:53 pm

      Thank you so much Sunita. I really enjoyed my trips!

      Reply
  20. Viraj Mehta says:
    April 27, 2015 at 1:59 pm

    Hey Mridula,
    Your blog was very informative and will act as my To-do list in Kashmir. Your experiences in Kashmir really enthralled me and I’m booking a Kashmir tour package as soon as possible. The house boats, Dal Lake, paragliding, gondola rides and the Kahwa are things I am looking forward to.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      April 27, 2015 at 2:56 pm

      Viraj, try out some packages out there if that is what you are looking for. I am a blogger and I don’t arrange trips!

      Reply
  21. Kalpanaa says:
    March 29, 2016 at 2:50 pm

    I seem to have missed this post from last year πŸ™‚ looks lovely.
    I’ve been dreaming about going to Kashmir

    Reply
    1. Mridula Dwivedi says:
      March 31, 2016 at 10:49 am

      I hope you will go soon Kalpana!

      Reply

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About Me

I am Mridula Dwivedi and I started this blog in 2005. It has been an amazing ride. I have visited 33 countries till date! I have worked with many tourism boards and prominent travel companies. My blog was featured on the BBC and the Guardian.

I did my Ph.D. from IIT Kanpur. I worked full time in academics till 2015! I quit my job as a professor, thinking I will take a break for one year, which turned into five.

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