Kashmir tour packages for 6 days

6 days / 5 nights from ₹15,000 per person. Four days covers Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam, a day each. Five days adds Sonmarg and the Thajiwas glacier; six days adds a houseboat night, Doodhpathri or a slower Pahalgam. Seven and eight days start at Jammu or Katra with Vaishno Devi, or give Gulmarg and Pahalgam two nights each, and twelve days reaches Gurez.

9 plans: 6 Days Kashmir Holiday (6D/5N, from ₹15,000); 6 Days Kashmir with Vaishno Devi Yatra (6D/5N, from ₹19,750); 6 Days Kashmir Bliss from Jammu (6D/5N, from ₹19,750); 6 Days Kashmir Winter Snow Escape (6D/5N, from ₹19,750).

6 Days Kashmir Holiday6D/5N · ₹15,0006 Days Kashmir with Vaishno Devi Yatra6D/5N · ₹19,7506 Days Kashmir Bliss from Jammu6D/5N · ₹19,7506 Days Kashmir Winter Snow Escape6D/5N · ₹19,750

• Duration: 6 days; most travellers take 5 or 6.
• Price: from ₹15,000 per person, stays, local travel and the sightseeing listed on each trip page.
• Places: Dal Lake and the Mughal gardens in Srinagar, the Gulmarg gondola, Pahalgam and the Aru, Betaab and Chandanwari valleys, Sonmarg's Thajiwas glacier, Doodhpathri, Vaishno Devi from Katra and the Gurez valley.
• Travel: Most trips start at Srinagar airport or railway station with a private car and driver; the Vaishno Devi plans and a few others start at Jammu or Katra and end in Srinagar. Flights and trains are not part of the package, and the trip pages say where each one begins.
• Stay: a 3-star or 4-star hotel in Srinagar and Pahalgam, a night on a Dal Lake houseboat on many plans, and nights in Gulmarg or Sonmarg on some of the longer and couple trips.
• Best time: March to May is spring, with the tulip garden usually open from late March; June to August is the busy summer, when every valley is open; September to November is calm autumn with the chinars turning in late October; December to February is the snow season in Gulmarg and Pahalgam.
• Weather: Srinagar sits at about 1,600 m; Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Sonmarg are higher, at about 2,200 to 2,800 m.
• Trip type: private trips planned around your dates and your group.

6 Days Kashmir Holiday6D/5N · ₹15,0006 Days Kashmir with Vaishno Devi Yatra6D/5N · ₹19,7506 Days Kashmir Bliss from Jammu6D/5N · ₹19,7506 Days Kashmir Winter Snow Escape6D/5N · ₹19,750

These are the places Kashmir trips are built from. Each trip page lists exactly which of them it covers, and a private trip can swap one for another.

• Dal Lake: Srinagar's lake of houseboats, floating gardens and shikaras; every trip here includes a one-hour shikara ride, and many add a night on a houseboat.
• The Mughal gardens: Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh and Chashme Shahi, terraced gardens with water channels facing the lake, with Pari Mahal on the hill above.
• Shankaracharya Temple and Hazratbal: The hilltop temple with a view over Srinagar and the lake, and the white marble shrine on Dal Lake's northern shore.
• Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden: Terraced tulip beds below the Zabarwan hills in Srinagar, open for a few weeks each spring.
• Gulmarg: The meadow town about 50 km from Srinagar, with the two-stage gondola towards Apharwat peak, the Drung waterfall, and skiing and sledging in winter.
• Pahalgam: The Valley of Shepherds on the Lidder river, about 95 km from Srinagar through the saffron fields of Pampore, with the old Mamleshwar temple in town.
• Aru, Betaab and Chandanwari (the ABC valleys): The three valleys around Pahalgam, reached by local union cab: Aru's meadows and village, Betaab Valley named after the film shot there, and Chandanwari, where the snow lingers into summer.
• Sonmarg and Thajiwas Glacier: The Meadow of Gold on the Sindh river, about 80 km from Srinagar, with a pony ride up to the Thajiwas glacier.
• Doodhpathri: A quiet meadow valley about an hour and a half from Srinagar, with the white, frothing Shaliganga stream running through it.
• Pampore and Awantipora: The saffron fields and the ruins of the ninth-century Avantiswami temple on the road from Srinagar to Pahalgam.
• Gurez Valley: The remote Kishanganga valley over the Razdan pass, with the Habba Khatoon peak, wooden villages and the Tulail valley beyond Dawar.
• Vaishno Devi from Katra: The cave shrine reached by a 13 km climb from Katra, with ponies, palkis and battery cars on parts of the way; the Vaishno Devi plans spend a night or two in Katra before Kashmir.

Every trip is private, so the plan below is a starting point: the days, the hotels and the pace are set around you.

• Day 1: arrive in Srinagar, the Mughal gardens and the Shankaracharya Temple, and an evening shikara ride on Dal Lake.
• Day 2: Sonmarg along the Sindh river, a pony ride to the Thajiwas glacier, and back to Srinagar.
• Day 3: Gulmarg for the gondola towards Apharwat and the Drung waterfall, and back to Srinagar.
• Day 4: to Pahalgam through the saffron fields, and the Aru, Betaab and Chandanwari valleys by union cab.
• Day 5: the drive back to Srinagar and the flight home.

Kashmir packages start at ₹15,000 per person: ₹15,000 for 6 days. That covers the stays, the private car and driver for the whole route, breakfast and dinner, a one-hour shikara ride on Dal Lake and the sightseeing each trip page lists. Flights or trains to Srinagar, Jammu or Katra are not included, and neither are the Gulmarg gondola, the local union cabs at Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg, pony rides and entry tickets, which are paid on the spot.

What moves the price is the season, the stay category (3-star or 4-star, and whether a houseboat night is in the plan), the car (sedan, SUV or tempo traveller) and the group size, since a private trip prices the car and the rooms for your group. April to June and the late-December snow weeks are the busiest and dearest. The journey to Srinagar, the gondola, union cabs, pony rides and anything not named on the trip page stay out of the fare, so the number you see is the number you pay.

The couple plans add a night on a Dal Lake houseboat and slow the pace, and the longer ones sleep in Gulmarg, Sonmarg or Pahalgam rather than driving back to Srinagar each evening.

3 trips on this page, from ₹23,500 per person: 6 Days Kashmir Romantic Sonmarg Gulmarg Pahalgam Retreat (6D/5N, from ₹23,500); 6 Days Ultimate Romantic Kashmir Getaway (6D/5N, from ₹23,500); 6 Days Kashmir Couple Retreat with Doodhpathri (6D/5N, from ₹23,800).

6 Days Kashmir Romantic Sonmarg Gulmarg Pahalgam Retreat6D/5N · ₹23,5006 Days Ultimate Romantic Kashmir Getaway6D/5N · ₹23,5006 Days Kashmir Couple Retreat with Doodhpathri6D/5N · ₹23,800

These start at Jammu or Katra: a night or two in Katra for the climb to the shrine, then the drive into the valley for Pahalgam, Srinagar, Sonmarg and Gulmarg, ending at Srinagar airport.

2 trips on this page, from ₹19,750 per person: 6 Days Kashmir with Vaishno Devi Yatra (6D/5N, from ₹19,750); 6 Days Kashmir Bliss from Jammu (6D/5N, from ₹19,750).

6 Days Kashmir with Vaishno Devi Yatra6D/5N · ₹19,7506 Days Kashmir Bliss from Jammu6D/5N · ₹19,750

Beyond the usual three valleys: Doodhpathri's meadows as a day out from Srinagar, or twelve days with Aru, Gulmarg and three nights in the Gurez valley over the Razdan pass.

2 trips on this page, from ₹19,800 per person: 6 Days Kashmir Holiday with Doodhpathri (6D/5N, from ₹19,800); 6 Days Kashmir Couple Retreat with Doodhpathri (6D/5N, from ₹23,800).

6 Days Kashmir Holiday with Doodhpathri6D/5N · ₹19,8006 Days Kashmir Couple Retreat with Doodhpathri6D/5N · ₹23,800

Couples: 3 plans with the quieter stays and private transfers, from ₹23,500: 6 Days Kashmir Romantic Sonmarg Gulmarg Pahalgam Retreat (6D/5N, from ₹23,500); 6 Days Ultimate Romantic Kashmir Getaway (6D/5N, from ₹23,500); 6 Days Kashmir Couple Retreat with Doodhpathri (6D/5N, from ₹23,800).

Families: 1 plan paced for children, from ₹15,000: 6 Days Kashmir Holiday (6D/5N, from ₹15,000).

6 Days Kashmir Romantic Sonmarg Gulmarg Pahalgam Retreat6D/5N · ₹23,5006 Days Ultimate Romantic Kashmir Getaway6D/5N · ₹23,500

Best time

March to May is spring, with the tulip garden usually open from late March; June to August is the busy summer, when every valley is open; September to November is calm autumn with the chinars turning in late October; December to February is the snow season in Gulmarg and Pahalgam. Every month works, depending on whether you want meadows or snow.

• March to May, 5 to 25°C: Spring: the almond blossom, the tulip garden in Srinagar (usually open from late March for about a month) and snow still on Gulmarg early in the season. April and May are busy and well priced only if booked early.
• June to August, 15 to 32°C: Summer: green meadows, every valley open and pleasant days while the plains swelter. The busiest stretch; the Amarnath Yatra usually runs from July into August and brings extra traffic and checks around Pahalgam and Sonmarg.
• September to November, 3 to 25°C: Autumn: clear skies, apple harvest and the chinar trees turning red and gold from late October. Quieter and calmer than summer, with cold nights by November.
• December to February, -8 to 10°C: Winter: snow in Gulmarg and Pahalgam, skiing and sledging at Gulmarg, and the coldest forty days (Chillai Kalan) from late December to January. Heavy snow can hold up roads and flights for a day, so keep a little slack in the plan.

What to pack

For summer, cotton for the day and a light woollen or fleece for the evenings in Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonmarg. For spring and autumn, a proper jacket, as nights drop close to freezing. For winter, thermals, a down jacket, gloves, a woollen cap and waterproof boots; snow boots and coats can usually be hired at Gulmarg. Sunglasses and sunscreen for the glare off the snow, comfortable shoes for the pony trails, something covering arms and legs (and a scarf for the head) for Hazratbal and the shrines, and a photo ID for every traveller. Prepaid mobile connections from outside Jammu and Kashmir usually do not work there; a postpaid number does.

Getting there

From Hyderabad, fly to Srinagar; some days have non-stop flights, and many itineraries connect through Delhi. Our trips start at Srinagar airport with a car and driver, or at Jammu or Katra for the Vaishno Devi plans. By rail it is a long journey to Jammu Tawi or Katra, and from Katra the Vande Bharat trains run on to Srinagar.

From Bengaluru, fly to Srinagar, non-stop on some days or through Delhi. The trips start at Srinagar airport or railway station, or at Jammu or Katra for the plans that begin with Vaishno Devi; flights are not part of the package.

From Chennai, fly to Srinagar, usually connecting through Delhi. Most trips start at Srinagar airport; the Vaishno Devi plans start at Jammu airport or Katra railway station and drive into the valley.

Permits and fees

Indian citizens need no permit for Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonmarg or Doodhpathri; carry a government photo ID, which hotels and checkposts ask for. Gurez is a border area near the Line of Control, and the Gurez trip includes help with the entry formalities for Indian nationals. Foreign nationals should tell the planner before booking, since border areas have their own rules. Gondola tickets, park entries and pony rides are paid at each place; confirm the current rates before you travel.

Kashmir or Ladakh? Kashmir is green and gentle: lakes, houseboats, Mughal gardens, meadows and pine forest at about 1,600 to 2,800 m, seen well in five days with no altitude rest needed. Ladakh is a high cold desert at 3,500 m and above, with Khardung La, Nubra and Pangong, and needs two easy days in Leh before going higher. Kashmir works all year and has snow in winter; Ladakh is at its best from June to September. The two meet on the Srinagar–Kargil–Leh road in the warmer months.

Kashmir or Manali? Manali is the classic road trip from Delhi, an overnight bus away, with Solang and the snow beyond the Atal Tunnel. Kashmir is a flight or the train into Srinagar and gives more variety in the same five days: Dal Lake and a houseboat night, the Mughal gardens, the Gulmarg gondola and the valleys around Pahalgam and Sonmarg. Starting from Delhi by road, Manali is the easier pick; flying in from the south, Kashmir is the bigger trip for the time.

This page answers one question. The hub lists the whole Kashmir catalogue — every length, every departure city, group departures and private trips — with the same prices.