Places to Visit in Jammu & Kashmir

Kashmir packs an improbable amount into one valley: Dal Lake’s houseboats and shikaras, the Mughal gardens terraced above Srinagar, the ski slopes and gondola at Gulmarg, and the Lidder valley meadows around Pahalgam. Most itineraries base themselves in Srinagar and run day trips out to Gulmarg, Sonmarg and Pahalgam, all within three hours’ drive. The valley is at its greenest from April to October, with tulips in April and golden chinars through late autumn.