Places to visit in Srinagar in a day

Although there are many beautiful places to visit in Srinagar. But if you have one day to explore Srinagar, we recommend the following places to visit in Srinagar.

Table of Contents

Indiranagar Tulip Gardens of Kashmir

If you are visiting Srinagar in the later part of March or in April then you can visit the Tulip Gardens of Kashmir. These are Asia’s largest Tulip Gardens. With the backdrop of majestic mountains, the colourful rows of Tulips in the garden really present a very magical and refreshing scene. When visiting the Tulip Gardens of Kashmir, try to reach there as early in the morning as possible. We visited in the morning around 8:00am. There was no crowd at all in the gardens. So, we really enjoyed spending the first couple of hours of the day here. Here’s our post on our visit to the Tulip Gardens of Kashmir.

Time required : 2 hours

After visiting the Tulip Gardens you can have your breakfast in the parking lot where there are several small shops and restaurants.

Pari Mahal

Another beautiful place, not very far from the Tulip Gardens of Kashmir is Pari Mahal. It is a multi storeyed garden built around a structure. A guide told us that in ancient times, this used to be a school where kids were taught. It is located a top a hill. And from there you get a birds eye view of the whole of Srinagar. You can also see the expanses of the Dal Lake against the backdrop of several mountain ranges. Which looks very beautiful. And makes for a perfect picture spot. Thus, we mentioned the Pari Mahal next on our list of places to visit in Srinagar in a day.

Time required : 2 hours

Mughal Gardens of Srinagar

A visit to Srinagar cannot be complete without visiting the different beautiful, manicured Mughal Gardens of Srinagar. Which are loaded with beautiful flowers and absolutely shooting greenery, particularly in the months of March – July.

Some of these Mughal Gardens that you can visit include:

Chashme Shahi

Built around a “Chashma” or “Water fountain” this garden is famous for its clean water fountain. The water is considered fit for drinking. In fact, it is said that Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, used to drink water from here. This garden is the first among the mughal gardens on our list of places to visit in Srinagar. Given, it is at a very short distance from Pari Mahal, a mere 5-7 minutes drive.

Time required : 1 hour

Shalimar Bagh

From Chashme Shahi, head to yet another beautiful mughal garden in Kashmir – Shalimar Bagh. This garden has vast expanses of lush green fields where you can actually sit and relax. While you can let your kids to run around.

While on the way to Shalimar Bagh from Chashme Shahi, there are also several restaurants. So, you can opt to have lunch either while going to Shalimar Bagh or while returning from there.

Time required : 45 minutes to 1 hour

Nishat Bagh

Yet another beautiful mughal garden, located overlooking the Dal Lake is Nishat Bagh. You can have a place for Nishat Bagh on your list of places to visit in Srinagar, after Shalimar Bagh. Since, it is located right opposite the Dal Lake. After exploring the other gardens, you can come here. And find a corner to sit and relax, either in the shade of one of the numerous trees in the garden. Or, near the entrance where you can get uninterrupted beautiful views of the Dal Lake.

Time required : 45 minutes to 1 hour

Dal Lake Shikara Ride

By the time you are done with exploring the Mughal Gardens of Kashmir, it will be around 4:30pm to 5;00pm. It is the perfect time to take a Shikara ride on the Dal Lake in Srinagar. Definitely, a Shikara ride is a one of the most unique experiences that you can get in India or anywhere else in the world. A shikara is a light weight boat with a shade in which there is seating on one side and a comfortable lounge area on the other where you can actually lay down. It floats on the calm waters of the Dal Lake so smoothly that it can put anyone to sleep 🙂 . Given it is such a relaxing experience, it is definitely something you should reserve for the end of the day.

Want to know all the details related to how to hire a Shikara, what will be the cost, how much time is required etc. etc. Read our comprehensive guide on Shikara ride on Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir. It will help you save yourself from tourist scans and pay exorbitant prices for the shikara ride.

Here’s our complete post with all the information about a Shikara Ride on Dal Lake. Including the pricing, bargaining that you need to do, scams that you need to avoid etc etc.

While doing the Shikara Ride, you can also enjoy snacks, fruit platters and shopping of antiques and other such stuff. As other Shikaras approach you with all the stuff. Also, you will get to stop at the floating market on Dal Lake. Wherein the shops are loaded with all kind of beautiful Kashmiri shawls, bed covers, dress materials and craft items.

The Shikara ride on Dal Lake can go on anywhere between 2-4 hours. After the Shikara Ride, you can head for dinner.

Dinner

Last but not the least, don’t forget to end your day with a lavish dinner before you head back to your accommodation to relax. While on our own 9 days trip to Kashmir, we stayed in a hotel opposite to Ghat No 2 of Dal Lake. The hotel was Walisons Hotel, Srinagar. Right opposite Gate No 2, the main road on either side is dotted with several nice restaurants. We explored a few of them while we were there. And no matter where it was a “dhaba” or a top notch restaurant, we were never disappointed with the food. Depending on where you are staying, you can have dinner on your way back from the Shikara to the hotel. With that, we come to the end of our one day in Srinagar exploring several places to visit in Srinagar.

Tips and useful information on places to visit in Srinagar

The Tulip Gardens are open from Mid March to almost the third week of April. You can check for the latest info on the Tulip Gardens before planning your trip.
Entry fee to all the Mughal Gardens & Pari Mahal is INR 24/- for adults and INR 12/- for kids. There is no rush. You can get the tickets on the spot from the ticket counter on the entry to the gardens.
If it is a sunny day, you will need to wear light cloths. And even carry an umbrella for extra protection from the sun. But do carry some jackets for later in the evening when you will need them.
There are public conveniences available in each of the Gardens and also most of the restaurants. And they are mostly clean.
You can either book a cab for the day or you can take a package tour in which you can get the one day of sightseeing around Srinagar included.
Most of the above mentioned places are located within a radius of 10km. So, you will not be spending much time commuting between them.
Here’s our complete guide to book your trip to Kashmir on your own. Like we did for ourselves.

Where to stay in Srinagar

The area near Dal Lake is perfect to stay in Srinagar for a few days. We stayed at Walisons Hotel, Srinagar near Ghat No 2 of Dal Lake. The hotel was perfectly located, with Dal Lake, grocery and medicine shops and several restaurants at walking distance. The area was quiet abuzz till late at night. Also, the last 2 nights of our trip to Srinagar, we stayed in a houseboat – Chicago Group of Houseboats. It was a wonderful and unique experience staying in a houseboat on Dal Lake in Srinagar. If you are looking to book a stay in Srinagar, you can browse this list here from our travel partner booking.com.

Avoid staying in very remote or non touristy areas when in Srinagar. If you are wondering how safe it is to stay in Kashmir, read this article. And also learn about the general precautions and measures that you should exert while visiting Kashmir.

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