How to reach Gulmarg

From the airport

Srinagar International Airport (SXR) is at Budgam, about 12 km south of the city, with direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jammu and several other Indian cities. You can drive straight to Gulmarg from the airport: taxis and hire cars are booked at the counters outside the terminal, and the drive of about 55 to 62 km via Parimpora, Narbal, Magam and Tangmarg takes 1.5 to 2 hours. On a budget, take the paid airport bus to the Tourist Reception Centre near Lal Chowk and find a taxi onward there. If Srinagar flights are full or cancelled, fly to Jammu (IXJ) instead and continue to Srinagar by train or road.

From the railway station

No railway reaches Gulmarg. Since May 2026 two pairs of Vande Bharat trains have linked Jammu Tawi with Srinagar via Udhampur, Katra and Banihal, each running six days a week and taking just under 5 hours. Most long-distance trains from Delhi and the rest of India end at Jammu Tawi or Katra, so change there. Srinagar station (SINA) is at Nowgam, about 8 km south of the city centre; a taxi from there to Gulmarg covers about 60 km in 1.5 to 2 hours, so book one to meet your train. Local trains from Srinagar towards Baramulla stop at Mazhom (MZMA), about 3 km from Magam on the Gulmarg road and roughly 30 to 35 km from Gulmarg, but you would still need road transport from there, so going straight from Srinagar station is usually simpler.

By road

Gulmarg lies at the end of a short mountain road west of Srinagar. From the city, head out past Parimpora on the Srinagar–Baramulla highway to Narbal, where the Gulmarg road branches west through Magam and Kunzer to Tangmarg, about 38 to 40 km from central Srinagar. This first part crosses the flat valley floor past villages and fields and usually takes 40 minutes to an hour, longer in city traffic.

At Tangmarg the climb begins: the last 13 km is a narrow, serpentine road up through pine and fir forest to the meadow at about 2,650 m, typically 30 to 45 minutes by car. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours from Srinagar in all. From Baramulla, a road runs south to Tangmarg and joins the same climb.

From Jammu, Srinagar is about 250 km by the Jammu–Srinagar highway (NH44) through Udhampur, Ramban, Banihal and Qazigund, with Gulmarg a further 52 to 56 km. The mountain section around Ramban is prone to landslides in the July to September monsoon and to snow closures in winter, and between December and March snow can stop traffic on the Tangmarg–Gulmarg climb at short notice.

By bus

Local buses and minibuses run from Srinagar to Tangmarg, which also has services from Baramulla, Magam, Pattan and Sopore. From the bus stand at Tangmarg, local minibuses and taxis cover the last 13 km to Gulmarg; ask at the stand for the day's departures. In snow, buses are not allowed above Tangmarg.

Local transfers

Tangmarg, at the foot of the final climb, is where the last part of the journey is settled. In summer, taxis from Srinagar or the airport drive straight up to the hotels around the Gulmarg meadow and the gondola base. When snow is forecast or lying, the local administration has in recent winters limited the Tangmarg–Gulmarg road to cars and SUVs fitted with anti-skid chains, or four-wheel drives, and turned back tempo travellers and heavy vehicles, so a group in a large vehicle should expect to switch at Tangmarg. Aim to arrive in daylight.

Distances from major points

• Srinagar city centre to Tangmarg via Narbal, Magam and Kunzer: about 38 to 40 km
• Tangmarg to Gulmarg: about 13 km
• Srinagar city centre to Gulmarg: about 52 to 56 km
• Srinagar Airport to Gulmarg: about 55 to 62 km
• Srinagar railway station (Nowgam) to Gulmarg: about 60 km
• Mazhom railway station (near Magam) to Gulmarg: about 30 to 35 km
• Baramulla to Gulmarg via Tangmarg: about 40 to 55 km
• Jammu to Srinagar by the Jammu–Srinagar highway (NH44): about 250 km

Good to know

Gulmarg is a high meadow at about 2,650 m in Baramulla district, best known for skiing from December to early April. If you land in Srinagar late in the day, stay the night there and drive up in the morning, and book Gulmarg rooms well ahead for the ski season.

Carry photo ID (a passport for foreign nationals), as there are security checks on the road. Prepaid SIMs from outside Jammu and Kashmir often do not work there, so check with your provider before you travel or carry a postpaid connection. The gondola can close at short notice for weather or faults; in 2026 it was shut for about a month from late May after a breakdown, so check it is running before you plan around it. Skiers should note that only the main bowl beside the gondola is avalanche-controlled and patrolled, and daily avalanche advisories are posted at the gondola.

Safety

Keep a spare day at each end of a Kashmir trip. Heavy snow grounded every Srinagar flight on two days in January 2026, and monsoon landslides shut the Jammu–Srinagar highway for several days in late July 2026. Gulmarg is at 2,650 m and the gondola lifts you above 3,700 m within minutes, so take it gently if you have just arrived from the plains. Check road status with the Kashmir traffic police or your driver before setting out.

Travel tips

• Plan buffer time for road delays, especially in monsoon and winter.
• Start early for long drives to avoid night stretches on mountain roads.
• Keep offline maps and cash as backup in low-network zones.
• If you are continuing to high altitude areas, acclimatize and hydrate well.