Srinagar offers more than most visitors expect. The lake and gardens are the obvious starting points, but the old city's mosques and shrines could fill a separate day, and the viewpoints above the city add a different perspective altogether. A three-day visit covers the main sights comfortably; a week lets you slow down, take a longer shikara ride, and explore the old bazaars at leisure.
Dal Lake and the houseboats are the city's signature experience — a morning shikara ride through the floating vegetable gardens is something you won't encounter anywhere else. The Mughal gardens on the lake's eastern shore (Shalimar Bagh, Nishat Bagh, Chashme Shahi) are best in April and May when the flowers are out, but worth visiting at any time of year for the terraced design and mountain backdrop. The old city around Lal Chowk and the Jama Masjid is best explored on foot, with the carved wooden mosques and the Sufi shrines deserving more time than most visitors give them.