More than almost anywhere else in India, the question is not whether to visit Kashmir but when. The valley delivers four genuinely distinct holidays, and picking the wrong one for what you want is the main way people come back mildly disappointed.
Spring — blossom and tulips
The almond and cherry orchards blossom, and Srinagar's tulip garden — Asia's largest — opens for a few weeks. The meadows are still brown at the start of the season and greening by the end. Snow remains on the higher slopes at Gulmarg, so you can have tulips in the morning and snow in the afternoon.
Best for: photographers, couples, anyone who wants both flowers and snow in the same trip.
Summer — the valley at its greenest
This is peak family season and the classic Kashmir of the photographs. The meadows at Pahalgam and Sonamarg are fully green, the Lidder is running high, and Srinagar sits in the mid-twenties while Delhi is unbearable.
It is also the busiest and most expensive window, and Gulmarg has no snow at base level. Book early — the good houseboats and hotels fill months ahead.
Best for: families, first-time visitors, anyone escaping the plains.
Autumn — chinar colour
Our own favourite, and the least crowded of the good seasons. The chinar trees turn deep red and gold, the air is crisp and startlingly clear, and the light is the best of the year. Saffron harvest happens around Pampore, and the Mughal Gardens are extraordinary.
Bring layers; mornings and evenings are genuinely cold even when afternoons are pleasant.
Best for: photographers, couples, travellers who dislike crowds.
Winter — deep snow
Gulmarg becomes a serious ski destination with reliable snow, and the gondola runs up into it. Srinagar gets cold enough that the Dal partially freezes in a hard winter, and houseboats run bukhari heaters through the night.
The caveat: roads to Gulmarg and Sonamarg close periodically after heavy snowfall, and Sonamarg is generally inaccessible for much of the deep winter. Build flexibility into the itinerary.
Best for: snow, skiing, and families whose children have never seen snow at all.
What we would tell a first-time visitor
If you want the Kashmir of the calendars, go in summer and book early. If you want the best photographs and the fewest people, go in autumn. If snow is the reason you are going, go in deep winter and accept that one day may be lost to a closed road.
Five nights is the right length — three in Srinagar with day trips, one at Pahalgam and one at Gulmarg. Our Kashmir Valley Classic is built on exactly that shape.