By October, the Chinar trees along the Boulevard Road in Srinagar have turned. The largest ones — centuries old, their trunks four or five people wide — go first: a deep burgundy-red that makes the whole avenue look as if it is on fire. Then the smaller ones, in amber and gold. By mid-October, the lakeside is a painting that the Mughals, who planted many of these trees, would have recognised without difficulty.
Kashmir in autumn is the version of Kashmir most travellers never see, having been told to visit in spring for the tulip gardens or in summer to escape the heat. This is a mistake.
Dal Lake in October
The shikaras — the narrow, curtained wooden boats that ferry people across Dal Lake — are painted in fading colours: turquoise, vermillion, forest green. Hire one for the morning. The lake in October is low-season quiet: the lotus stems standing bare in the cold, the floating vegetable gardens still tended by farmers who have grown produce on the lake surface for generations, the wooden houseboats reflected in still water before the wind comes up.
The houseboat experience is at its best in October. The old colonial-era boats — some maintained by the same families for three generations — have carved walnut interiors and embroidered curtains that feel like a film set, except they are exactly how they have always been. Evenings on the deck with a kangri (the small firepot Kashmiris carry under their pherans) while the light fades over the Zabarwan mountains are very difficult to leave.
“If there is a paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this.” — Emperor Jahangir, written in his journals during his Kashmir court, 1620.
The Mughal Gardens: Designed for This Season
Shalimar Bagh, Nishat Bagh, Chashme Shahi — the three great Mughal gardens above Dal Lake were conceived with the autumn in mind. The terraced layouts, water channels descending between chinar-shaded lawns, and long sightlines toward the mountains were designed as ideal landscapes for the autumn court. In October, with the trees turned and the tourist buses gone, they are exactly that.
Nishat Bagh has twelve terraces and an extraordinary view across the lake toward the Pir Panjal mountains. Go at 8 a.m. before it fills with day visitors. The upper section, above most tourists’ stopping point, is worth the climb.
Gulmarg: Snow at the Top, Gold Below
An hour from Srinagar, Gulmarg sits in a bowl at 2,650 metres surrounded by Himalayan peaks. In October, the lower meadow is gold with dying grass and the birch trees along the streams have turned yellow. The Gulmarg Gondola — one of the world’s highest cable cars — ascends to 3,980 metres, where there may already be snow and the views on a clear day extend to Nanga Parbat at 8,126 metres.
Gulmarg in October is peaceful in a way that its busy winter ski season is not — mostly empty, horses grazing freely on the meadow, the air carrying smoke from small Gujjar settlement fires on the hillside.
Before You Go: The Practical Details
- Peak colour: Third and fourth weeks of October. Early November sees most leaves fallen; April to May brings spring flowers in a different register entirely.
- Getting there: Direct flights from Delhi to Srinagar take 1.5 hours. Book two weeks ahead in October shoulder season — flights fill when the weather is reliably good.
- Houseboat: October brings lower rates than summer and a less crowded lake. A well-maintained houseboat with all meals costs from ₹6,000–15,000 per night depending on category.
- Packing: October days are mild (15–20°C) but evenings drop to 4°C. A warm fleece and windproof shell are essential for Gulmarg and on the water at dawn.