Srinagar Houseboats

Unlike the ones in Kerala, houseboats in Srinagar are stationary and moored along the lakes. The charm of staying on srinagar houseboats is that it provides the unique experience of living on the water in a wood-paneled elegant bedroom with all the conveniences of a modern hotel.

Srinagar Houseboats

Shikara vendors selling their wares from houseboat to houseboat.

Shikhara Vendors

Yuvraj Houseboat

This houseboat has two bedrooms along with separate living and dining areas. Fayaz Bhai and his family provide a highly personalized service including free rides to the nearest jetty and back.

Yuvraj Houseboat, Dal Lake

The nicer houseboats have updated interiors with the most exquisite wood carvings and rugs lining the interiors.

Living Room inside the houseboat

Dating back to the British rule, houseboats became home to people who were denied land grants in the state. A brilliant idea that started from constructing smallboats was later revolutionized with transforming theseboats into spacious modern styled floating hotels.

Dining Room

Bedroom

The floating florist stocks up his shikara with flowers picked fresh from his gardens early morning or late in the evening. Their major clients are Houseboat owners and tourists, so they spend almost all their time visiting the different houseboats moored on the edges of the Dal and Nageen lakes.

Flower seller doing rounds of the Houseboats