The best time to visit Kashmir, by what you want to see

At a glance

Snow

December to February

Tulips

Late March to mid-April

High valleys

Late May or June to September

Driest weather

October

Fewer trip searches

July and August Google Trends India, not visitor counts

Coldest month

January

Pick by what you want

1. Snow: December to February

   January is the coldest month: on 1991–2020 averages Srinagar falls to −1.9°C at night and Gulmarg to −7.7°C. Searches for “kashmir snowfall” in India peak in January and December. In winter 2025–26 light snow reached Gulmarg’s peaks in early October, Kashmir Life reported, and the first major snowfall came around 21–22 December, but Srinagar had rain, not snow: the plains were still without snow on 9 January, IANS reported, until heavy snow on 23 January, according to Skymet. More in Kashmir in winter and Kashmir in December.

   

2. Tulips: late March to mid-April

   In 2026 the Tulip Garden opened on 16 March and peak bloom was expected from 1 to 8 April. See Srinagar Tulip Garden 2027, Kashmir in March and Kashmir in April.

   

3. High valleys: late May or June to September

   The road to Gurez is “usually most dependable from late May or June through September”, says Travel Coffee; it closed after snow in March and April 2026, Kashmir Life reported, and again on 15 October, ANI reported; later that day it reopened one way, from Bandipora to Gurez only, according to Kashmir News Service. See the Gurez guide.

   

4. Dry weather: October

   October is the driest month at Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam. Srinagar averages 21.8 mm and about 2 wet days, with 23.0°C days and 6.2°C nights.

   

5. Fewer trip searches: July and August

   Indian search interest in a “kashmir trip” is lowest in July and August, at about 40% of April’s peak, on Google Trends (India, 0–100 index) for 2021–2026. These are also Amarnath Yatra months: in 2026 the Yatra ran from 3 July to 28 August, and more than 4.8 lakh pilgrims made it via the Pahalgam and Baltal routes (Amarnath Yatra guide). Expect warm days, with Srinagar averaging 30.0°C in July, and cool nights in the hills. What July brings on the ground, from Yatra convoy rules to monsoon road closures, is in Kashmir in July.

   

Whichever goal you pick, the Go Kashmir app’s place cards show each place’s season and a 4-day forecast.

The year in numbers

Weather: WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 for the IMD Srinagar station, published by NOAA NCEI; wet days have at least 2.5 mm. Search interest: Google Trends, India, October 2021 to October 2026, the monthly average on a 0–100 scale relative to the peak week in that comparison. These are relative numbers, not search volumes.

Best-time questions

Sources

1. WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020, stations 42027 Srinagar, 42026 Gulmarg and 42028 Pahalgam, published by NOAA NCEI.
2. Google Trends, India, “kashmir trip” and “kashmir snowfall”, October 2021 to October 2026, pulled 22 Oct 2026.
3. News Arena, Kashmir valley braces for snowfall, 28 Dec 2025; Kashmir Life, Gulmarg’s first snowfall, 3 Oct 2025; Greater Kashmir (IANS), snowfall eludes the plains, 9 Jan 2026; Skymet, heavy snowfall in Kashmir, 23 Jan 2026.
4. Daily Excelsior, nearly 3 lakh visit the Tulip Garden, and Time Out, Srinagar Tulip Festival 2026.
5. Travel Coffee, Gurez Valley travel guide, 26 Jul 2026; Kashmir Life, Bandipora–Gurez road closed, 7 Mar 2026, and closed after fresh snowfall, 17 Apr 2026; ANI via Asianet Newsable, Gurez road closed, 15 Oct 2026; Kashmir News Service, Bandipora–Gurez road partially restored, 15 Oct 2026.
6. The Wire, tourist destinations shut under the July 2026 orders, 15 Jul 2026, and the Anantnag district administration’s list of closed destinations as on 07-07-2026 (PDF).
7. Free Press Journal, Amarnath Yatra 2026 concludes with over 4.8 lakh devotees, 28 Aug 2026, and National Herald, Amarnath Yatra 2026 concludes, 28 Aug 2026.

We write from published sources and do not claim personal visits. How we check facts.