Jammu to Srinagar by Road with Kids: Family Tips

Plenty of families reach Kashmir by train to Jammu Tawi and then drive the last stretch. It saves on flights for a big family, and the views get better every hour. It is also a long day on a mountain highway, and children feel every bend of it. Here is how to plan the Jammu to Srinagar drive so the kids arrive tired but happy, not sick and cranky, with a few extra notes for the November to January months.

Is the road the right choice for your family?

The drive makes the most sense when you are already coming to Jammu by train, when you are a group of five or more and want one vehicle the whole way, or when you would like to see the change from the plains to the valley. It makes less sense with a baby or toddler who hates the car seat, or a child who gets carsick on short hill drives. In those cases a flight into Srinagar and a short Srinagar airport taxi to your hotel is the kinder plan, even if it costs more.

If you are travelling from Delhi and have not booked anything yet, compare the two routes on our Kashmir tour package from Delhi page before you decide. Trains now also run into the valley from Katra, so ask us whether a rail leg suits your dates, and check current trains on the railway booking site, since timings change.

How long the drive really takes

On our Jammu to Srinagar taxi page we say 8 to 10 hours on NH44 via Ramban and Banihal, and we mean it as a range, not a promise. Road work, single-lane stretches, a breakdown ahead or a herd of sheep and goats being moved down from the hills can each add time. In late October 2026, for example, the J&K Traffic Police advisories reported slow movement at a single-lane stretch at Dawal in Udhampur and between Marog and Kishtwari Pather, with nomadic herds crossing near Banihal.

The same advisories repeat two points that matter for a family car. Travel in daylight, and do not make unnecessary stops between Ramban and Banihal, where landslides and falling stones are a risk. The traffic police decide each day whether the highway is open in both directions, so the plan for tomorrow is only final the evening before.

Leave at first light and arrive before dark

The simplest rule for this road with children is to start early enough that you never drive the hill section in the dark. Here is how much daylight you actually have, worked out for Jammu and Srinagar:

From mid-November to January that is barely ten hours from sunrise to sunset, which is the top end of the drive time. So in these months, leave Jammu at first light, keep breaks short, and accept that a slow day may finish after dark on the last flat stretch into Srinagar rather than in the hills.

If your train reaches Jammu Tawi in the afternoon or at night, do not set off straight away. Sleep in Jammu and leave the next morning. On the taxi page we already say we prefer a morning start, and a child who sleeps through a night drive is the exception, not something to plan around.

Pick a car with room to stretch

With kids, the vehicle matters more than anything else on this road. A sedan is fine for two or three adults with soft bags. A family with suitcases should take an Innova Crysta or a similar SUV, so the boot closes and nobody sits with a bag on their lap for ten hours. Two families, or a group with a small child who needs to lie down, should look at a Tempo Traveller.

If you are bringing a car seat, tell us when you ask for a quote so we send a vehicle where it fits properly. Put the child who gets queasy in a seat with a clear view out of the front, not squeezed into the back row.

Going by bus: JKRTC and Volvo coaches

If you would rather not hire a car, buses run on this road too. JKRTC, the government transport corporation, runs AC and non-AC deluxe coaches between Jammu and Srinagar. In Jammu they leave in the morning from near the railway station, which is handy after a train, and in Srinagar they use the Tourist Reception Centre. JKRTC seats can be booked online on the StarBus portal, starbus.jk.gov.in.

The Volvo and luxury sleeper coaches mostly run the longer Delhi to Srinagar route via Chandigarh and Jammu. JKRTC's own Volvo is listed for Srinagar to Delhi, and private Volvo sleepers run between Srinagar, Jammu and Delhi. Families coming from Delhi or Punjab can ride straight through. Seats from Jammu on these through-buses are sometimes sold on redBus and AbhiBus, but the boarding point and time in Jammu depend on when the bus passes, often at night, so check before you book.

A bus suits a family on a tighter budget, or one with older children and teenagers who are happy to sit for a long day. With a baby or toddler it is harder. You stop only where the bus stops, and you cannot fit a car seat properly. An overnight through-bus from Delhi is a very long journey for small children, and the hill section may come in the dark. If you can, choose a daylight run from Jammu instead. If a bus does not suit your family, we can arrange a private car.

Plan your breaks around the hill section

Since the advice is not to stop between Ramban and Banihal, plan your breaks for either side of it.

• Have a proper breakfast stop on the Jammu side before the climb starts, and make sure everyone uses the toilet.
• Some families like a longer lunch at Patnitop. Tell us in advance, because it adds time and you may not have that time in winter.
• Once you are through the hills on the Kashmir side, the land flattens out and a tea break is easy.
• In late October and the first days of November, the road into Srinagar passes Pampore. If the saffron is still in bloom and you have daylight left, our Pampore saffron fields with kids guide explains a short, safe stop. If it is late, skip it and save it for another day.

The driver knows where the usable toilets and dhabas are on the day. Ask them before the climb rather than asking them to pull over on a bend.

Helping a child who gets carsick

Hill bends are the main reason children have a bad day on this road. A few habits help most families:

• Give a light breakfast. Not a big oily meal just before the climb, and not an empty stomach either.
• Keep eyes on the road ahead or on the mountains. Phones and books in the back seat make queasiness worse for many kids.
• Open a window a little for fresh air when it is not too cold.
• Keep a roll of bags, wet wipes, tissues and a full change of clothes within reach, not in the boot.
• If your child gets badly sick on hill roads, speak to your own doctor before the trip about whether anything can help. Do not give any new medicine on the day without that advice.

Let the driver know too. Most drivers on this road will ease off on the bends and find a safe place to stop when it is needed.

What to keep in the car, not the boot

Pack one small bag that stays with you:

• Water, simple snacks and something plain like biscuits or fruit.
• A warm layer for every person, even on a sunny Jammu morning. It is much colder on the Kashmir side, and from November it is properly cold. Our winter packing guide for kids has the full list.
• A small blanket or pillow so the kids can sleep in the afternoon.
• Wet wipes, sanitiser, tissues and bags.
• Any regular medicine your family takes.
• Your hotel or houseboat name and phone number, and our number, in case the networks are patchy.
• Offline games, a few downloaded stories or songs, and headphones.

For a toddler, our Kashmir with a toddler post goes further into naps, car seats and a slower pace.

Driving in the colder months

From November onwards the road brings different problems. Snow and closures happen on this highway in winter, and on some days it opens late or only in one direction. When that happens, the honest answer is to wait. We check the highway before the driver leaves and keep you updated on any tunnel, landslide or snow delay.

Build one spare day into any winter plan that uses the road, especially before a flight home or a train out of Jammu. Do not put the Jammu to Srinagar drive on the same day as a booked Gulmarg gondola slot or a houseboat check-in that cannot move.

Keep the first evening in Srinagar quiet

After eight to ten hours on the road, nobody wants a sightseeing plan. Check in, eat early and sleep. If you are staying on the lake, arriving after dark means a shikara crossing in the cold with tired children and all your bags, so for a road arrival day we usually suggest a hotel night first and the houseboat stay later in the trip.

Start the gardens and the lake the next morning. Our one-day Srinagar plan with kids is a good, easy first day after the drive, and many families then move straight on to the Kashmir family package.

What to send us before we quote

To give you a clear quote for the road and the rest of the trip, send us:

1. Your train or flight arrival time in Jammu, and the date.
2. How many adults and children, and the ages of the children.
3. How many suitcases, and if you are bringing a car seat or a pram.
4. Whether anyone gets carsick, and any planned stop such as Patnitop.
5. Your Srinagar hotel or houseboat, if you have already booked one.

You can reach our Srinagar team through the contact page. We will name the vehicle, check the highway the day before, and tell you plainly if your timings are too tight for a family on this road.