DAL LAKE
The urban lake, is integral to tourism and recreation in Kashmir and is named the “Jewel in the crown of Kashmir” or “Srinagar's Jewel”. The lake is also an important source for commercial operations in fishing and water plant harvesting. The canopied Shikara's sailing on the lake are one of the major attractions of Dal Lake. The houseboats on the lake are also the top attraction as the best accommodation option in Srinagar to the tourists. The Dal Lake is regarded as paradise for aquatic sports and skiing. The length of the lake is 7.44 kilometers (4.62 mi) with a width of 3.5 kilometers (2.2 mi). The lake has a basin having shore length of 15.5 kilometers (9.6 mi) and roads run all along the periphery.
CHAR CHINAR
This mesmerizing island has been named after the magnificent Chinar trees that have been positioned at its 4 corners. Built by the brother of emperor Aurangzeb, Murad Baksh, today, this island is considered among the most scenic places to see in Srinagar. Char Chinar, also sometimes called Char Chinari, Ropa Lank, is an island in Dal Lake, Srinagar. It can only be visited by Shikara or Boats.It is one of the famous Srinagar tourist places. Char Chinar is one of the most beautiful islands on the periphery of Dal Lake.
SHANKARACHARYA TEMPLE
The splendid temple of Shankaracharya, dedicated to Lord Shiva is an ancient Hindu shrine on the Zabarwan mountain in the scenic city of Srinagar. The temple is at a height of 1,000 feet (300 m) above the valley floor and overlooks the city of Srinagar. Almost all Tourists visit the Shankaracharya Temple during their visit at Srinagar. The temple has around 243 steps that allow the pilgrims to visit the shrine and offer their prayers in the temple. In this region, the great saint Adi Shankaracharya composed his well-known spiritual text 'Saundarya Lahiri'.
Visiting Timings:
Opens from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm every day.
PARI MAHAL
Pari Mahal or The Angels' Abode is a seven terraced garden located at the top of Zabarwan mountain range over-looking city of Srinagar and south-west of Dal Lake The architecture depicts an example of Islamic architecture and patronage of art during the reign of the then Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The place looks straight out of a fairy tale and has good reasons to justify its title. It was also used as an observatory, and for teaching astrology and astronomy. The gardens have since become the property of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir.
Visiting Timings:
Opens from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm every day.
CHASHME SHAHI
Primarily famous for its natural spring, Chashme Shahi Garden is part of the Mughal Gardens, and is a must-see in Srinagar. The natural spring in this top attraction in Srinagar catches the eyes every tourists. Chashme Shahi or Chashma i Shahi (the royal spring), is one of the Mughal gardens built in 1632 AD around a spring by Ali Mardan Khan, a governor of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as per the orders of the Emperor, as a gift for his eldest son Prince Dara Shikoh. The garden is located in the Zabarwan Range, near Raj Bhawan (Governor's house) overlooking Dal Lake in Srinagar.
Visiting Timings:
Opens from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm every day.
BOTANICAL GARDEN
The Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Garden is a botanical garden in Srinagar, which was established in 1969. It was created in memory of India's first prime minister. Situated around the base of a hill overlooking Dal Lake. It contains many types of plants and vegetation. This garden has a collection of about 150,00 ornamental plants and a huge collection of oak varieties.
Visiting Timings:
Opens from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm every day.
TULIP GARDEN
Dubbed the largest tulip garden in Asia, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden is one of the must-visit places in Srinagar that sits at the foothills of Zabarwan Mountain. A seven-terraced garden is known for its 48 varieties of tulip flowers which not only interest the adult members of the family but the kids too. Tulips bloom from the end of March until Mid-May. However, the flowers are at their best in mid-April. Therefore, it is the best time to visit Kashmir and attend the Tulip Festival to discover different kinds of tulips.
Visiting Timings:
Opens from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm every day.
NISHAT BAGH
Nishat Bagh 'The Garden of Delight' , is a terraced Mughal garden built on the eastern side of the Dal Lake, close to Srinagar in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is the second largest Mughal garden in the Kashmir Valley. The largest in size is the Shalimar Bagh, which is also located on the bank of the Dal Lake. It has a beautiful water channel flowing through the middle, which further adds to the romantic charm of the garden. Nishat Bagh is famous for its 12 terraces decorated with beautiful flowers like roses and lilies with each terrace representing a zodiac sign.
Visiting Timings:
Opens from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm every day.
SHALIMAR BAGH
Shalimar Bagh is a Mughal garden in Srinagar, linked through a channel to the northeast of Dal Lake. It is also known as Farah Baksh, and Faiz Baksh. The Shalimar Bagh is well known for chini khanas, or arched niches, behind garden waterfalls. They are a unique feature in the Bagh. These niches were lighted at night with oil lamps, which gave a fairy tale appearance to the water falls.
Visiting Timings:
Opens from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm every day.
DACHIGAM NATIONAL PARK
The name literally stands for 'ten villages', which could be in memory of the ten villages that were relocated in order to create the park. Dachigam was initially established to ensure the supply of clean drinking water to Srinagar city. A protected area since 1910, it was declared as a national park in 1981. Dachigam National Park, located 22 km from Srinagar, is popular as the home of the rare and critically endangered Hangul or Kashmir stag. It is the highest elevated national park in India. Its topography varies from 5,500 to 14,000 ft above sea level and is divided into two sections known as the Upper and Lower Dachigam sectors because of its wide range of topography.
HAZRATBAL SHRINE
The Hazratbal Shrine popularly called Dargah Sharif ("the Holy Shrine"), is a Muslim shrine located in Hazratbal locality of Srinagar. It contains a relic, Moi-e-Muqqadas, which is widely believed to be the hair of the Islamic prophet Muhammad ﷺ. It is situated on the northern bank of the Dal Lake in Srinagar, and is considered to be Kashmir's holiest Muslim shrine.
The name of the shrine is a combination of the Arabic word hazrat ( 'respected') and the Kashmiri word bal ('place').
NIGEEN LAKE
The Nigeen lake is surrounded by a large number of willow and poplar trees. Hence, it has come to be referred as a “nageena”, which means “the jewel in the ring”. The word “nigeen” is a local variant of the same word. The lake is located adjacent to the Hari Parbat hillock, to the west of the Dal lake. The Nigeen basin is regarded as paradise for aquatic sports and skiing. It is the deepest of all basins of Dal lake with maximum depth of 6.2 meters.
BADAMWARI
Badamwari Park is a park in Srinagar. It is known for the early bloom of almond flowers in the sprawling historic Badamwari garden in Shahr-e-Khaas has become a source of attraction for nature lovers and tourists, alike. Situated on foothills of Koh-e-Maran, the 300 kanals garden was dotted with trees, flowers and cascades providing a soothing experience to the visitors. Historians maintain there was no record to suggest who laid the garden but they say it existed even before the rule of Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin in the 14th century. A well covered dome in the garden is named after an Afghan ruler, Warris Shah. The bloom on the Almond trees heralded the spring. the garden was revived and formally thrown open for public in 2008.
HARI PARBAT FORT
Hari Parbat is also known as Kooh-e-Maran lies on the west of Dal Lake in Srinagar. This Mughal structure was built by an Afghan Governor Atta Mohammed Khan in 18th century. Later a long wall was constructed in 1590 by Emperor Akbar. It was a part of his plan to make a new capital at the site where the present city of Srinagar is located. To reach the top of the hari parbat one had to climb as much as 150 stairs.
DOWNTOWN, SRINAGAR
Downtown, popularly known as Shahar-e-Khaas, is the largest and the most densely populated area of the city of Srinagar. The area is mostly located on the banks of Jhelum river about five km (3.1 mi) from city center. The area is considered as the core point in the city as the first inhabitants of the Srinagar lived there. The Jamia Masjid, Srinagar and many other shrines are located here, which makes it the central spiritual, religious, political and moral center of whole Kashmir.
The historical buildings and monuments found in the area reflect the design of old times. The residential homes are depicted to be constructed from late-19th century to early-20th century. Many key monuments like Jamia Masjid, Khanqah-e-Moula, Maharaj Gunj and shrines have been built by famous rulers of Kashmir.