Tulips in spring, meadows in summer, chinar gold in autumn, snow in winter. Kashmir is a different valley every season. Here's how to choose yours.
There is no single 'best' time to see Kashmir. There is only the Kashmir you want to see. The valley reinvents itself four times a year, and each version rewards a different kind of traveller. Here's how the seasons play out, so you can time your trip to the postcard you've got in your head.
Spring (March–May): tulips and blossom
Spring is Srinagar at its most photogenic. The Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden, the largest in Asia, opens for a few short weeks from late March, more than a million blooms set against the Zabarwan hills. Almond and cherry blossom come next, the Mughal gardens wake up, and Gulmarg and Pahalgam are green rather than white. The days are cool and easy; pack layers for the evenings.
Summer (June–August): meadows and cool air
When the plains of India are at their hottest, Kashmir is at its most comfortable. This is the season for Gulmarg's meadows and the world's highest gondola, for Pahalgam's Betaab and Aru valleys, and for a shikara drifting across Dal Lake at dusk. It's also peak season, so book your houseboat and hotels well ahead.
Autumn & winter: gold, then snow
Come October the chinar trees turn a deep russet-gold, quieter and cheaper and quietly spectacular. Then from December the valley goes white: Gulmarg becomes a proper ski destination and the frozen Dal is a scene from another world. If snow is the whole reason you're going, winter earns the chill.
Whichever season is calling you, our Kashmir itineraries are planned around it. Talk to us and we'll match the trip to the time of year.
