The sheer beauty and grandeur of the Kashmir Valley cannot be captured in plain words. Set at the foot of the awesome Himalayas, with the splendid Jhelum river meandering through it, this land of raw natural magnificence has enticed people from all over the world, for centuries. Aptly referred to as Paradise, Kashmir has been ruled by Emperor Ashoka, the Kushans, Gonondas, Guptas, Karkotas, Mughals, Afghans, Sikhs, and finally by the Dogras in the 19th century. Despite all these invasions, the Kashmiris have retained their traditions and innate simplicity. The major chunk of the population is Muslim, followed by Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians.

Kashmir is a land crisscrossed by umpteen lakes and rivers, each fascinating in its own way. The Jhelum or Vitasta, as it was called, is not only the bloodline, as it were, of the state, but also poses as the ethereal inspiration for many songs, legends, and poems. The other notable lakes include the Manasbal Lake, the Liddar river, the famous Dal lake, Nagin Lake and the Wular Lake, the largest in the state. Shalimar, Nasim Bagh, Nishat Bagh, and the legendary Chashme - e - Shahi are some of the delightful gardens, that are to be found here.

Apart from its being the land of soaring snowclad mountains, sparkling waterfalls, shikaras (water taxis), impressive chinar trees, and vast fields of vibrant flowers, Kashmir is also renown for its unique handicrafts - papier-mache, woodwork, stone jewellery, fine Pashmina and Shahtush shawls, carpet weaving and silverware. The arts and crafts of this region are more than 500 years old, and bear a distinct Persian imprint. The valley is studded with several mosques and temples, built in diverse architectural styles. The Hazratbal Mosque, the holiest of all Muslim shrines, the stone temples of Avantipur, the cave at Amarnath, the most sacred Hindu shrine in the state, the great Shankaracharya temple, the Martand Temple all add to the kaleidoscopic appeal of Kashmir. 

Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir and its very heart; Gulmarg, the snow haven; idyllic Pahalgam; Sonmarg, the golden meadow; Kokernag, Dachigam Wildlife Sanctuary, Yusmarg and Daksum are some of the chief attractions of the valley.

Dal Lake 
Dal Lake is a scenic picnic spot surrounded by forests of pine. It is a good base for trekkers. A colorful annual fair is held here every September. 

Mughal Gardens 
Visit the Mughal Gardens, the Chashme Shahi (Royal Spring), Nishat Bagh(Pleasure Garden) and Shalimar Bagh(The Abode of Love). 

Shikara Ride 
Shikara is a Gondola type light rowing boat. The two hour boat ride takes tourists on a relaxing sightseeing tour of interior parts of the calm and placid waters of Dal Lake, to see the market and the floating Gardens. 

Sonmarg 
Sonmarg is 80 km north-east of Srinagar and at an altitude of 2743 m. Popularly known as the 'Meadow of Gold' this place is strewn with the loveliest of alpine flowers and surrounded by mountains mantled in fir and pine. Glaciers pour down from the Himalayas almost on to the site of camping at Sonamarg.This golden meadow, one of the smallest resorts in Kashmir gets its name 'Son' meaning golden, from the bloom of yellow crocuses that fill this valley in the Spring. A gushing river is the highlight of this meadow, flowing down from snowy heights into the dense woodlands of firs and silver birches. Glaciers pour down this stream from the Himalayas on to the many camping sites in Sonmarg. 

Gulmarg 
Gulmarg boasts of the highest Golf Course in the world. If the weather is clear, one can have a spectacular view of the towering mountains including Nanga Parbat (26624 ft.) and other peaks and also a panoramic view of the Kashmir Valley. 

Pahalgam 
Pahalgam is 98 kms from Srinagar and enroute one can visit the impressive ruin of stone temple of Martund built by King Avanti Varman between AD 855 and 933 and dedicated to Vishnu, one of the gods of the Hindu trinity. The next stop is Mattan Temple, a small Lingam (Shiva Symbol) stands in the sparkling spring. Also visit Achbal Gardens. 

Wular Lake 
Wular Lake is the largest fresh water lake in Asia and measures 24 kms across and surrounded by towering mountains. The jade green water of the Wular Lake swirl gently around a curious bubbling spring in the middle of the lake. There is a small picturesque island that was once the pleasure resort of a great king of Kashmir, Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin. 

Yusmarg 
Yusmarg is a small meadow set in the heart of mountains to the south-west of Srinagar, at a distance of 47 km. It is an ideal picnic spot and the Nilnag Lake can be visited from here. One can also see the Hari Parbat Fort, Jama Masjid, walk in the old bazaar and over one of the seven old Bridges on river Jhelum and view from outside, the shrine in honour of Shah Hamdan. 

Dachigam
Dachigam was at one time the exclusive hunting preserve of the Maharaja of Kashmir. It contains the last viable hangul population, related to the red deer of Europe, with a white rump patch and impressive spread of antlers. There are some 20 other mammal species including the snow leopard and over 150 species of fauna. Game-viewing is possible through the year. 

Shiv Ratri 
The 13th day of dark fortnight in Phagan is celebrated as Shiv Ratri. During this time house cleaning is done. Money and fish are sent to married daughters. On the 13th day the head of the family performs the puja of Shiva on night following a feast on the 14th day. 

Sont(Sankrant) 
A basket of unhusked rice, with a bread, a rupee, a pen-case, a cup of curds, a few walnuts, a crumb of cooked rice and some flowers, are kept overnight and seen the first thing in the morning by the inmates of the house just on opening their eyes from sleep. Each picks up one or two walnuts which are dropped in the river after bathing. 

Naureh Mavas 
A fair is held at Vichar Nag, a northern suburb of Srinagar on the 15th day of dark fortnight of Chet. 

Baisakhi 
A fair is held at Gupta Ganga near the Nishat Bagh on the first day on the month Baisakh. 

Durga Ashtami 
A fair is held at Khir Bhawani (Tula Mulah) on the 8th day of the bright fortnight of Chet. 

Ram Navami 
A fair is held at Hari Parbat and at Raghu Nath Temple on the 9th day of bright fortnight of Chet. 

Vetal Shasti 
A fair is held at the different shrines of Vetals in Srinagar on the 6th day of dark fortnight in Baisakh. 

Achhen Trai 
A fair is held at Kothar, a village in Tehsil Anantnag on the 3rd day of bright fortnight of Baisakh. 

Ganesh Choudas 
A fair is held at the Ganesh Ghat in Srinagar on the 14th day of bright fortnight of Baisakh. 

Ganga Ashtami or Sharda Ashtami 
A fair is held at Harmukata Ganga where ashes of those who have died during the past twelve months are carried and thrown into the lake there after performing the Shraddha. Another fair is held at Ganga Jatan (Pratapsinghpora) where a bath is taken by the pilgrims in the water oozing out from a precipice there. In leap years the fairs are not held at Harmukata Ganga and Ganga Jatan, but at Sharda and then it is called Sharada Ashtami. 

By air: Indian Airlines has regular flights from Srinagar to Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Delhi, Jammu and Leh.

By rail: The nearest railhead is Jammu Tawi, which is connected to all parts of the country by Express trains.

By road: Srinagar, located on the National Highway 1A, is connected by a network of roads to Jammu, Leh, Kargil, Gulmarg, Manasbal, Pahalgam, Delhi, Sonmarg and Pathankot.