Kashmir from Kolkata
Bengal has travelled to Kashmir for generations, often during the Puja holidays. Here is how the trip works today by air and by rail.
Flight
Usually via Delhi
By train
To Jammu Tawi, then Vande Bharat
Ideal length
6 to 8 nights
Busiest
Durga Puja holidays
The short answer
Most of the year, Kolkata to Srinagar means a connection through Delhi, about six to eight hours in total; check for seasonal direct flights on your dates. By rail, trains such as the Himgiri Express run from Kolkata to Jammu Tawi, and the Vande Bharat continues to Srinagar. Six to eight nights is the right length, and the Puja holidays in autumn are the peak.
Written by Shahid Parvez Khan, founder of Falcon Trails and a Kashmir guide since 2010 · last checked
Groups travelling together often prefer the train for cost and comfort with luggage. The Jammu–Srinagar Vande Bharat removes what used to be the hardest leg, the road through the mountains.
| Option | Route | Door to Srinagar |
|---|---|---|
| Flight via Delhi | Kolkata (CCU) to Delhi to Srinagar | 6 to 8 h with the connection |
| Direct flight | Seasonal on some dates | About 4 h, when running |
| Train | Himgiri Express (Howrah) or other trains to Jammu Tawi, then Vande Bharat | About 2 days |
We book flights on request and quote the live fare alongside the package, so you see the full cost before paying anything. We do not publish a flight-inclusive price because fares change every day.
The Durga Puja break, usually in late September or October, lines up with one of Kashmir’s best seasons: clear skies, autumn colour starting in the chinar trees and cool, dry weather. It is also when demand from Bengal peaks, so hotels and train berths go early. Book at least two months ahead.
Nights in October are cold, close to freezing in Gulmarg and Sonamarg. Pack a proper jacket and a woollen cap even if the days feel mild.
Itineraries that fit
Each is reshaped around your dates, flights and group, and quoted in writing before you pay.
All four of the Valley’s great names without rushing: Srinagar, a night in Gulmarg, two in Pahalgam, Sonamarg and the meadows of Doodhpathri.
Price
On request
quote on WhatsApp
Pahalgam and the quiet south: the Martand Sun Temple, the Mughal springs of Achabal, Kokernag and Verinag, and a night in the Daksum forest.
Price
On request
quote on WhatsApp
An unhurried week for children and grandparents: short drives, two nights in each base, a houseboat, Gulmarg, the Lidder valley and an easy day in the Doodhpathri meadows.
Price
On request
quote on WhatsApp
Questions
Only seasonally on some dates. Most of the year you connect through Delhi.
Trains such as the Himgiri Express run from Kolkata to Jammu Tawi. From Jammu Tawi, the Vande Bharat Express continues to Srinagar in about four and a half hours.
One of the best: clear skies, autumn colour and comfortable days. Nights are cold, so pack warm layers.
Hotels and a houseboat night in the category you choose, breakfast and dinner, a private cab for all transfers and sightseeing, airport pickup and drop, a shikara ride and one trip coordinator on WhatsApp. Flights, Gondola tickets and local union taxis are quoted separately.
Plan your Kashmir trip
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