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-Sulaiman (Throne of Solomon), it’s now named for Hindu sage Adi Shankara who visited here in AD 750, but signs date the octagonal structure as 5th century and the site is even older.
Access is by a winding 5.5km road from a checkpoint near Nehru Park (₹300 return by autorickshaw). Walking up is not recommended as there are bears living in the intermediate forest. The road ends at another checkpoint, where you must leave phones and cameras before climbing five minutes up a stairway to the temple and its panoramic views of Srinagar and Dal Lake.