The Jhelum River runs through Srinagar for about 15 km, spanned by seven historic bridges (kadals) and lined with ghats — stone steps down to the water — that have been the working infrastructure of the city for centuries. The stretch between Habba Kadal and the Fateh Kadal bridge to the north is the most atmospheric: traditional wooden houses rise three and four storeys directly from the riverbank, overhanging the water on corbelled brackets, their reflections breaking up in the current below.
Walking along the river on the narrow paths that follow each bank is the best way to see how Srinagar functioned before roads. Laundry is done at the ghats, boats are tied up in rows, and the older residents who haven't yet moved to the suburbs still use the river as their daily reference point. The riverside path on the eastern bank north from Habba Kadal, threading under the old wooden bridges, gives views of the western bank architecture that no road provides. Allow an hour for the walk at a steady pace; the path is uneven in places.