A vendor selling fruit from a shikara in the floating market on Dal Lake, Srinagar

Destination · India

Corporate offsite in Kashmir: Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg

Dal Lake houseboats, Mughal gardens, a gondola to the snow line and a convention centre on the lake shore, with non-stops from eight Indian cities. ICE India plans each programme with its nearest team and vetted local suppliers.

Plan an event in Kashmir
Getting there
Srinagar airport, 12 km from the city, with non-stops from eight Indian cities; Vande Bharat rail via Katra and Jammu
Best months
April to October for the valleys; December to March for snow at Gulmarg
Suits
Leadership retreats and conferences of 50 to 300; the convention centre takes more
Delivery
Planned by ICE India's nearest team, with vetted local suppliers on the ground

Why companies consider Kashmir

  • Under two hours from Delhi

    Srinagar has non-stop flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Amritsar, and a rail link from Jammu and Katra.

  • A convention centre and new hotels

    The Sher-i-Kashmir centre on Dal Lake and a 212-room Radisson Collection opened in 2023 give Srinagar real conference capacity.

  • Distinct settings

    A houseboat dinner, a Mughal garden walk and a ski gondola in one programme, each within a few hours of Srinagar.

  • Snow in winter

    Gulmarg gives a snow-led incentive format from December to March, with a gondola above 3,000 metres.

  • Spring and autumn colour

    Tulips in the Srinagar garden in March and April, chinar leaves in October and November.

  • Hotels at several levels

    Taj, LaLiT, Radisson Collection, Sarovar and ITC properties in Srinagar, with resorts at Gulmarg and Pahalgam.

Kashmir for corporate groups

Srinagar is the base for most programmes and the only part of Kashmir with large meeting space. Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg are each one to three hours away, and each suits a different kind of group: Gulmarg for snow-led incentive days, Pahalgam for quiet leadership retreats, Sonamarg for a day among the glaciers.

ICE India plans Kashmir programmes with a single point of contact, end to end, and a site visit before contracts are signed.

A group flying into the north can add Amritsar on the way.

Where to go in Kashmir

Four places, each with its own setting and its own hotels.

A woman rowing a shikara past houseboats and water plants on Dal Lake, Srinagar

Dal Lake, houseboats and the gardens

Srinagar

Dal Lake covers about 18 square kilometres and is edged by a boulevard of hotels, houseboats and the Mughal gardens. Shalimar Bagh and Nishat Bagh were laid out in the reign of Jahangir, and both make good venues for a guided morning or a seated evening.

The lake is the programme.

Shikara rides at sunset, dinner on a houseboat, a visit to the floating vegetable market at dawn and a stop at the shore-side craft bazaars take a group of 100 through a lakeside day without a coach.

Srinagar also has the conference venues: the convention centre on the Dal Lake shore and the ballrooms of the lake-view hotels.

The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden opens for a few weeks from March and is closed from November, so it suits a spring programme only.

Selected corporate venues in Srinagar
HotelAreaRoomsEvent venuesLargest indoor venue (sq ft, theatre)
Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC)Dal Lake shoreNonePlenary hall, conference and banquet hallsPlenary hall: about 650 seats
Radisson Collection Hotel & Spa RiverfrontJhelum riverfront2125Mumtaz ballroom: about 7,000 sq ft, 400
The LaLiT Grand Palace SrinagarDal Lake1133, plus 40,000 sq ft gardensDurbar Hall: 2,000 sq ft, about 180
Taj Dal ViewKralsangri hill, Dal Lake1033Aftab: about 2,410 sq ft, 130
Sarovar Premiere SrinagarSrinagar831Habba Khatoon: 2,520 sq ft, 120
Fortune Resort HeevanSrinagar394, indoor and outdoorCafe Chinar: 1,800 sq ft, 60
Four Points by Sheraton SrinagarSrinagarAbout 521Meeting room: about 1,110 sq ft
Two gondola cabins above snow slopes at Gulmarg, Kashmir, with visitors on the snow below

The gondola and the snow

Gulmarg

Gulmarg is a high meadow at 2,650 metres. Its gondola runs in two phases: Phase 1 climbs to Kongdoori at about 3,050 metres, and Phase 2 continues to Apharwat at about 3,980 metres.

Tickets are slot-based and Phase 2 needs a Phase 1 ticket, so slots are booked for the whole group well ahead, particularly in December to February and May to June. Phase 2 closes in high wind or heavy snow, and every plan carries an indoor fallback for those days.

The snow meadow works for sledging, skiing for those who want it, and snow-day team challenges. In summer the same meadow is green, with horse rides, short walks and golf. Gulmarg hotels are smaller than Srinagar's, which makes it better for a day trip or a leadership group of up to about 100 than for a full conference.

Selected corporate venues in Gulmarg
HotelAreaRoomsEvent venuesLargest indoor venue (sq ft, theatre)
The Khyber Himalayan Resort & SpaNear the gondola855, plus lawn and amphitheatreHouse of Sapphire 1 and 2: about 3,530 sq ft, 300
Grand Mumtaz ResortsNear the gondola792Nishat: up to 140 guests
Forested valley with a river running through it near Pahalgam, Kashmir

River valleys and quieter retreats

Pahalgam

Pahalgam sits at 2,200 metres on the Lidder river. Pine forest, meadows and the river itself make it the calmer choice for a small leadership retreat, with day visits to Aru Valley and Betaab Valley. Hotels here suit groups of up to about 150.

The Amarnath Yatra window, early July to late August, brings heavy traffic and hotel demand, so programmes are best planned outside it.

Selected corporate venues in Pahalgam
HotelAreaRoomsEvent venuesLargest indoor venue (sq ft, theatre)
Welcomhotel Pine-n-Peak (ITC)Pahalgam691 banquet hallBanquet hall: about 120 to 130
Hotel HeevanAru RoadAbout 481, plus lawnsBanquet hall: about 1,500 sq ft, 150
Snow peaks above the green meadow at Thajiwas Glacier, Sonamarg

Thajiwas Glacier and the high meadows

Sonamarg

Sonamarg, at 2,730 metres, is a day trip rather than a base: it has little meeting space. Thajiwas Glacier, above the village, is the usual stop, by pony or on foot across the meadow. Heavy snow can close the road in midwinter, so it fits best between late spring and autumn.

Selected corporate venues in Sonamarg
HotelAreaRoomsEvent venuesLargest indoor venue (sq ft, theatre)
Hotel Glacier HeightsSonamarg36Conference facilitiesNot available
Pine Spring ResortSonamargNot availableConference space and a meeting roomConference space: about 3,000 sq ft

Flights to Srinagar from the main Indian cities

Srinagar is the gateway for all four places. There is no through train from Delhi yet, so rail means two legs: Delhi to Katra or Jammu, then the Vande Bharat on. Cities without a non-stop route fly via Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru.

Reaching the Kashmir places
CityAirportNon-stop flightsRail and road
SrinagarSrinagar (SXR), 12 km from the cityDelhi (about 1h 40m), Mumbai (about 2h 45m), Hyderabad (about 2h 50m), Kolkata (about 3h), Bengaluru (about 3h 30m), plus Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Amritsar and Jammu; none from Chennai or PuneKatra to Srinagar by Vande Bharat about 3h; Delhi to Katra by Vande Bharat about 8h 20m
GulmargSrinagar (SXR), about 50 km awayAs SrinagarSrinagar by road 1.5 to 2h
PahalgamSrinagar (SXR), 90 to 95 km awayAs SrinagarSrinagar by road about 2 to 3h
SonamargSrinagar (SXR), about 80 km awayAs SrinagarSrinagar by road about 2 to 3h

Convention centre

Srinagar has one purpose-built convention centre, on the Dal Lake shore.

  • The Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre on the shore of Dal Lake, Srinagar

    Srinagar

    Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC)

    On the lake shore, it held the third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in May 2023, with 61 delegates from 29 countries. The plenary hall seats about 650, with banquet and conference halls alongside.

    • Plenary hall: about 650 seats

Where to base the programme

Srinagar suits most groups; the hill resorts suit smaller retreats and day programmes.

  • Srinagar and Dal Lake

    Convention centre, large ballrooms and lake-view hotels for conferences of 100 to 400.

    • Radisson Collection Hotel & Spa Riverfront
    • The LaLiT Grand Palace Srinagar
    • Taj Dal View

  • Gulmarg

    Small resorts beside the gondola for snow-led leadership groups and incentive days.

    • The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa
    • Grand Mumtaz Resorts

  • Pahalgam

    River-valley hotels for retreats of up to about 150.

    • Welcomhotel Pine-n-Peak
    • Hotel Heevan

What groups do in Kashmir

  • Shikara and houseboat evenings

    A sunset ride and a seated dinner on a houseboat on Dal Lake.

  • Mughal garden mornings

    A guided walk through Shalimar Bagh or Nishat Bagh before sessions.

  • Gondola and snow days

    Gulmarg gondola slots and sledging, with an indoor fallback.

  • River walks

    Short walks along the Lidder at Pahalgam for strategy sessions outdoors.

  • Kashmiri food evenings

    A wazwan dinner and a kahwa tasting built around the group.

  • Craft and shawl bazaars

    Guided time at pashmina, papier-mache and walnut-wood workshops.

When to go

April to October suits the valleys: tulips in the spring, green meadows in summer, chinar colour in October. Gulmarg snow runs from December to March, and Dal Lake can freeze in midwinter.

March and April
Tulips in the Srinagar garden.
May to September
Green meadows at Pahalgam and Sonamarg, with the Gulmarg gondola open for summer views.
October and November
Chinar leaves turn gold around Dal Lake.
December to March
Snow at Gulmarg for sledging, skiing and team challenges.

Planning an event in Kashmir: questions

How many nights does a Kashmir programme need?

Three nights cover conference sessions in Srinagar, a lake evening and a Gulmarg day; add a fourth for Pahalgam. Morning arrivals keep the first day light, and a spare half-day absorbs a weather closure.

Can a whole group fly together?

Seats on Srinagar flights are limited, so groups from Delhi and Mumbai are usually split across two or three flights. ICE India builds the arrival schedule and coach transfers around that split.

What ID and permits do delegates need?

Indian citizens need valid photo ID only: the Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg circuit needs no tourist permit, and hotels and houseboats record ID at check-in. Foreign nationals carry a passport and register through the FRRO. Border areas and Dachigam National Park need separate permissions, which ICE India arranges.

Will delegates' mobile phones work?

Prepaid SIM cards bought outside Jammu and Kashmir do not work, so delegates switch to postpaid or buy a local SIM with Aadhaar or passport verification. Groups send name lists and ID copies ahead so check-in is quick.

What does a Kashmir programme cost?

Cost depends on season, hotel category and flights. For reference, ICE India's published bands put a one-night conference for 200 people at ₹35-70 lakh including stay on twin sharing, F&B and AV, before GST. ICE India quotes each Kashmir programme after a short brief. See corporate MICE.

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