Srinagar & the Kashmir Valley
More upmarket than the rest of Aru's guesthouses but still with a family feel, the Milky Way has a pleasant lawn, carpeted hallways and a good-value dining room with framed views of Katrinag peaks. Manager Bilal runs a trekking agency.
The cottage rooms (double ₹3200) come with a sunny sitting area. Avoid the cell-like single rooms without bathroom (₹800).
24.04 MILES
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…
26.15 MILES
This distinctively spired 1730s Muslim pilgrim hall is Srinagar’s most beautiful mosque. It was constructed without any nails, and both frontage and…
22.18 MILES
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…
13.26 MILES
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…
25.68 MILES
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…
24.12 MILES
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…
24.38 MILES
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…
24 MILES
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…
13.26 MILES
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…
15.59 MILES
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…
16.21 MILES
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…
18.52 MILES
Beside the Srinagar–Jammu highway in Awantipora, 30km south of Srinagar, lies the chunky ruins of the 9th-century Avantiswamin Temple. The stone blocks…
21.62 MILES
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…
21.94 MILES
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…
22.13 MILES
Crowds throng Asia’s biggest Tulip Garden, just behind the Botanical Garden, during March and April. Its long, straight rows of blooming tulips (60…
22.18 MILES
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…