Srinagar in 2 Days on a Budget (Costs)
Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use.
Read this before you book a single day of this. Jammu and Kashmir is a security-sensitive, disputed region, and the 22 April 2025 attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, at Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam was followed by a brief India-Pakistan military escalation before a May 2025 ceasefire (verify current status). The US State Department currently advises against travel to J&K, excluding Ladakh, and the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to the region, naming Srinagar directly. Check your own government’s current advisory before planning this trip. The city is functioning and busy under heavy security; book with a registered operator, stay updated as your dates approach, and treat this as a well-planned, precaution-first weekend, not a same-week booking.
Two days covers the Dal Lake and Mughal gardens core on its own, no day trips, running roughly ₹2,500-4,000 a person per day on a guesthouse-and-shared-shikara budget. Want the old city and its shrines too? See the 3-day itinerary . Have a full week? The 7-day itinerary adds every day trip in this region.
Book These Before You Go
- A registered Dal Lake or Nigeen Lake houseboat , confirmed as registered before you pay a deposit
- A shared Dal Lake shikara or Mughal gardens tour if you’d rather lock in a price than haggle at the ghat
- Your India e-visa through the official portal only, filed well before you fly
- Confirmation that your driver or houseboat operator is registered, not a same-day tout
Day 1: Dal Lake and Your Houseboat
Arrive at Srinagar Airport (SXR) and head straight to your houseboat or guesthouse; check in, then get onto the water itself with a shikara ride, the official tariff runs ₹750-800 an hour, split across your group if you’re sharing. Ride past the floating gardens, Nehru Park island, and Char Chinar, and end the afternoon back on the Boulevard for a walk along the shore. Dinner is either on your houseboat, if it’s full-board, or at a Boulevard restaurant for a first taste of Rogan Josh.
| Day 1 cost (₹, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed (guesthouse / Dal Lake houseboat, full-board) | 800 | 3,000 |
| Breakfast | 50 | 0 (included) |
| Shared shikara (1hr, split) | 190 | 800 (private) |
| Lunch | 150 | 350 |
| Dinner | 250 | 0 (included) |
| Transit (airport to houseboat) | 100 | 300 |
| Day 1 total | 1,540 | 4,450 |
Day 2: The Mughal Gardens
Spend the morning on the garden circuit: Shalimar Bagh and Nishat Bagh, ₹20-30 each, both an easy auto-rickshaw hop from the Boulevard, then Chashme Shahi, the smallest and quickest of the three. If you’re visiting in the roughly three-week tulip bloom (late March through April), add the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, close by on the same hillside, for another ₹50-70. Afternoon is free for a return shikara ride or a last walk through the old city’s edge before your evening flight or an early Day 3 start.
| Day 2 cost (₹, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed | 800 | 3,000 |
| Breakfast | 50 | 0 (included) |
| Mughal garden tickets (2-3 gardens) | 75 | 75 |
| Tulip Garden (skip / in season) | 0 | 70 |
| Lunch | 150 | 350 |
| Dinner | 250 | 0 (included) |
| Transit between gardens | 150 | 300 |
| Day 2 total | 1,475 | 3,795 |
Getting Around on a 2-Day Trip
Everything on this route sits within a short shikara or auto-rickshaw ride of the Boulevard, so there’s no need for a full-day car hire on either day. Save that for a longer trip that adds Gulmarg or Sonamarg. See the main Srinagar guide for the season breakdown behind these garden hours, and the things to do guide for what else fits if you have a spare hour.
Confirm your houseboat is registered and your shikara fare agreed before you get in the boat; both save more money on this trip than any ticket price does.