The idea of a vacation seems incomplete without a fair amount of shopping, especially souvenirs that act as constant reminders of your fun filled vacay! Srinagar’s markets sell some of the finest quality of dry fruits, paper mache products and Pashmina shawls so allow us to help you navigate through Srinagar’s best shopping spots:

1. Polo View Market

This market located near Sri Pratap Museum is a treasure trove of all sorts! You’ll find several shops selling wooden jewellery boxes with intricate carvings and cute little paper mache products. These boxes make for great gift items and souvenirs. A shop named Suffering Moses near Polo View Market sells beautiful Persian artifacts.

2. Lal Chowk

Kashmir is known for its Tilla work where a gold or silver thread is used for embroidery. The work is exquisite and requires several weeks of manual labour. Shawls and sarees with Tilla work are available in several shops at Lal Chowk. The Koker Bazar here has an array of some of the best dry fruits in town.

3. Residency Road

One of the busiest markets in Srinagar, Residency Road is a popular shopping spot for tourists as well as locals. If you're a bibliophile, a visit to Gulshan Books is highly recommended. You can browse through beautiful travel books and local literature at leisure. Ahdoos Bakery serves some of the best local breads like Bakirkhani and Katlam, fresh out of the oven!

4. Meena Bazar on Dal Lake

The floating market on Dal is a wondrous sight. After all, how often do you get to ‘float’ past a market? Shops selling silk and georgette sarees with Kashmiri Ari work in all imaginable colours will leave you spoilt for choice. The Paper mache shop is filled with artifacts of every kind; vases, jewellery cases, you name it and they have it.

5. Budshah Chowk

This market is a haven for textile lovers. From shawls and suits to biggies like Persian rugs, you can buy them all here. Some shops even sell the Kashmiri Namda made by felting wool instead of weaving it which is considered a winter essential in Kashmir. The shapes and designs are gorgeous and you MUST buy one!

6. Kashmir Government Arts Emporium

The emporium might seem slightly pricey as compared to the local markets but their designs are exclusive and the quality is good. The quality factor becomes useful particularly while buying Pashminas. Their carved walnut wood artifacts are stunning with intricate designs. They also ship products all over India so yay!

And also, if you’re a pro at bargaining, great deals await you!

Srinagar Fashionista