What to Wear in Srinagar

Dress for the season you are in

Spring days are mild but mornings on the lake are cold, and March and April are often the wettest months of the year. A light down jacket and a waterproof layer cover most of it. Summer days can reach the low thirties, so cotton shirts and trousers work in town, with a fleece for evenings and for Gulmarg or Sonamarg. From November the cold settles in; by late December you need thermals, a heavy jacket, gloves and warm boots. Houseboats and old houses are hard to heat.

Covering up for shrines and mosques

Srinagar is a conservative city and its most visited places are working places of worship. At Hazratbal Shrine and Jama Masjid, women should cover their head, arms and legs, and men should wear long trousers. A large scarf or stole in your bag solves most of it. Shoes come off before prayer halls, so slip-on shoes save time. Loose, long clothes are also the easiest choice in the old city lanes.

The pheran

The pheran is the long, loose woollen gown that Kashmiris wear through the winter, traditionally with a kangri, a small fire pot, held underneath. Women's pherans often carry tilla (metallic thread) or aari embroidery around the neck and cuffs. Buying one is a practical souvenir: it goes over your own clothes and is warm. Plain wool pherans are sold in Lal Chowk and the old city; fine embroidered ones take weeks to make and cost accordingly.

Buying pashmina

Real pashmina is hand-spun from the fine undercoat of Changthangi goats. Much of what is sold as pashmina is blended or machine-made. Ask for a GI tag label or buy from a government emporium or a known workshop, and be wary of anyone offering to take you to a special factory.

For the lake

A shikara at dawn is colder than it looks. Wear a hat and gloves outside the summer months, and bring sunglasses; the glare off the water is strong at midday.