If you want Christmas or New Year in Kashmir this year, the honest answer is: Gulmarg is where your best chance of snow is, Srinagar is where the houseboats and the lake are, and the week of 24 December to 1 January is the one week of winter when waiting costs you. On 23 October 2026 we posted a reel with one message for winter travellers: don't wait until the last moment. Book at least a month ahead, because the best hotels go first, the houseboats with good views sell out early, and Gulmarg Gondola tickets can sell out quickly. For the Christmas and New Year week, a month ahead means booking in November.
Watch it on our Instagram: why to book your Kashmir winter trip at least a month early (23 October 2026)
Christmas and New Year in Kashmir at a glance
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Will there be snow? | Not guaranteed. Gulmarg's heights are the best bet. Srinagar city may get snow, rain or just cold, clear days. |
| When does peak week start? | Chillai Kalan, the coldest 40 days, starts on 21 December. The rush runs from about 24 December to 1 January. |
| What sells out first? | Gulmarg rooms, lake-view houseboats and Gondola tickets, the three things our reel names. |
| How early to book? | At least a month before, so November for Christmas week. Earlier if you want a specific hotel or houseboat. |
| Our prices (2026) | Packages from ₹12,999 per person (Srinagar 4D/3N, 2 sharing). Private cab from ₹2,500 a day (Etios) or ₹3,500 a day (Innova Crysta), tolls and parking included. 20% advance to confirm. |
Where the snow usually is in the last week of December
Nobody can promise you snow on 25 December or 31 December, and we won't. What the last two winters show is that late December is when the snow tends to arrive, not that it's always there.
- December 2024: the season's first snow came on 27 December, across Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Pahalgam and Srinagar city, and turned heavy the next day. Flights were cancelled and the Jammu-Srinagar highway closed.
- December 2025: a long dry spell broke on 21 December, the first day of Chillai Kalan. Gulmarg got snow, Srinagar got rain, and the snow spots filled up for Christmas and New Year.
So plan the trip around places, not a forecast. Gulmarg sits highest of the easy-to-reach spots and is the most likely to be white. Sonamarg is reachable in winter through the Z-Morh tunnel, though the road beyond can stay shut. Pahalgam is cold and often snowy, but the drive depends on the road that day, and Baisaran is closed until the end of 2026, so don't plan around it. Srinagar is your base: Dal Lake, the houseboat, a shikara on a still, cold morning.
The full month, with temperatures and what's open, is in our Kashmir in December guide. The cold itself, and how to dress for it, is in our Chillai Kalan 2026 post.
What to book now, in this order
1. Your Gulmarg room
If you want to wake up in Gulmarg on Christmas morning or New Year's Day, this is the booking that runs out first. A night up there also gets you to the Gondola for an early slot instead of driving up from Srinagar and joining the queue. Our Gulmarg tour package (4D/3N from ₹16,999 per person, 2 sharing) is built around that night.
2. Gulmarg Gondola tickets
On 17 October we posted a Gondola update. Its message: tickets were already selling out, so book as early as you can. It also mentioned that the Gondola closes on some Mondays, so check the official Gondola booking site (etickets.jammukashmircablecar.com) for closure dates before you fix your Gulmarg day.
Watch it on our Instagram: Gulmarg Gondola update: tickets selling out (17 October 2026)
A day later we posted a second reel for January travellers: Phase 2 may close because of strong wind or fresh snow, and ticket rates change, so check the official site before you go. That's why we put Gulmarg in the middle of a trip, never on the last day. If Phase 2 shuts on your first try, you still have a day to go back.
Watch it on our Instagram: save this before visiting Gulmarg: Gondola tickets and Phase 2 closures (18 October 2026)
Book only on the official J&K Cable Car Corporation site, etickets.jammukashmircablecar.com, and don't pay anyone at the base who offers a "confirmed ticket". Our Gulmarg Gondola booking guide walks you through it.
3. A houseboat with a view
Our reel says it straight: the houseboats with the best views sell out early. A New Year's Eve on a houseboat on Dal Lake is what a lot of couples ask us for, and it's the room type with the least spare stock that week. Tell us when you book if you want a lake-facing room. How to choose one is in our houseboat price guide.
4. Your cab
One private car with you for the whole trip is easier in snow than hopping between local taxis. Ours is ₹2,500 a day for an Etios or Dzire and ₹3,500 a day for an Innova Crysta, tolls and parking included. Families of four or more with winter luggage should take the Crysta. In Gulmarg in snow, the last stretch can need chains or a union 4x4 from Tangmarg, which is a local cost paid there, not part of our fare. Details on our Kashmir cab service page.
What to expect from 24 December to 1 January
- Crowds at the snow points. Gulmarg and Sonamarg are busiest in this window. Leave Srinagar early.
- Cold that catches people out. Srinagar nights go below zero in Chillai Kalan. Bring thermals, a proper jacket, gloves and waterproof shoes. Ask about heating when you pick a hotel or houseboat, and dress for the shikara and the Gondola queue, which are outdoors.
- Weather delays. Heavy snow can shut the highway and cancel flights for a day, as it did in December 2024. Keep a spare day before your flight home and don't book a tight onward connection out of Srinagar.
- Short days. It gets dark early. We plan sightseeing for the morning and early afternoon and keep the drives out of the night.
- A quiet New Year's Eve, mostly. Kashmir isn't a party destination. For most of our guests New Year's Eve means a warm dinner in the hotel or on the houseboat with family. If you want a particular dinner or a small celebration arranged, tell us when you book and we'll tell you honestly what your hotel can do.
How we'd plan a Christmas or New Year trip
For a 4 or 5 day trip in that week, we'd land you in Srinagar and put you on a houseboat the first night, take you to Gulmarg on day 2 (ideally with a night there), keep day 3 as a second Gulmarg chance or a Sonamarg day depending on the road, and finish with a slow Srinagar morning before the flight. Pahalgam goes in only if the road is good that week. The full shape is in our 4-day Kashmir itinerary, and the winter options are on our Kashmir winter tour package page.
Packages start from ₹12,999 per person for Srinagar 4D/3N, ₹16,999 for Gulmarg 4D/3N and ₹19,999 for Pahalgam 5D/4N (2026, two sharing). Those are "from" prices; for Christmas and New Year week your dates and hotel decide the final quote, so send them to us first. You confirm with a 20% advance and pay the rest after you arrive. More on what's in each in our winter packages 2026 guide, and the reasons we push early booking in why we tell guests to book winter packages early.
FAQ
Is it a good idea to spend New Year in Kashmir?
Yes, if you want snow, cold and a quiet celebration rather than a party. Book a month ahead and keep a spare day for weather.
Will there be snow in Kashmir on Christmas?
It can't be promised. Gulmarg gives you the best chance. In 2024 the first snow came on 27 December; in 2025 it came on 21 December.
Is the Gulmarg Gondola open on 31 December and 1 January?
It usually runs in winter, but Phase 2 can close for wind or fresh snow, and it can be closed on some Mondays. Check the official Gondola booking site for your date before you go, and book early.
Plan your Christmas or New Year trip with us
Send us your dates, how many of you are coming and if you'd like a night in Gulmarg, and we'll send one plan with one price. Call or WhatsApp 7006085655 (call), or call 9596044418. You can also comment "KASHMIR" on our winter reel and we'll DM you our winter itinerary and package prices. We're a Srinagar agency at Pantha Chowk, registered with J&K Tourism (JKEA00005366).
Photo: Gulmarg road in December by Mutahir Showkat, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.
