Must-see attractions in Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley

  • Morning view of Dal Lake

    Dal Lake

    Srinagar

    Over 15km around, Dal Lake is Srinagar's jewel, a vast sheet of water reflecting the carved wooden balconies of the houseboats and the misty peaks of the…

  • SRINAGAR, KASHMIR, JAMMU & KASHMIR, INDIA - 2013/06/01: The Shah Hamdan Mosque, or Shrine, is situated on the right bank of the Jhelum River, is dedicated to the memory of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamdani, a Muslim saint from Hamadan, Persia. It is an excellent example of indigenous wooden architecture that draws influence from Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic architecture. Constructed by San Sikandar and dedicated to the memory of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamdani, a Muslim saint from Hamadan, Persia, this mosque also serves as a khanqah.  (Photo by Jeremy Horner/LightRocket via Getty Images)

    Khanqah Shah-i-Hamadan

    Srinagar

    This distinctively spired 1730s Muslim pilgrim hall is Srinagar’s most beautiful mosque. It was constructed without any nails, and both frontage and…

  • Nishat Bagh

    Srinagar

    Of all Srinagar's Mughal gardens, Nishat Bagh is arguably the most appealing, with beautiful water features that frame a lovely lake panorama. It's on…

  • Thajiwas Valley

    Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley

    Five fingers of glacier descend from a fine array of Alpine peaks in the parallel valley behind Sonamarg. The scene is best appreciated from a small…

  • Hari Parbat Fort

    Srinagar

    On the strategically and spiritually significant Koh-e-Maran hill, north of the city centre, is this powerful qila (fort), which dates to the 6th century…

  • Shankaracharya Mandir

    Srinagar

    On top of thickly forested Shankaracharya Hill, this small Shiva temple is built from hefty blocks of ancient grey stone. Previously known as Takht-i…

  • Naranag Shiva temple ruins

    Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley

    Naranag has two enigmatic 8th-century Shiva temple ruins in a beautiful valley setting that gives one the impression of having stumbled across a great…

  • Mattan Sun Temple

    Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley

    The impressive ruins of this 8th-century Sun Temple built by King Lalitaditya sit in peaceful, well-tended gardens on a hill above Mattan. The site feels…

  • Jama Masjid

    Srinagar

    Looking like the movie set for an imagined Central Asian castle, this mighty 1672 mosque (built on an earlier 1394 construction) forms a quadrangle around…

  • Hazratbal Mosque

    Srinagar

    Backing onto Dal Lake north of the Old City, this large, white-domed 20th-century mosque enshrines Kashmir’s holiest Islamic relic, the Moi-e-Muqqadas,…

  • Badshah Tomb

    Srinagar

    Looking more Byzantine than Kashmiri, the multidomed 15th-century brick tomb of King Zeinalabdin’s mother was built on the plinth of a much older former…

  • Awantipora

    Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley

    Beside the Srinagar–Jammu highway in Awantipora, 30km south of Srinagar, lies the chunky ruins of the 9th-century Avantiswamin Temple. The stone blocks…

  • Char-i-Sharif

    Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley

    This sprawling hilltop pilgrimage town celebrates Kashmir’s ‘patron saint’ Sheikh Nuraddin-Wali (1377–1438). His shrine is covered by a vast new mosque…

  • Rozabal

    Srinagar

    At the north end of the triangular patch of grass near the Sufi shrine of Pir Dastgir Sahib is a small, green shrine known as Rozabal. A highly…

  • Makhdoom Sahib Shrine

    Srinagar

    On the southern flank of Hari Parbat, the large and ornately carved Makhdoom Sahib Shrine is dedicated to the Qadri-order Sufi saint who helped the spread…

  • Bund

    Srinagar

    A few colonial-era half-timbered buildings remain along the northern towpath of the Jhelum River. The most splendid example is the former British…

  • Pather Mosque

    Srinagar

    Unlike most typical Kashmiri wooden spired mosques, Pather Masjid is a heavy Mughal stone structure, built by Nur Jahan in 1623. The road-facing side is…

  • Floating Vegetable Market

    Srinagar

    In the maze of channels at the edge of Dal Lake, the dawn vegetable market is a photogenic sight, even if vendors flogging souvenirs and saffron can…

  • Badamvaer Gardens

    Srinagar

    Created in the 16th century, then planted with almond (badam) trees in 1876, this quiet orchard garden fell apart during Kashmir's 1990s troubles but has…

  • Amarnath Holy Cave

    Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley

    Amarnath's natural stone lingam becomes opalescently encrusted with ice and is believed to wax and wane with the phases of the moon. Seen as symbolising…

  • Sri Pratap Singh Museum

    Srinagar

    It's worth visiting this richly endowed historical museum for its fine 7th-century Buddhist statues, Mughal paper mache work, 4th-century tiles from the…

  • First Row Houseboats

    Srinagar

    For guests, the first-row houseboats can prove noisy and lacking in privacy. However, as an attraction they collectively form Srinagar's signature image.

  • Kathi Darwaza

    Srinagar

    This stone gateway, directly north of the white-domed Chetipacha Gurdwara, is part of one of the last remnant sections of Srinagar's late 16th-century…

  • Tulip Garden

    Srinagar

    Crowds throng Asia’s biggest Tulip Garden, just behind the Botanical Garden, during March and April. Its long, straight rows of blooming tulips (60…

  • Mosque of Akhund Mullah Shah

    Srinagar

    Built in 1649 by Shah Jahan's son Dara Shikoh for his spiritual mentor, the mosque of Akhund Mullah Shah is only a chunky stone shell set amid plane trees…

  • Pari Mahal

    Srinagar

    Pari Mahal (literally 'Palace of the Fairies') is a 17th-century former Sufi centre built by the eldest son of Shah Jahan. The terraced lawns and arched…

  • Shalimar Bagh

    Srinagar

    Built for Nur Jahan by her husband, Jehangir, Shalimar Bagh is the most famous of Srinagar's Mughal gardens, but it can get very busy. It's 10km beyond…

  • Achabal Mughal Gardens

    Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley

    This partly tree-shaded garden with its series of central fountain pools was said to be the favourite of Mughal Queen Nur Jahan, who commissioned it…

  • Cheshmashahi Garden

    Srinagar

    En route to Pari Mahal you'll pass the small Cheshmashahi Garden, folded amid the wooded mountain foothills. Its central feature is a square fountain pool…

  • Aishmuqam

    Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley

    This vast, hillside shrine complex is devoted to 15th-century sufi holy man, Zainalabddin Wali. The humid main shrine, accessed by 272 steps, is inside a…

  • Pir Dastgir Sahib

    Srinagar

    This large, popular Sufi shrine was ravaged by fire in 2012 but the colourful paper mache interior work for which it was renowned has been restored. The…

  • Naqshband Sahib

    Srinagar

    This beautifully proportioned if uncoloured 17th-century shrine was built in Himachal Pradesh style, with alternating layers of wood and brick to…

  • Botanical Garden

    Srinagar

    Less formal and not quite as busy as many of the older Mughal gardens, the Botanical Gardens have some well-maintained lawns and a wide variety of tree…

  • Naagar-Nagar Interpretation Centre

    Srinagar

    Beside the Makhdoom Ropeway, this empty hall has a few boards explaining the Mughal history of the Hari Parbat ('Naagar-Nagar') walled city.

  • Mirzabagh Veg Boat Dock

    Srinagar

    Much of Srinagar's fresh produce is brought in from 'floating gardens' and landed at this tiny dock, making for photogenic scenes.

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