Kashmir travel guide: What to do and where to eat, drink and stay in the Switzerland of India

The default backdrop for every cosy Bollywood romance of the 80s, the snowy vales and kaleidoscopic flowerscapes of Kashmir are every bit as cinematic as the silver screen promises. Whether you experience it in a state of full bloom come spring/summer, or bear witness to its ensorcelling winter beauty, there’s always magic to partake of in Kashmir.

Where To Stay

Starting at the capital always bodes well; and the arresting scapes of Srinagar have plenty of wonderful places you could temporarily call home. There’s the Vivanta Dal View, Srinagar, decadent in its sprawling Kralsangri hill estate and wintertime views of the snow-tipped peaks of the Zabarwan range, best enjoyed over private dinners or over kahwa at the tea lounge. The LaLiT Grand Palace, Srinagar, is also deliciously opulent, ensconced as it is by the glimmering lake and the Himalayas. Their restaurant, The Chinar, is famously considered one of the foremost in Kashmir.

If you’re after something more authentically Kashmiri, Mascot Houseboats make for a great change of pace. Moored near the clear waters of Nageen Lake, these old-school houseboats give you a five-star experience–on the water. You can get boats that go up to five bedrooms, so it's fairly large-family friendly.

When you move to Gulmarg, The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa should factor high on your list of bases–for its magnificent setting (8,825 feet above sea level in the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas), Spa by L’Occitane and golf course (the world’s highest).

The Heevan Retreat Gulmarg has the kind of cosiness you’d associate with cabins in the frosty climes of Kashmir. The primo location also gives you quick access to the Gondola rides, pro ski slopes, and myriad nature trails; for when you’re not sipping saffron-laced kahwa at their tea lounge, Samavar.

Where To Eat and Drink

To call the state a veritable smorgasbord for the meat lover would not be an understatement. While the best discoveries are often found on foot by the side of forgotten roads, with downtown bakeries making fresh sheermal or baqerkhayn, or family-run dhabas doling out piquant yakhni and goashtaba. To not partake of the local fare is criminal, but there are several restaurants that’ll do you a nice sit-down as well. In Gulmarg, the Nedous Dining Room is an icon, with the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Jinnah and Mountbatten planning history-making moves over a hot, wooden-log Bukhari. The Hunter’s Bar, part of the same hotel, is ideal for a post-dinner whisky. Also, bookmark the Igloo Café–built entirely of snow–for an Insta-worthy evening that makes it to the grid. When in Srinagar, prepare yourself for options–butter chicken by the boulevard at Stream, Tabak Maz at the famous Ahdoo’s Restaurant, Chicken Tawook at Ground Zero Grill & Café, yakhni at Linz Café, and roast duck at Lhasa all warrant repeats. For a coffee, try the sun-dappled wooden interiors of Books & Bricks Cafe, but if you’re team tea, the stunning pastel and pop-hued Chai Jaai is a must-visit.

Where To Shop

Gulmarg certainly has a round-up of interesting shops–think Faiz Shawls, Shahab Textiles for authentic outfits and fabrics, and Ladakh Art Palace for its handicrafts and jewellery–but Srinagar is the holy grail of shopping in Kashmir. Famous for pashminas, spices, carpets and walnut wood, the local markets are a salmagundi of touristy takebacks. We’d suggest Saklain's Coterie for essential oils and handmade soaps, M Sadiq & Sons for papier-mâché crafts, Amin-Bin-Khalik for dry fruit, Suffering Moses for wooden carvings, spices and Kahwa at Kashmir Store, and Woodfort for walnut furniture.

What To Do

The sublime state really is a land for all seasons. If you’re going in the spring or summer, activities abound. You could take a shikara ride in Dal or Manasbal lake, play a round at The Gulmarg Golf Club, go Short Lidder River Rafting at Pahalgam, take a heritage walk through Old Srinagar, or make a day trip to the Floating Post Office or Strawberry Valley. In the fall or winter, the city is blanketed in white, making it ideal for a ‘Gondola’ cable car ride (the Kongdoori to Apharwat Peak route is lovely), skiing in Gulmarg and snowboarding in Sonamarg or Pahalgam. Never a dull moment.

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