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Srinagar is the largest city of the Kashmir Valley and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir in India, famous for Dal Lake with its houseboats and shikara boats, and for the terraced Mughal gardens along its shores. Set at about 1,600 metres among the Himalayan foothills, it has drawn travellers for centuries with its lakes, poplars and mountain views.
The Mughal emperors loved the valley: Shalimar Bagh and Nishat Bagh step down to the lake in fountains and lawns, while Pari Mahal looks over the water from the hills. The old city holds the wooden Jamia Masjid, Hazratbal Shrine stands on the north shore, and Shankaracharya Temple crowns the hill above the boulevard.
In spring the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden blooms in a sea of colour, and summer brings visitors to the cool meadows of Gulmarg and Sonamarg. Kashmiri cuisine, from wazwan feasts to salty noon chai, is part of every stay, and April to October is the main season.
Dal Lake in Srinagar is the city's best-loved sight, an urban lake with a shoreline of about 15.5 kilometres lined by Mughal gardens, houseboats and hotels. Visitors glide across it in painted shikara boats, past floating gardens and early-morning vegetable sellers on the water.
Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar was built in 1619 by the Mughal emperor Jahangir at the northeast end of Dal Lake and is seen as a high point of Mughal garden design. Its terraces, water channels and fountains lead up to a black stone pavilion, framed by chinar trees and mountains.
Nishat Bagh, the Garden of Joy, was laid out in 1633 by Asif Khan, brother of empress Nur Jahan, on the eastern shore of Dal Lake in Srinagar. The second-largest Mughal garden in the valley, it climbs in terraces toward the Zabarwan Range, with views across the lake.
The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in Srinagar, opened in 2007, is the largest tulip garden in Asia, covering about 30 hectares on terraces at the foot of the Zabarwan Range. For a few weeks each spring, usually from late March, its million-plus tulips burst into bloom.
Hazratbal Shrine stands on the northern shore of Dal Lake in Srinagar and is regarded by many as the holiest Muslim shrine in Kashmir. Its white marble dome and minaret shelter a relic believed to be a hair of the Prophet Muhammad, shown to the faithful on special days.
Jamia Masjid in Srinagar's old city at Nowhatta was commissioned by Sultan Sikandar in 1394 and completed in 1402. It is one of the most important mosques in Kashmir, with a vast courtyard and halls carried on hundreds of tall deodar wooden pillars, rebuilt after several fires.
Shankaracharya Temple sits on a hill of the Zabarwan Range about 300 metres above Srinagar and is considered the oldest temple in Kashmir. Dedicated to Shiva, the stone shrine is reached by road and a long flight of steps, and the top gives sweeping views over Dal Lake and the city.
Pari Mahal, the Palace of Fairies, is a seven-terraced garden built in the mid-1600s by the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh on the hills above Srinagar. Once a library and a place for the study of astronomy, its arched terraces offer some of the finest views over Dal Lake.
Nigeen Lake lies beside Hari Parbat on the west side of Srinagar and is joined to Dal Lake by a narrow channel. Ringed by willow and poplar trees, it is calmer than its famous neighbour, and many travellers choose its houseboats for peaceful shikara rides and sunsets.
Hari Parbat is a hill overlooking Srinagar crowned by a fort built in 1808 by Atta Mohammed Khan, governor for the Durrani Empire, within walls begun by the emperor Akbar in 1590. Its slopes hold a Hindu temple, mosques and a gurdwara, and the top looks out over the valley.
Gulmarg, the Meadow of Flowers, is a hill station about 50 kilometres west of Srinagar at around 2,650 metres in the Pir Panjal Range. In summer its meadows are full of walkers and riders, in winter it is India's best-known ski resort, and the Gulmarg Gondola climbs high toward Apharwat peak.
Sonamarg, the Meadow of Gold, lies about 80 kilometres northeast of Srinagar in the Sindh Valley, once a gateway on the old route to Ladakh and Tibet. Pine forests, glaciers and snowy peaks surround its meadows, and pony treks lead up toward the Thajiwas Glacier in summer.
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