Srinagar Tourist Traps

2 more images

This may sound funny, but true, in some of the parts of Srinagar ( it's a big city with daily supply) the shopkeepers will charge you premium over any thing you buy on the pretext that they pay transportation cost from plain land. I have noticed this tendency while buying medicines, pads, cigarette, cold drinks, chocolates or even chewing gums! Besides, they also don't return the change but shall give you a few cheap toffees worth 0.50P saying it's worth One Rupee there. Sometime the premium is over Rs.10 per strip of medicine worth Rs.40/- or Rs.50/- They will always say this company do not have a distributor here in Srinagar, they stock it for the tourists only or they will offer some kind of spurious or unknown brand of medicine.

Fun Alternatives: It's better to buy all your medicines, supply of pads, cigarettes etc while starting from Delhi or your place of origin. All emergency supply of medicines may be brought with you.

This is surely a trap. Please be careful when you hire an Auto Rickshaw or Tuk Tuk, please ask very very clearly how much he is going to charge you for your destination and for how many persons. You will be surprised, when they ask for Rs.100/- for a destination of one kilometer or less. You will be surrounded by locals who will support the auto rickshaw driver. Then perhaps he will say it was for one person not for the whole auto ( It accommodates three in the back seat). Please find out the exact fare from a decent local , perhaps a shopkeeper or a gentleman then you hire an auto. We experienced this twice, once while returning from Lal Chowk to Hotel Grand Mumtaz, we settled for Rs.50/- at destination he demanded it was per person. However, we were immediately helped by the hotel security, who settled it with the driver. We learnt the actual fare was Rs.30/- only as the destination was less than a kilometer!

Unique Suggestions: You don't get tourist police at Srinagar. Please ask for help from the locals, if needed all are not going to support them. I have notice this tendency among the locals to rip you off in whatever possible way.

2 more images

... because it is neither a market nor wholesale. Just some random stores running below street level. Their prices are much higher than what you will find at Boulevard. Many taxi drivers will tell you otherwise because they get a cut and will offer cheap fares to take you there. Skip it!

The photos are just some funny juxtapositions. It does not reflect the city because Srinagar is quite clean and the people wonderful.