Top Attractions and Best Things To Do in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir

For many reasons, the summer capital city Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir should be your bucket list destination. Srinagar mainly popular among tourists for Dal Lake, one of the top attractions among many beautiful Mughal gardens, holy and historical landmarks. Majestic Zabarwan Mountain Range with a peaceful view of the Dal Lake is something you’ll love to adore during your stay in the city. Your entire trip to Srinagar is incomplete without enjoying a scenic journey to Srinagar Dal Lake. Here is the Srinagar travel guide based on my solo travel in Jammu and Kashmir, India. In two days I explored many top attractions and found many best things to do in Srinagar. 

Best Time To Visit Srinagar

Spring (March-May) to summer (June-August) is the best time to visit Srinagar. The weather is not so cold and pleasant in between this time. So you can expect the average temperature between 12-30 degrees Celsius. However, Kashmir, the paradise on earth has its unique beauty in almost all seasons. If you don’t miss to explore Asia’s largest Tulip garden, then April is the best month for you to visit Srinagar. April is also the peak time to travel Srinagar.

Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden

How To Reach Srinagar

The city is well connected by road, rail, and air. You can travel Srinagar by air from major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Leh, and Jammu. Srinagar Sheikh ul-Alam Airport has regular domestic flights from those cities. 

The breathtaking view of Pir Panjal Mountain range from IndiGo Airlines

Many regular buses and trains also run to reach Srinagar. Srinagar Railway Station is connected with Udhampur and Jammu Tawi Railway Stations. You can enter directly to Srinagar by bus or private taxi from those stations. 

Where To Stay

Seven days I was in Srinagar. I have stayed five nights at the budget Hotel Grand Labeeb in Babdem, Srinagar. Two nights had a budget-friendly stay in a houseboat on Dal Lake. However, two or three days are enough to explore the central city of Srinagar. I found it is even possible to enjoy a day trip to the famous hill stations Gulmarg and Sonmarg from Srinagar.

Two days I kept for city sightseeing, two days was for a day trip to Gulmarg and Sonmarg from Srinagar. And last two days enjoyed the beauty of the Dal Lake by staying in a houseboat.

You’ll find many ranges of hotels, resorts, guest houses, and houseboats for accommodation. Most of the hotels located in the Dal Lake area on Boulevard Road. The central tourism hub of Srinagar. Centaur Lake View Hotel, Vivanta Dal View, Fortune Resort Heevan, Kashmir Mahal Resorts, Hillscape Inn, The Lalit Grand Palace Srinagar, and Hotel Brown Palace are some of the best hotels offer Srinagar Dal Lake view.

Best Things To Do in Srinagar

There are many beautiful destinations to visit in Srinagar. Once you’re in the city you’ll find many top places to see and best things to do in the city. It is fun and cheap to go to the city sightseeing Srinagar bus service to move around the city. You have to get entrance tickets to visit most of the gardens and old landmarks. The Dal Lake is the top attractions in Srinagar and so it is worth to stay at least one night in the Dal Lake houseboat. The listed below are some of the best Srinagar City attractions you’ll simply love exploring.

City Sightseeing Srinagar bus

Visit Asia’s Largest Tulip Garden

Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden is the top attraction in Srinagar. Most of the tourists visit Srinagar during April. Spring is the best season to visit Asia’s largest Tulip Garden which is 5600 feet above the sea level. You’ll find many colorful tulips (nearly 12.5 million ) spread over 30 hectares area. I loved mainly the Zabarwan Mountains view and the remote view of the Pari Mahal from the Tulip garden.

The top view of Pari Mahal from the garden

Visit Beautiful Mughal Gardens

Many beautiful Srinagar Mughal gardens are the main city attractions and must-visit for all. The architectural beauty of each garden is praiseworthy with the best landscape of mountains and Dal Lake. Locals love to enjoy their weekends in various beautiful gardens with family. It is best to spend the fun times in the garden; all are very nicely maintained by the authority. All Mughal gardens built in the 16th century. My top favorites were Pari Mahal and Shalimar Bagh.

Pari Mahal

The seven-terraced Pari Mahal Garden is also known as ‘The Palace of Fairies’ and built during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The Dal Lake view from the top of the garden is outstanding.

Shalimar Bagh

Shalimar Bagh is one of the classy Mughal gardens and is also famous as the ‘Crown of Srinagar.’ You’ll love many fountains inside the enclosure built during the reign of Mughal Jahangir.

Shalimar Bagh

Nishat Bagh

Nishat Bagh is one of the beautiful and most extensive Mughal gardens in Srinagar. It is also known as the ‘Garden of Joy.’

Chashme Shahi

Another Mughal garden Chashme Shahi is the popular one for the holy spring. And so it is known as the ‘Royal Spring’ built in the Mughal era.

Chashme Shahi

Badam Wari

Badam Wari garden is full of many almond trees and best to enjoy the close view of the mountains from the garden. This garden is also one of the popular places among locals for the morning walk.

Badam Wari

Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden

Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden has not built during the Mughal period but also worth to visit. This beautiful garden is full of many rare collections of plants and vegetation. I loved many tall Poplar trees inside the enclosure.

Visit Oldest Jamia Mosque

The oldest Jamia Mosque built in 1394 by Sultan Sikandar Shah Kashmiri Shahmiri (RA) and located in Downtown, Srinagar.  Many interesting facts are there about the mosque. Srinagar Jamia Masjid can hold 33,333 peoples at a time for salah. It has unique architectural beauty and renovated three times.  

Srinagar Jamia Mosque

Jamia Mosque is one of the iconic landmarks of Srinagar. Every year the salah on the last Friday of Holy month of Ramadan is offered by lakhs of people in and outside of the masjid premises. 

Enjoy Srinagar City Top View from Hari Parbat Fort

Hari Parbat Fort is one of the top places to visit in Srinagar. The historical Hari Parbat Fort first built during the time of Mughal emperor Akbar in 1590. The present fort built in 1808 by Atta Mohammad Khan, one Afghan governor and located on the top of the Hari Parbat Hill. You’ll get Srinagar City top view from the fort. There is Muslim Shrines, Shakti Temple, and Gurudwara inside Hari Parbat. 

Hari Parbat Fort

Top view of Srinagar city

Top Dal Lake View from Shankaracharya Temple

Shankaracharya Temple built in  371 BC and one of the top holy places to see in Srinagar. This temple is 1000 feet above the sea level and located on the top of the Shankaracharya Hill. You can enjoy the top Dal Lake view from the temple, but photography is not allowed. You have to pass more than 200 steps to visit Shankaracharya Temple, but before that, you’ll find one viewpoint of this Hindu Temple. Many visitors stop here, there is a place to seat and can enjoy the remote view of Hari Parbat Fort.

Enjoy the Landscape of Dal Lake from Boulevard Road

The famous Boulevard Road offers the best view of Dal Lake with the Zabarwan Range. Chinar Ghat is a favorite spot on Boulevard Road, and you’ll see many locals enjoying their leisure time, sitting and talking or fishing with the Dal Lake view. The first day in Srinagar I’ve experienced the picturesque landscape of Dal Lake from Boulevard Road. 

The beautiful Nunkun Lake View Restaurant also located on this road where you can have tea or coffee and enjoy the view of Dal Lake. This restaurant is mainly best for Chinese cuisines and popular one in the city.

Taste Kashmiri Wazwan from Any Top City Restaurant

Wazwan is a traditional Kashmiri cuisine and mainly served during the wedding and any big festivals. It is a popular non-veg delicacy throughout Kashmir and prepared with 15 to 30 dishes of meat (lamb). Some must-have items of Wazwan are Kabab, Rista, Goshtaba, Tabak maaz, and Rogan josh. You can order any of them and have with plain rice. I had Wazwan from Kareema Restaurant on Residency Road. The famous Ahdoos Restaurant is also best to try Wazwan. 

 

If you’re looking for vegetarian food, then Krishna Vaishno Dhaba Srinagar is best for trying many veg items. The pure vegetarian Krishna Dhaba restaurant located in Durganagh.

Tour Around Popular Srinagar Food Streets

It is fun to visit local food markets or food streets; how about you? In Srinagar, some of the best are Khayam Chowk, Dalgate Road, and Hazratbal Shrine area for trying Srinagar street food. Some favorite street food in the city is halwa paratha, crispy fries of potato and lotus stem, chicken tandoori, kabab, and barbecue.

Furthermore, you might not love to leave the city without buying or collecting many souvenirs. Lal Chowk and many floating markets or Meena Bazar of Dal Lake are best to get many Kashmiri traditional items. Kashmiri shawl, pashmina, Kashmiri stitched salwar and poncho, carpet, walnut wood items, dry fruits, almond, apple, and apricot are some of the best Kashmiri products to buy from Srinagar. 

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Share your favorite top things to do in Srinagar. Would you make it there for beautiful Dal Lake or Mughal Gardens?