Our 9 days Kashmir trip itinerary with family

“Kashmir is not just a place, It is an emotion that everyone wants to experience!!!!”

“You have got Kashmir and Himalayas. You are the richest when it comes to natural beauty!” – While we were playing in the snow at Mount Titlis on our trip to Switzerland, our guide remarked vividly. Years later, I can now comprehend the statement completely. As I relive every moment of our 9 days trip to Kashmir. After hearing, reading and witnessing the beauty of Kashmir through books, media and our own parents, we waited for years to finally be able to experience this “heaven on earth”. There is for sure, that every Indian wants to visit this paradise at least once in his lifetime. We have compiled this complete guide for a trip to Kashmir that will help you plan your trip to Kashmir in a smooth, hassle free manner. And here we bring to you our 9 days Kashmir trip itinerary with family.

This Kashmir trip itinerary for family is based on the trip to Kashmir that we took with our family in April, 2022. It can vary for others based on their requirement. So, we will provide some alternate itineraries towards the end of the post. To get the details of how to make the hotel bookings in Kashmir, how to book a cab in Kashmir, where to stay in Kashmir, what to eat in Kashmir, how to go shopping in Kashmir and even general tourist scams in Kashmir, read our upcoming comprehensive Kashmir travel guide. Either you can follow this same itinerary on your own. Or, you can book your Kashmir trip via ekashmirtourism.com 

Day 1 : Arrival in Srinagar

We took a flight to Srinagar from Bangalore. It was a connecting flight. As there was no suitable budget direct flights from Bangalore to Srinagar operating at this point. We had a flight from Bangalore to Delhi and then another flight from Delhi to Srinagar. We reached Srinagar early in the morning, around 8:00am. The April-June time frame is peak tourist season in Kashmir. So, the influx of tourist is high. There was a huge queue at the airport exit, after navigating it we took a cab to our hotel, Walisons Hotel, Srinagar.

Related read : Is it safe to visit Kashmir now ?

Since we had a night flight, and we arrived early at our hotel, our rooms were not ready. So, we headed straight to the Tulip Gardens near Dal Lake. Since, the Tulips were in full bloom at this point, we didn’t want the chance to miss witnessing them in full bloom. We dropped our luggage at the hotel. And then requested the driver who dropped us from airport to hotel to take us to the Tulip Gardens. By 8:30am, we reached the gardens. There was no queue at the ticket counter and no rush inside.

We thoroughly enjoyed the gardens. And then by 10:00am, we headed back to the Tulip Garden parking lot. Where we had our late breakfast.

While visiting the Tulip Gardens of Kashmir, I couldn’t help but draw a comparison in my mind with the Keukenhof Tulip Gardens of Netherlands which I had visited on my trip to Europe, from Amsterdam. Each one has it’s own surreal beauty. And I couldn’t really tell which one is better than the other. So, I will say, visit both ! (I am always greedy when it comes to travel :D)

After spending considerable time witnessing the tulips and having some picture perfect instagram moments with them, we returned back to our hotel. This time, our rooms were ready. We shifted to the rooms to catch up on some much needed sleep. And retired to bed after an early dinner later.

Note: You can also arrive in Srinagar by road from Jammu. Jammu is well connected with rest of India through road and rail network.

Day 2 : Places to visit in Srinagar

Today, post breakfast, we started our exploration of Srinagar – our one day of sightseeing in Srinagar. From this day onwards we had booked a dedicated cab till the end of our journey.

The first site we visited was Pari Mahal. It is a beautiful garden around a 7 storied building. But the best part is the views of Srinagar, Dal Lake and the surrounding mountains that you get from the garden. Take a virtual tour of Pari Mahal with us in this vlog :

 

 

Next we headed to the Mughal Gardens of Srinagar. We visited Chash-me-Shahi Garden and Nishat Bagh. Although there are other gardens also in Srinagar including Shalimar Garden, after visiting 2 mughal gardens of Srinagar, we felt we had enough 🙂 . Since, all these gardens look alike beyond a point.

So, next around 4:00pm, we headed for Shikara ride. After much hassle and bargaining, we and the shikara owners came to an agreement. And finally we had a 2.5 hrs Shikara ride on the Dal Lake. Which included visiting all the famous spots around the lake, stopping for tea and snacks and finally visiting the shops on the bank of the Dal Lake.

 

Watch our vlog on our Dal Lake Shikara ride here.

Day 3 : Srinagar to Pahalgam Transfer

Today, post breakfast, we traveled from Srinagar to Pahalgam. We reached our hotel in Pahalgam, the Oswal Cottage, by afternoon. And had lunch. Post this, we enjoyed the beautiful sceneries around. And just relaxed. However, some of our friends headed to explore Bisaran Valley. It takes around 3 hours for the complete round trip. Although Bisaran Valley is only 6km from where we stayed. But the terrain is rough. And only accessible through a horse ride. Since we were with kids and moreover our younger one hates any animal interactions, so, we didn’t go. Although if you are not constrained like us, I will highly recommend visiting the Bisaran Valley. Because it is very beautiful.

Day 4: Pahalgam to Aru Valley, Betab Valley and Chandwari

Today we has another action packed day in our Kashmir trip itinerary with kids. As, we spent the day visiting Aru Valley, Betab Valley and Chandwari from Pahalgam. These are the most famous and beautiful valleys around Pahalgam. Which have completely different charms in different seasons.

 

 

When we arrived here in April, the spring was in full bloom and the valley was on the verse of welcoming summer. Green meadows spread in front of the snow clapped mountain peaks reminded me of some of the beautiful scenes we had encountered in Tuscany while doing day trips from Florence when we spent almost a week in Italy.

 

 

 

 

Day 5: Pahalgam to Gulmarg Transfer

Today, post breakfast, we started for Gulmarg from Pahalgam. Watch our road trip experience from Pahalgam to Gulmarg on this vlog. Actually, Gulmarg is the most famous ski resort destination in Asia and India. By the time we booked our accommodation, almost everything in Gulmarg was either full or exorbitantly charged. So, we booked our stay at Hotel Pineview in Tangmarg which is almost 10km before Gulmarg. Nevertheless, we reached here by noon.We had our lunch on the way. After reaching Tangmarg, our driver connected us with a guide who was going to accompany us to the Gondola ride.

The guide further took us to a shop where we hired shoes, jackets and bought gloves and caps for all of us to be used the next day. Also, we rented a vehicle to take us till the Gondola. Since our regular cab drivers prefered to return back to Srinagar. The shoes were to be packed and placed in the car the next morning. So, booking them in advance really saved our time.

Day 6: Gulmarg Gondola Ride

 

 

Finally arrived that day of our Kashmir Trip itinerary with family which the kids were waiting for since day 1 – the day of Gondola Ride in Gulmarg. Today, we woke up really early in the morning. And started around 8:00am from our hotel in Tangmarg for the Gulmarg Gondola point. We had pre-booked our Gondola ride online through this government site. Also, we had booked for both phase 1  and phase 2  . Since when we reached here, the snow in phase 1 had reduced a lot. After arriving at the parking for Gulmarg Gondola, we walked to the Gondola and reached there just in time, around 8:30am. Still there was already a huge winding queue. And it was only at 10:30 that we reached the Gondola cable car.

As we sat into the Gondola and started our journey up the mountains, I couldn’t help recall the same experience scaling the heights of Mount Titlis on a day trip from Lucerne with Aashi. Who was precisely the same age at that time as Ishi is now. And once we reached the top, we had a gala time playing in the snow. The memories are as fresh as if it happened yesterday. I guess that’s why we need to spend more on experiences and less on material things.

We reached phase 1 in around 10 mins. But we decided to go to Phase 2 first. Because this year, the summer started early and there was not much snow in phase 1 left. So we went to Phase 2. However, the weather soon turned our plans upside down. It started with a snowfall and then turned into a snow storm. I and my friend decided to return back to the Gondola station with the kids. As the temperature dropped to -5 degrees and the kids started to feel cold. However Abhishek and 2 other friends decided to take the plunge and enjoy snow activities.

Day 7: Gulmarg to Srinagar Transfer

After having a gala day at the Gulmarg Gondola, we started back for Srinagar from Gulmarg on the 7th day of our 9 days Kashmir Trip Itinerary with kids. We started post breakfast from our hotel in Tangmarg, Hotel Pineview. And reached our houseboat, Chicago Group of Houseboats in Srinagar by lunch time. Yes, today we were going to experience staying on a houseboat in Srinagar. The access to the houseboat was through a short Shikara ride from ghat no 9 on Dal Lake. After reaching the houseboat and dumping our luggage, we again took another shikara to return back to the main road for lunch. Since lunch was not provided on the Shikara. After having lunch, we just relaxed in our houseboat in Srinagar. And prepared for the next day when we planned to have a day trip .

Day 8: Srinagar to Doodhpathri day trip

On the second last day of our 9 days Kashmir trip itinerary with family, we embarked on a day trip to Doodhpathri from Srinagar. Although for the past 2-3 days we were having a tussle to select between Sonmarg and Doodhpathri.

Sonmarg is yet another winter destinations in Srinagar. It witnesses a lot of snowfall in the winters. So much so that you can only travel here with special chained vehicles that can navigate snow. However, the snow cover had reduced when we visited here in mid-April. But the temperature was still very low here.

 

 

Doodhpathri on the other hand is a lush green meadow. It was not that chilling cold, not that crowded and touristy also. So, finally we picked Doodhpathri over Sonmarg. And then had a wonderful day basking in the sun in one of the most beautiful valleys of Kashmir.

Day 9: Flight back from Srinagar

Finally came the day to say goodbye to Kashmir. We boarded our morning flight from Srinagar and embarked on our way back home. With memories of a lifetime. However, we want to come back to Kashmir. This time in the winter season. To witness the completely transformed landscape of Kashmir. And the winter wonderland that it is called. Hope that materialises soon.

Alternate Kashmir trip itinerary with family

The 9 days Kashmir trip itinerary with kids that we did was a really relaxed one. Since we were traveling with little kids, we didn’t want to overexert ourselves. But, if you are pressed by time on your Kashmir trip itinerary with family, or want to cover alternate things, here are some alternate Kashmir trip itinerary with family options for you. Some of these are aggressive on timelines, you can opt them when traveling solo, with friends or backpacking.

Kashmir Trip Itinerary Option 1 : 5 days trip to Srinagar, Pahalgam and Gulmarg

1. Arrive in Srinagar in the morning. Get an early checkin at your hotel if possible. If not, at least dump your luggage. And head to the Tulip Gardens. Spend couple of hours here. Have lunch. And post lunch take a Sikara ride on the Dal Lake. Stay near Dal Lake if possible.
2. Srinagar to Pahalgam day trip. Start early in the morning by 7:00am, reach Pahalgam by 9:30am. From here, take a day trip to explore Aru Valley, Betab Valley and Chandanwari. Return to Srinagar by 6:30 or 7:00pm in the evening
3. Srinagar to Gulmarg day trip. Today, go straight to the Gulmarg Gondola from Srinagar. Pre book the gondola ride tickets. Reach here by 10:00am. And then enjoy the snow activities in Gulmarg. For a complete detail of how to book the Gondola and how to enjoy your day in Gulmarg, read this post.
4. Do a day trip from Srinagar to Sonmarg today.
5. Spend half the day sightseeing in Srinagar. Visit some of the famous gardens, Pari Mahal and some other attractions. Post noon, checkout from your hotel and start back home.

While staying all 5 nights in Srinagar, you can spend a couple on a houseboat – a different kind of experience.

Kashmir Trip Itinerary Option 2 : 3 days visiting Pahalgam and Gulmarg

If you are really pressed by time, I will suggest, skip Srinagar. And head straight to Pahalgam and Gulmarg. Do a day trip to each of these from Srinagar. And then head back to your home on the third day. Of course, you will miss the Sikara ride on the Dal lake and the other attractions that Srinagar has got to offer. But then you have to make a choice when you are that limited by time.

Kashmir Trip Itinerary Option 3 : Srinagar, Pahalgam, Kargil and Ladakh

This is a very different itinerary than the rest two I proposed above. If you are visiting Kashmir in summer months, like June, there is not much of snow to enjoy. So, you can altogether avoid the snow destinations like Sonmarg or Gulmarg. Spend the first couple of days in Srinagar enjoying the local sites. And then do a day trip to Pahalgam from Srinagar on the third day. On the fourth day head to Kargil. And from there, embark on a trip to Ladakh for the next 5 days!! Making the most of your time in Kashmir. And combining two most exotic destinations of India into one single trip!!

 

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