Srinagar in 6 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, Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg directly. Check your own government’s current advisory before planning this trip, and verify Pahalgam town’s status and Baisaran meadow’s own reopening status separately, they are not the same question. Book with a registered operator, stay updated as your dates approach, and treat this as a well-planned, precaution-first trip.

Six days adds a Pahalgam day trip, the Lidder valley and the Betaab and Aru valleys, on top of the Gulmarg and Sonamarg days and the city core, running roughly ₹2,500-5,500 a person per day. Just Gulmarg and Sonamarg? See the 5-day itinerary . Have a full week? The 7-day itinerary closes with the dawn floating market.

Book These Before You Go

Day 1: Dal Lake and Your Houseboat

Arrive at Srinagar Airport (SXR), check into your houseboat or guesthouse, then get onto the water with a shikara ride, the official tariff runs ₹750-800 an hour, split across your group if you’re sharing. Pass the floating gardens and Char Chinar, then close with a Boulevard walk and dinner.

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

Shalimar Bagh and Nishat Bagh, ₹20-30 each, plus Chashme Shahi, the smallest and quickest. In the roughly three-week tulip bloom (late March through April), the Tulip Garden sits on the same hillside for another ₹50-70.

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

Day 3: Old City, Shrines, and Crafts

Shehr-e-Khaas’s heritage walk, Hazratbal Shrine’s outer courtyard, Jamia Masjid outside prayer times, and the Khanqah of Shah Hamdan, all free with modest dress and shoes off. Add Hari Parbat’s pilgrimage circuit (₹10-25) and the SPS Museum (₹10 Indian / ₹50 foreign), then shop the old city crafts, ring-testing any Pashmina and skipping Shahtoosh entirely, it’s illegal regardless of what a shop claims.

Day 3 cost (₹, per person) Low Higher
Bed 800 3,000
Breakfast 50 0 (included)
Hari Parbat circuit 15 25
SPS Museum 10 50
Lunch 150 350
Dinner (Wazwan splurge, low / higher) 250 900
Transit 100 200
Day 3 total 1,375 4,525

Day 4: Gulmarg Day Trip

Gulmarg sits roughly 50km and 1.5-2 hours away; hire a shared taxi and split the fare across your group. The Gondola runs ₹740-810 for Phase 1 to Kongdori, another ₹920-1,010 for Phase 2 to Apharwat, or ₹1,800 combined. Winter brings real skiing; summer brings meadows and a high-altitude golf course. Gulmarg has been reported fully open with more security since 2025, verify current status before you book.

Day 4 cost (₹, per person) Low Higher
Bed 800 3,000
Breakfast 50 0 (included)
Gondola (Phase 1 only / combined) 800 1,800
Shared taxi to Gulmarg, split (Low) / private (Higher) 400 800
Lunch at Gulmarg 200 400
Dinner back in Srinagar 250 0 (included)
Day 4 total 2,500 6,000

Day 5: Sonamarg and the Thajiwas Glacier

Sonamarg sits roughly 80km and 2.5 hours away, quieter and cheaper than Gulmarg without a gondola ticket. The Thajiwas Glacier is the main draw, along with the gateway toward Zojila Pass and Ladakh further on. Arrange a shared taxi through your houseboat or a registered travel desk.

Day 5 cost (₹, per person) Low Higher
Bed 800 3,000
Breakfast 50 0 (included)
Shared taxi to Sonamarg, split (Low) / private (Higher) 500 1,000
Lunch at Sonamarg 200 400
Dinner back in Srinagar 250 0 (included)
Day 5 total 1,800 4,400

Day 6: Pahalgam Day Trip

Pahalgam sits roughly 90km and 2.5-3 hours away, the Lidder valley and the Betaab and Aru valleys. This is also where the April 2025 attack happened, at Baisaran meadow just outside town, so verify Baisaran’s own current access status separately from Pahalgam town’s general status before you book anything that includes it. Arrange transport through a registered driver, and stay with the main valley roads rather than any isolated meadow whose status you haven’t confirmed that day.

Day 6 cost (₹, per person) Low Higher
Bed 800 3,000
Breakfast 50 0 (included)
Shared taxi to Pahalgam, split (Low) / private (Higher) 500 1,000
Lunch at Pahalgam 200 400
Dinner back in Srinagar 250 0 (included)
Day 6 total 1,800 4,400

Getting Around on a 6-Day Trip

Days 4, 5, and 6 each need a car; the same registered driver across all three often quotes a fairer combined rate than three separate one-off bookings, and knows your schedule well enough to flag any access change on a given day. See the day trips guide for the full comparison of these three, and the main Srinagar guide for the season and e-visa basics.

Verify Baisaran meadow’s status the morning of your Pahalgam day, not weeks ahead; access there has changed faster than the town’s own status since 2025.