A short winter break that still feels like Kashmir. Land in Srinagar, walk the Mughal gardens and drift across Dal Lake on a shikara at sunset. Next day, drive up to Gulmarg for a full day in the snow, then come back to a warm room in Srinagar. On the way home, stop at Hazratbal and the old city. With the 3-star or Luxury level, your second night is on a houseboat.
Why you'll love this trip
A full day in the Gulmarg snow, with the gondola, a sledge or a ski taster if you like.
A sunset shikara ride on Dal Lake on your first evening.
Heated rooms and a private car with a heater, so the cold stays outside.
3-star and Luxury: your second night is on a carved cedar houseboat.
Is this trip right for you?
It's a short trip: day 2 is a full day out with about 2 hours' drive each way.
Want to sleep in the snow? Look at Pick Your Snow Night or Gulmarg Snow Stay.
Trip facts
Duration
3 days, 2 nights
Starts
Srinagar airport or railway station
Ends
Srinagar airport or railway station
Trip type
Private tour
Group size
Your group only, from 2 people
Minimum age
All ages
Best time to go
1 November to 31 March. Snow is most likely from late December to February.
Meals
2 breakfasts, 2 dinners
Fitness
EasySightseeing with some 2–3 hour drives. Paths can be icy, so bring shoes with a good grip.
Where you stay
1N Srinagar (Hotel)
1N Srinagar (Hotel, or a Dal Lake houseboat at 3-star and Luxury)
Itinerary
3 days, day by day.
Your driver meets you at Srinagar airport or the railway station. After you've settled in, see the Mughal gardens of Nishat and Shalimar, laid out in terraces above Dal Lake in the 1600s: bare chinar trees in winter, and sometimes snow on the lawns. End the day with an hour on a shikara as the light goes over the Zabarwan hills.
Included
Pick-up at the airport or railway station
Nishat and Shalimar gardens
Sunset shikara ride on Dal Lake (1 hour)
You can add
Photo session in Kashmiri dress on a shikara
Old city craft walk: papier-mâché and pashmina
Overnight
Hotel, Srinagar
Meals
Dinner
Getting there
30–40 minutes (about 15 km)
Drive west through apple orchards to Tangmarg for a cup of kahwa, then up the winding road to Gulmarg, a bowl of snow at 2,650 m ringed by fir forest. Walk to St Mary's Church and the old Maharaja's palace, build a snowman, try a sledge, or ride the gondola towards Apharwat for views across the Pir Panjal range.
Included
Private car with a heater for the day
Kahwa stop in Tangmarg
You can add
Gulmarg gondola, Phase 1 (to Kongdoori)
Gulmarg gondola, Phase 2 (towards Apharwat)
Snow 4x4 from Tangmarg to Gulmarg (snow days)
Ski taster: 2 hours with an instructor
Sledge ride
Snowmobile ride
ATV ride in the snow
Pony ride in Gulmarg
Snow coat and boots on hire
Overnight
Hotel or houseboat, Srinagar
Meals
Breakfast, Dinner
Getting there
About 2 hours each way (52 km)
After heavy snow only 4x4s may drive the last stretch from Tangmarg. We arrange one if needed.
After breakfast, visit the white marble Hazratbal shrine on the shore of Dal Lake, then the old city's wooden Jamia Masjid on the way to your flight or train.
Included
Hazratbal and the old city on the way
Drop at the airport or railway station
You can add
Sunrise shikara to the floating market
Old city craft walk: papier-mâché and pashmina
Overnight
End of trip
Meals
Breakfast
Getting there
About an hour with the stops (25 km)
We can arrange any of these if you'd like them. Tick them when you enquire, or ask us, and they'll be in your written quote.
What November to March is usually like in the places this trip visits, so you can pick your dates.
Srinagar and Dal Lake
Snow possible
Some Januaries bring city snow; heavy falls can ground flights.
Day about 7°C Night about -2°C
Cold spells can freeze parts of Dal Lake
Harissa and kahwa to beat the cold
Chillai Kalan, the coldest 40 days, runs 21 Dec–31 Jan
Short days: sunset about 5:30–6 pm
Gulmarg
Snow likely
Usually snowy as the ski season starts; dry spells happen.
Day about 1°C Night about -8°C
Ski season usually under way
Sledging and snow play on the meadows
Gondola views over snowy Apharwat
Gondola shut 2nd/4th Mondays; Phase 2 often stops in wind
After heavy snow, only chained 4x4s go from Tangmarg
Snow is never guaranteed in any month, so if weather, roads or closures get in the way, we swap your plans to whatever is open.
Prices
Per person, based on two people sharing a room, including 5% GST.
OptionWhat you getStarting from, per person
BudgetHeated budget hotel in Srinagar, both nights₹8,799
3-star3-star hotel, then a deluxe houseboat₹10,599
Luxury4-star hotel, then a top-category houseboat₹19,299
Travelling as a group of 4
₹6,299 per person, Budget level, four sharing one car and two rooms
Christmas and New Year (20 Dec – 5 Jan)
₹9,599 per person, Budget level, two sharing
Starting prices for travel from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027. Your written quote gives the exact price for your dates, hotels and group.
Terms for this trip
Prices are per person, two sharing a room, and include 5% GST. Minimum 2 people.
Travel from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027. From 20 December 2026 to 5 January 2027 the Christmas–New Year price applies.
The group-of-4 price is for four people sharing one car and two rooms, at the Budget level.
Pay 50% to confirm and the rest 30 days before you travel. Booking within 30 days of travel: the full amount.
Hotels are the ones named in your quote, or similar in the same category. Every room is heated (a heater or an electric blanket in budget hotels).
On snow days only 4x4s may drive from Tangmarg up to Gulmarg. On a Gulmarg day trip the snow 4x4 is then an extra you can add.
Snow can't be guaranteed in any month. If snow, a road closure or an official order stops a day out, we swap it for a place that's open.
These are the main points. The full booking terms apply to every booking.
Things you can add to your trip
We arrange any of these if you'd like them. Tick them when you enquire and they'll be in your written quote.
Gulmarg gondola, Phase 1 (to Kongdoori)
Gulmarg gondola, Phase 2 (towards Apharwat)
Snow 4x4 from Tangmarg to Gulmarg (snow days)
Ski taster: 2 hours with an instructor
Sledge ride
Snowmobile ride
ATV ride in the snow
Pony ride in Gulmarg
Snow coat and boots on hire
Sunrise shikara to the floating market
Photo session in Kashmiri dress on a shikara
Traditional Wazwan dinner
Old city craft walk: papier-mâché and pashmina
What's included
Included
2 nights in Srinagar (3-star and Luxury: 1 hotel night and 1 houseboat night)
Breakfast and dinner every day (2 breakfasts, 2 dinners)
Heated rooms (a heater or an electric blanket in budget hotels)
Private car with a heater and driver for every transfer and day out in the itinerary
Pick-up and drop at Srinagar airport or railway station
Sunset shikara ride on Dal Lake (1 hour)
Fuel, tolls, parking and the driver's costs
5% GST
Not included
Flights and train tickets to and from Srinagar
Lunches
Entry tickets (Mughal gardens, Betaab Valley)
Gulmarg gondola tickets, unless listed above
Local union taxis, ponies and sledges in Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg
Activities you add to your trip
Travel insurance
Tips and personal expenses
Snow 4x4 from Tangmarg on snow days
Before you book
Good to know
In Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg some places can only be reached by local union taxis, ponies or snow 4x4s. We arrange them if you'd like and they go in your quote.
Prepaid SIM cards from outside Jammu & Kashmir don't work here. Postpaid connections do.
Carry a government photo ID. Hotels ask for it, and it can be checked on the road.
Winter in Kashmir
The coldest weeks (Chillai Kalan) run from 21 December to 31 January. Nights can drop well below freezing, so pack thermals, a warm jacket, gloves, a cap and waterproof shoes.
Days are short: the sun sets around 5:30 pm in December and January, so we start early on day trips.
Snow can close roads for a few hours or a day. We keep you informed and swap the plan to whatever is open.
Morning fog can delay flights in December and January. An afternoon flight home gives you a cushion.
Booking and cancellation
Pay 50% to confirm your booking and the rest 30 days before you travel. If you book within 30 days of travel, we ask for the full amount.
Prices are per person, unless a package says per couple or per skier, and include 5% GST. They're based on two people sharing a room.
Flights, gondola and helicopter tickets, and peak-date hotels we've paid for in advance, can't be refunded. If you cancel, we charge the cancellation charge or these costs, whichever is higher.
You can change your dates once for free up to 30 days before you travel; any difference in price applies. Later changes count as a cancellation.
If weather, landslides, road closures, curfews or government orders stop your trip before it starts, choose new dates, a full credit valid for 12 months, or a refund minus costs we can't recover.
Refunds go back to your original payment method within 10 working days.
If you cancel
If you cancel
Cancellation charge
45 days or more before you travel
10% of the trip price
30 to 44 days before
25%
15 to 29 days before
50%
7 to 14 days before
75%
Less than 7 days before, or a no-show
100%
These are the main points. The full booking terms apply to every booking.
Ready to plan this trip?
Leave your name and number and we'll call you back. Tell us your dates, who's travelling, the hotel level you like and anything you'd like to add, and we'll send a written quote. There's nothing to pay until you're happy with it.
