Srinagar

Srinagar is a chilled‑out postcard that works only if you surrender the urge to catalogue every garden; the Mughal Gardens—Shalimar, Nishat and Chashma Shahi—are beautiful on paper but throng with weekend picnickers and spend most of the day in a haze of rose‑petal litter, so a sunrise visit is the only way to see any colour. Base yourself for two nights in a modest houseboat on Dal Lake or, for less humidity, the boutique rooms of The Lalit on the opposite shore; the nightly shikara rides are overrated unless you time them at sunset when the water turns amber and the boatmen actually smile. Early mornings are best spent walking the stone‑paved lanes of the old city to Hazratbal Mosque, then crossing the Jhelum to the Shankaracharya hill for a 5 am view that makes the whole valley look like a blue‑ink sketch. Sample a hot noon rogan josh at Ahdoos, then chase the dwindling market stalls of Lal Chowk for a genuine Kashmir shawl before the tourist crush of July‑August, which brings monsoon drizzle and swollen roads. Two days is honest; add a third if you want a day‑trip to the apple‑laden orchards of Gulmarg, but skip the “snow‑capped” photo ops in winter unless you enjoy sub‑zero shivers and limited transport. November to early March offers crisp air and clear skies, the only window when the Jhelum’s mirror‑like surface truly reflects the surrounding peaks.

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