I Took A Train From Delhi To Kashmir Alone This May, And Honestly, It Changed Something In Me

I had been thinking about Kashmir for almost two years. Every time someone posted a photo of Dal Lake or the snow-covered peaks of Gulmarg, I would save it and tell myself, "next year." But next year kept becoming next year. So this May, I finally stopped waiting, booked a train ticket from New Delhi Railway Station, and just went. Alone.

Friends thought I was a little crazy. "Akele ja raha hai? Kashmir mein?" My mother called me three times before I even reached the station. But I had made up my mind. And I am so glad I did.

The train journey itself, something special

I boarded the Jammu Rajdhani from Hazrat Nizamuddin on a Tuesday evening in early May. The moment the train left Delhi and the city lights slowly faded into dark fields, something in my chest relaxed. I had a window seat in 3AC and I remember just sitting there watching the darkness pass, eating the railway pantry dinner that was honestly not great, and feeling, for the first time in months, completely unrushed.

We reached Jammu Tawi the next morning around 6 AM. From there I took a shared cab to Srinagar, the route through the Banihal tunnel and the winding roads of the Pir Panjal range is something else entirely. May is a beautiful time for this drive. The hills were green, the air was already noticeably cooler than Delhi, and every bend in the road opened up into a view that made me want to stop the cab and just stand there.

Srinagar in May, quiet, green, and genuinely beautiful

May is an interesting time to visit Kashmir. The peak tourist season is just beginning, so it is busy but not overwhelming yet. The Dal Lake houseboats were full of families and a few foreign tourists, the chinar trees along the Boulevard were in full leaf, and the weather was exactly what Delhi in May is desperately not, somewhere around 22 degrees during the day with cool evenings that actually required a light jacket.

I stayed on a houseboat on Dal Lake for three nights. My host, an older Kashmiri man named Mohammed Bhai, made me kahwa every morning and absolutely refused to let me leave without eating a proper breakfast. The shikara rides in the early morning when the mist was still sitting on the water and the lake was almost silent, those are the moments I keep coming back to in my head.

I also went to Pahalgam for a day, the Lidder river there is ice-cold and startlingly clear, and the meadows above the town were still holding the last of the spring wildflowers. I sat near the river for two hours doing absolutely nothing. No phone. No plans. Just the sound of water and distant cowbells and the smell of pine.

Best time to visit: May to early July, and September-October. May is perfect, comfortable temperatures, green landscapes, and manageable crowds. Book your houseboat or hotel at least 2 weeks in advance. And if you are coming by train, the Jammu Rajdhani or Swaraj Express from Delhi are your best options for comfort.

What solo travel to Kashmir actually feels like

The thing nobody tells you is how genuinely warm Kashmiri people are with solo travellers. I was never once made to feel out of place eating alone or wandering without a plan. People went out of their way to give directions, recommend spots, and just have a real conversation. A shopkeeper in the old city of Srinagar spent forty-five minutes telling me the history of Kashmiri shawl weaving when I came in just to look. I bought a small pashmina I did not need and did not regret it for a second.

Travelling alone forces you to be more present. You notice things differently when you have nobody to share the observation with immediately, you hold onto it a little longer, look at it a little more carefully. Kashmir deserves that kind of attention.

Have you been to Kashmir? Or is it on your list? If you have any questions about the trip, routes, costs, places to stay, ask me in the comments. Happy to share everything I know.

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