Katra to Srinagar Kashmir Family Tour Package 6 Days & 5 Nights

The route is paced for families. Day 1 is a long drive of 7 to 8 hours, and so is Day 6 if you take the standard drop at Jammu. Every leg in between is 3 hours or less, and the last two nights are in the same Srinagar hotel, so the second half of the trip is the easy half. You get the Lidder River and Betaab or Aru in Pahalgam, a shikara ride and the Mughal Gardens in Srinagar, the meadow and Gondola station at Gulmarg, and the Thajiwas Glacier above Sonamarg. If you want more choice, compare all our Kashmir family tour packages or the Katra tour packages that start where you are.

Kashmir packages on TravelTriangle are rated 4.3/5 across 6,350 traveller reviews. TravelTriangle has served 14,112+ travellers for Kashmir through 650+ verified agents. Every day of this itinerary is customisable, you compare quotes from up to 3 agents before you pay, and you book with a small amount and pay the rest in easy installments. Price for October 2026: Rs 12,500 per person on twin sharing (was Rs 13,535). Hotel cost may vary with your dates and star category. Itinerary reviewed: October 2026.

Places Covered in This Katra to Srinagar Tour Package

• Pahalgam: the Lidder River, Mamleshwar Temple, and Betaab Valley or Aru Valley by local union taxi

• Srinagar: Dal Lake houseboat and shikara ride, Shankaracharya Temple, Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh and Chashme Shahi

• Gulmarg: the meadow, the golf course and the Gondola to Kongdori and Apharwat (optional)

• Sonamarg: Thajiwas Glacier by pony and the Sindh River, with Kheer Bhawani on the way

• En route: Pampore saffron fields, the Avantipur temple ruins and the cricket bat workshops of Sangam

Who Is This Package Ideal For?

• Families travelling after the Vaishno Devi Darshan who want Kashmir without going back to Jammu first

• First-time visitors to Kashmir

• Travellers with elders or small children looking for relaxed sightseeing and short drives after Day 1

• Those searching for Katra to Srinagar tour packages with family on a mid-range budget

Highlights

• A shikara ride on Dal Lake to Nehru Park, plus a night on a houseboat at Ghat No. 8

• Excursion to Betaab Valley or Aru Valley in Pahalgam (local union taxi, extra)

• Optional adventures like the Gondola and pony rides in Gulmarg

• Tour of famous Mughal Gardens and shopping in Srinagar

• Day trip to the meadows of Sonamarg and the Thajiwas Glacier

Katra to Srinagar: By Road or by Vande Bharat Train

The package runs by road, door to door from your Katra hotel. Since June 2025 there is also a train. The Vande Bharat Express 26401 now starts at Jammu Tawi, stops at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra at about 8:10 am and reaches Srinagar at 11:10 am, crossing the Chenab Bridge on the way. It runs every day except Tuesday. If your family would rather spend three hours on a train than seven in a car, ask the agent to start the cab from Srinagar station, and Day 1 becomes Srinagar with Pahalgam moved later in the trip. Our guide to trains to Kashmir lists the other services.

Katra to Kashmir 5 Nights 6 Days Itinerary (Day-wise)

Day 1: Katra to Pahalgam (About 260 km, 7 to 8 Hours)

Your Kashmir family tour starts in Katra. The agent's representative will meet you at your Katra hotel after breakfast and assist you in your transfer to Pahalgam. Leave by 7 am if you can. The road climbs past Udhampur and through the 9 km Chenani to Nashri tunnel, which bypasses the old Patnitop road, then drops to the Chenab at Ramban, a good place for a lunch stop. After Banihal and the Navyug tunnel you enter the valley at Qazigund and turn off at Anantnag for the last climb along the Lidder River. Once you reach, check-in to the hotel and freshen up. Evening is at leisure. Walk down to the river, or visit the small Mamleshwar Temple across the Lidder, about a kilometre from the main market. Dinner and the night are at the hotel.

Optional: leisure sightseeing in Pahalgam (charges extra).

Day 2: Pahalgam to Srinagar Houseboat (About 95 km, 2.5 to 3 Hours)

After breakfast, you can enjoy the morning at leisure. Pahalgam's side valleys are reached only in local union taxis, which you hire at the Pahalgam stand. In one morning you have time for one of them: Betaab Valley, about 20 to 30 minutes up the Chandanwari road, or Aru Valley, about 12 km in the other direction. Both reopened to visitors in 2025, while Baisaran and Chandanwari remain closed. You can also visit the amusement park by the Lidder River or go rafting at Yanner. Around noon you leave for Srinagar. On the way you pass the willow workshops of Sangam near Bijbehara, where Kashmir's cricket bats are made, then the 9th-century Avantipur temple ruins built by King Avantivarman, and finally the saffron fields of Pampore, which flower purple from late October to early November. Later, you will be transferred to your houseboat docked at the Dal Lake jetty. Check-in to the houseboat and relax, then take a shikara ride to Nehru Park. After the ride, come back to the houseboat for dinner and the night.

Optional: Betaab or Aru by union taxi, joy rides at the Lidder amusement park, rafting at Yanner (charges extra). For local cab rules see how to reach Pahalgam from Srinagar.

Day 3: Srinagar to Gulmarg (About 56 km, 1.5 Hours)

After breakfast you leave the houseboat for Gulmarg. The road runs west through Tangmarg and climbs through pine forest to the meadow at about 2,650 m. On arrival, check-in to the hotel and freshen up. The remainder of the day is at leisure. The big optional activity is the Gulmarg Gondola. Phase 1 goes up to Kongdori and Phase 2 continues to the upper station on Apharwat's shoulder, where snow lies for most of the year. Tickets are sold online only, about Rs 800 per person for Phase 1 and Rs 1,000 for Phase 2, so book them as soon as your dates are fixed (see our Gulmarg Gondola fares guide). You can also visit the Maharani Temple, walk the edge of the golf course, go bird watching or take a pony ride. From December to March skiing and sledging take over the slopes, and the last stretch from Tangmarg needs a chained vehicle. Dinner and the night are at the Gulmarg hotel.

Optional: Gondola, golf, nature walks, bird watching, pony rides, chained vehicle in snow (charges extra).

Day 4: Gulmarg to Srinagar | Shankaracharya Temple and the Mughal Gardens (About 50 km, 1.5 Hours)

Post breakfast, check-out from the Gulmarg hotel and proceed to Srinagar. You can take an excursion directly to the Shankaracharya Hill Temple before proceeding for check-in to the Srinagar hotel. The temple sits on the highest hill in the city, around 240 steps above the car park, and the view of the whole Dal Lake from the top is worth it. Elders who would rather skip the climb can wait at the base. Phones and cameras are not allowed beyond the security check at the base, so leave them in the car. After visiting the temple, complete check-in formalities at the hotel and relax. In the evening, you can visit the Mughal Gardens along the Boulevard before they close around sunset. Two gardens fit comfortably after the drive and the temple: Nishat Bagh with its 12 terraces and Shalimar Bagh. Chashme Shahi with its spring water and Pari Mahal just above it are each a short drive away, so add them if you reach Srinagar early or the children still have energy. From late March to mid-April, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden opens next door. Once you have enjoyed the day, return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay. More ideas are in our Srinagar travel guide.

Day 5: Sonamarg Day Trip from Srinagar (About 80 km Each Way)

Next in your Kashmir itinerary is a day's excursion to Sonamarg, the meadow of gold, following a filling breakfast at the hotel in Srinagar. The road follows the Sindh River through Ganderbal and Kangan, about 2 to 2.5 hours each way, and you can stop at the Kheer Bhawani temple at Tulmulla on the way. On arrival, you can head for a pony ride to the Thajiwas Glacier, about 3 km from the main meadow, where there is snow to play in through most of the summer. Pony rates are fixed by the local association, so agree the price and route before you mount. Families who would rather stay lower can walk along the Sindh or stop at Manasbal Lake on the way back for a short boat ride. In the evening, you will be taken back to the hotel in Srinagar for dinner and overnight stay.

Optional: pony ride to Thajiwas Glacier, boating at Manasbal, temple visits (charges extra).

Day 6: Departure | Drop at Jammu Tawi, Katra or Srinagar Airport

After breakfast you check out of the hotel. Your drop is the one you chose at booking. The standard drop is Jammu Tawi Railway Station, about 265 km and 7 to 8 hours away on NH 44 through the Navyug and Chenani to Nashri tunnels, so leave Srinagar by 7 am and book a train that departs in the evening. If you asked for a drop at Katra, the drive is about 250 km and 6 to 8 hours. Flying home? Srinagar Airport is only about 15 km from the city, and the outer-gate car check means you should reach 2.5 to 3 hours before departure. Landslides can close the Jammu highway for a day in winter and monsoon, which is why families with an onward train or flight from Jammu should keep a few hours of buffer, or take the Vande Bharat back from Srinagar at 2 pm.

Hotels, Night Split and Meal Plan

Note: Our agents will provide you these or similar hotels depending on availability. The price shown is for 2-star hotels and a standard houseboat. Pick 3, 4 or 5 star in the price box and the agents quote the same route at that category.

Breakfast on Day 6 is the last included meal.

Katra to Srinagar Tour Package Price (2026)

The October 2026 price is Rs 12,500 per person on twin sharing, down from Rs 13,535, with 2-star hotels and a standard houseboat. Prices go up in the snow weeks of late December and January and in the April to June peak, and a child sharing your bed or an extra mattress is priced separately in the quote. What catches families out is the on-ground spending. For a family of four on twin sharing, the package comes to Rs 50,000 before extras, plus about Rs 7,200 if all four ride both Gondola phases. The quote also names the car, so give your exact head count when you ask. A sedan such as a Dzire suits 2 to 3 people with luggage, an Innova suits 4 to 6, and a Tempo Traveller suits groups of 7 to 12. Here is a realistic extras budget per person.

Add a Night in Katra for the Vaishno Devi Darshan

The darshan is not part of this package, but most families booking it come straight from the Bhawan. If you arrive in Katra on the day of your yatra, ask the agent to add one night in Katra before Day 1, and the Kashmir pick-up the next morning is from the same hotel. The trek is about 12 to 13 km from Banganga to the Bhawan via Ardhkuwari. The helicopter from Katra to Sanjichhat cuts most of it. The Shrine Board fare is Rs 2,700 one way from 1 November 2026 (up from Rs 2,320), booked on maavaishnodevi.org. Battery cars run on the Ardhkuwari to Bhawan track, and a ropeway links the Bhawan to Bhairon temple. Every pilgrim needs an RFID yatra card, issued at Katra. Timings and fees are in our Vaishno Devi guide. For a trip built around the temple alone, see the Vaishno Devi tour from Katra or all Vaishno Devi tour packages.

Inclusions and Exclusions

Know Before You Go

• Prepaid SIM cards from outside Jammu and Kashmir do not work in the valley. Carry a postpaid connection.

• Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Sonamarg run on local union taxis and ponies. Your package cab drops you in town, and local rides are hired there.

• Gondola tickets are online only, and Phase 2 sells out first. Book once your dates are fixed.

• Carry a government photo ID for every adult. Hotels, houseboats and checkpoints ask for it.

• Pack warm layers even in June. Evenings in Pahalgam and Gulmarg drop below 10°C, and from December to February below freezing.

For month-by-month weather, see the best time to visit Kashmir, and for snow dates, snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir.

Payment Policy

You pay a small booking amount to confirm the trip, and pay the rest in installments as guided by your travel agent. Before you pay anything, you see quotes from up to 3 verified agents and can change the hotel category, the drop point, or add a night in Katra.

How It Works

• Personalise this package. Make changes as per your travel plan and submit the request.

• Get multiple quotes. Connect with top 3 agents, compare quotes and customise further.

• Book the best deal. Pay in easy installments and get ready to enjoy your holiday.

Inclusions, distances and on-ground costs on this page are checked by our Kashmir desk against the agent rate card, the J&K Cable Car Corporation fares and the Northern Railway timetable.

More Kashmir Trips for Families

Starting from Jammu instead, with the darshan built in? The Jammu, Katra, Srinagar, Pahalgam and Gulmarg tour covers 6 nights 7 days. Families from Mumbai who want a single booking can look at the Kashmir with Vaishno Devi tour from Mumbai. Couples should see the 5 nights 6 days Kashmir honeymoon package. Every family trip, including winter departures, is listed under Kashmir family packages, and all durations are on Kashmir tour packages. Planning a day out near Katra first? Read about the hill stations near Katra and our tips for a Vaishno Devi trip with family. For places, food and weather, the Kashmir travel guide has the detail.

Edited by TravelTriangle