On the Bigg Boss 20 live feed, broadcast on Colors TV and JioHotstar, Qazi Touqeer told his housemates what he was missing. Autumn was already under way in Kashmir, he said. Orange leaves would be falling from the trees and gathering on the ground, and couples would often walk there: newly married couples, or a fiancé, a girlfriend, a boyfriend. At sunset, he said, the golden light on those orange leaves "is something else."
Jacket and sweater weather, he added, would already have started.
That is a fair picture of Kashmir in autumn, known here as Harud. Later in the same conversation Qazi used the word patjhad, another name for the season. This guide is for couples who want to see that colour for themselves. It also takes in a winter memory he shared, a note on Kashmiri hospitality, and his case for visiting in every season.
A quick note: D2 Holidays is not affiliated with Qazi Touqeer, Bigg Boss, Colors TV, JioHotstar or Endemol Shine. This is an independent travel guide, drawn from what he said on the live feed and from verified travel facts. We have not embedded or linked the footage.
When Harud arrives, and what to pack
Harud generally runs from September to November, according to Gulf News and the District Srinagar administration. This is when the valley's chinar trees turn gold, orange and crimson. The most vivid stretch is often late October into early November, though the exact week shifts from year to year. By mid-November many trees are past their peak.
District Srinagar's travel advice for autumn is straightforward: pack medium woolens, a warm jacket and boots. That sits well with Qazi's "jacket, sweater weather." For October numbers, our October weather in Kashmir guide uses India Meteorological Department normals for Srinagar of about 23°C by day and 6°C at night. Afternoons can feel mild in a sweater. After sunset, especially on a shikara, you will want the jacket.
Orange leaves, golden light and a walk for two
Qazi did not name a particular garden. He described a scene anyone who knows Srinagar in autumn will recognise: fallen orange leaves, couples walking at sunset, and that golden light on the trees. Gulf News has photographed the same season at Nishat Bagh and along Dal Lake, with the evening sun setting the chinars aglow. Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh and the lakeside groves, including Naseem Bagh, are the usual places to look.
Keep the walk unhurried and time it for late afternoon. A shikara ride on Dal Lake at, or just after, sunset is a natural finish. That slow Srinagar evening is one reason we shape a Kashmir honeymoon package around a houseboat night and a private shikara, then add quieter days in the mountains.
Tea on a frozen lake, and why you should not walk on it
The conversation then turned to winter. Qazi said that during Covid he had spent a good stretch of time in Kashmir. He described Dal Lake as frozen, and children walking on it. He was careful to add, in English, that "it is dangerous as well."
News reports from that Covid-era winter describe a rare cold wave. On 14 January 2021, Srinagar recorded minus 8.4°C, the lowest in about 30 years, The Hindu and The Indian Express reported. They wrote that parts, or a major portion, of Dal Lake had frozen, not the entire surface. Boatmen were breaking the ice to move, and children were seen walking, even playing, on it. The Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar advised people not to walk on the frozen lake, and SDRF teams were deployed.
This matters if you are planning a trip: do not walk on a frozen Dal Lake. Officials warned that the ice can be thin, and that springs make some patches weaker and hard to spot. Falls, broken ice and drowning are real risks. It is not a tourist activity, and you should not expect it on a typical winter visit. Dal Lake does not freeze like that every year, and when ice forms it is often only in parts.
During that same stretch, Qazi said, after his nikaah he took his wife out on the lake. He paid a boatman a little extra to take them to a houseboat for tea. The boatman broke the ice with his paddle, Qazi said, the way they break it in Titanic. They wore four or five sweaters each, their hands were freezing, and they drank piping hot tea in front of the houseboat, with the lake frozen around them. It is a private memory he chose to share on air, and we leave it there.
Tea first, money later
That cup of tea led him to hospitality. As he put it on the live feed, they take the money later; first they serve tea. "We are known for our hospitality."
That is still how many encounters in Kashmir begin: a cup of kahwa or noon chai before anything else is settled. If you are invited into someone's home, our family etiquette guide covers the simple manners that help a visit go well.
Why Kashmir works in every season
"The best part," Qazi said, is that there is joy there in every season. It is not a question of which season you should choose for Kashmir. In his words, "Kashmir is better in every season."
Patjhad, he said, is different. Winter has snow. In spring the flowers bloom, and the tulip garden, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden on the Zabarwan slope above Dal Lake, draws heavy crowds. It usually opens for a few weeks from mid or late March into April, with dates set each year around the bloom. In 2026 the garden opened on 16 March and closed on 16 April, according to Kashmir Observer; in 2025 it ran from 26 March to 24 April, India TV News reported. If tulips are the reason for your trip, wait for the official dates.
In summer, he said, it is Pahalgam, where the water of the Lidder Valley "flows hard." The Lidder is a glacier-fed river that meets in Pahalgam. Published research on the valley notes a stronger flow from about May to September, and J&K Tourism lists rafting there in the warmer months, roughly April to September.
Our season-by-season guide is there if you are still choosing a month. A Kashmir honeymoon package can be shaped around the season you want: autumn colour in Srinagar, snow in Gulmarg, spring tulips, or a summer stay beside the Lidder in Pahalgam.
Plan an autumn honeymoon in Kashmir
If Harud is the draw, aim for mid-October to early November, keep at least a day in Srinagar for the gardens and a sunset shikara, and pack the jacket he mentioned. Want this shaped into a slow, private plan with a houseboat night? Take a look at our Kashmir honeymoon package. We are a J&K Tourism registered tour operator in Srinagar. Call or WhatsApp +91 70062 71178, email info@d2holidays.com, or visit us on Boulevard Road, Srinagar.
Disclaimer: D2 Holidays is not affiliated with Qazi Touqeer, Bigg Boss, Colors TV, JioHotstar or Endemol Shine. Quotes are from his remarks on the Bigg Boss 20 live feed and are used here only as reported speech. Autumn dates draw on Gulf News and District Srinagar; the January 2021 freeze on The Hindu and The Indian Express; the Tulip Garden on Kashmir Observer and India TV News; the Lidder on J&K Tourism and published research on the Lidder Valley. Walking on frozen lakes is dangerous and is not recommended.