Things to do in Bhaktapur
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Bhaktapur
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, with post monsoon clarity, the best Himalayan views and comfortable days.
Winter: cold, clear and quiet, with superb light, fewer tourists and frequent clear mountain mornings.
Second best and festival maximum, with warming days and better mountain views in March than April.
Hot, hazy and quiet, with unreliable mountain views and pre monsoon storms late in the day.
Monsoon: daily rain, slippery brick and leeches on rim trails, worst for views and hiking.
What's on
- Dashain September to October
Nepal's biggest festival, family focused, in the autumn festival arc.
- Yomari Punhi December full moon
Fresh yomari everywhere, the food reason to come in winter.
- Maghe Sankranti mid-January
A winter festival's December to February season.
- Holi March
Colour play is livelier in Kathmandu and the Terai than in Bhaktapur.
- Bisket Jatra 10-18 April
Nine days around Nepali New Year, centred on the chariot tug of war at Taumadhi.
- Sindoor Jatra day after Nepali New Year, mid-April
Held in Thimi, with the tongue piercing ritual in Bode on the same day.
- Buddha Jayanti April to May full moon
Observed quietly at Buddhist sites in the Valley.
Best things to do in Bhaktapur
Bhaktapur Durbar Square
The grandest of the three Valley Durbar Squares, with palace courtyards, the Golden Gate and layered temples.
Nyatapola Temple
Nepal's tallest pagoda temple, five storeys guarded by paired figures up a steep stair above Taumadhi Square.
Dattatreya Square
The older, quieter eastern square, with Dattatreya Temple, the Bhimsen Temple and the famous Peacock Window nearby.
Pottery Square
A working pottery square of drying black clay pots and turning wheels, where you can try throwing a pot yourself.
55-Window Palace
Enter through the Golden Gate to carved sal wood across a whole palace storey and the National Art Museum inside.
Siddha Pokhari
A large stone edged ritual pond that is still and reflective at dawn, ringed by shrines and rest platforms.
Woodcarving, thangka and craft workshops in the lanes
Lanes of working woodcarvers, thangka painters and metal casters where you can watch makers and take a short course.
Juju Dhau
Sweetened buffalo milk king curd set in clay pots, tangy and custardy, and famous across Nepal in its Bhaktapur version.
Where to stay in Bhaktapur
Inside the old city: Durbar Square, Taumadhi and Dattatreya lanes
first trip, all-round base
Stay in a converted Newar house near a square for dawn and evening Bhaktapur, with everything walkable.
Just outside the gates: Suryabinayak, Barahisthan and Kamalbinayak edge
comfort, families and winter heating
Larger, newer hotels with pools, parking and lifts, a 5 to 15 minute walk from Durbar Square.
Rural Bhaktapur district: Jhaukhel and the hills toward Nagarkot road
quiet, views and a resort night
Farm and village stays among fields with Himalayan views, best as a second base rather than the only base.
Think twice about
- Araniko Highway strip through Suryabinayak and Radhe Radhe and the Kamalbinayak bus park frontage
A noisy highway strip and bus park frontage with no old city atmosphere. Base inside the walls or just outside the gates instead.
- Thamel, Kathmandu
The wrong base for Bhaktapur. Day trippers arrive late, rush the squares and leave after paying the full entry fee for three crowded hours.
Best restaurants in Bhaktapur
Community at The Nanee
Creative Newar rooted cooking with international technique, plus a rooftop Chef's Table, as Bhaktapur's best meal.
Mayur Restaurant
A reliable Nepali and Newar all rounder in Peacock Guest House, with calm square view seating on Dattatreya.
Beans The Coffee Shop
The cafe travellers name when the coffee itself matters, with breakfasts and a working daytime base.
Alphabet Pizzeria
Wood fired style pizzas and Italian leaning dishes, the group pleaser when everyone needs a break from Newar sets.
Café Nyatapola
Balcony tables in a pagoda roofed building looking straight at Nyatapola Temple, best for a simple order and the view.
Aamako Bara Pasal
A dedicated local pasal for bara, crisp edged black lentil pancakes that are Bhaktapur's best cheap snack.
Balakhu Food Point
A local rated Newar kitchen away from the square markup, with local portions and local prices.
Dugansali Newa Suli
A highly rated local Newar kitchen in residential Bhaktapur, worth the walk for lunch away from tour groups.
Best bars in Bhaktapur
Garuda Bar
A rooftop drink overlooking Taumadhi Square at sunset, the established casual bar name on the square.
The Pottery Café and Bar
A casual cafe bar by Pottery Square where you can watch the day's pots being stacked over a drink.
Outdoor things to do in Bhaktapur
Nagarkot
Sunrise over the Himalaya from Nagarkot, then a downhill hike via Telkot villages to Changu Narayan temple.
Changu Narayan Temple
The Valley's oldest Hindu temple complex on a forested ridge, with stone carving older than Bhaktapur itself.
Bhaktapur to Nagarkot mountain bike ride
A classic Valley mountain bike climb through terraces and pine forest to Nagarkot, with a fast descent back.
Dhulikhel Zipline
Dhulikhel gives a wide Himalayan panorama, a Kali temple climb, a zipline and a hike onward to Namobuddha.
Suryabinayak Temple
A local Ganesh pilgrimage temple south of Bhaktapur, with forest trails up toward Pilot Baba and the Doleshwar ridge.
Gokarna Forest Resort
The Valley's championship 18 hole course in protected forest, the nearest serious golf to Bhaktapur.
Everest mountain flight
A one hour mountain flight from Kathmandu toward Everest, used when Nagarkot clouds out the panorama.
Panauti
Balthali and old Panauti make a gentle village walking extension with terraces, bridges and superb Newar streets.
Best hotels in Bhaktapur
The Nanee Bhaktapur
A boutique heritage property in Newar style near Durbar, with designed rooms and the Community restaurant.
Hotel Heritage Bhaktapur
A small boutique hotel built from reclaimed bricks, palace stone and timber, with Mithila art in its rooms.
Shiva Guest House
A classic family run guesthouse right on Durbar Square, paying off in location and square view rooms.
Peacock Guest House
A calmer guesthouse on Dattatreya Square by the Peacock Window, with the Mayur Restaurant in house.
Café Beyond & Guest House
A small guesthouse with a garden, terrace and well liked cafe about 300 metres from Durbar Square.
Pagoda Guest House
A long running, well located guesthouse with square views, where checking the exact room type matters.
Hostel Swastik
One of Bhaktapur's cheapest hostel beds, with dorms and basic private rooms in or near the old city.
Big Bell Guest House
A basic, low cost guesthouse cited among Bhaktapur's cheapest beds inside or just outside the gates.
Is Bhaktapur expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NPR 4,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NPR 9,000 a person |
| Splurge | NPR 20,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Licensed local guide walk: a few days ahead
- Nagarkot: a few days ahead
- Bhaktapur to Nagarkot mountain bike ride: a few days ahead
- Dhulikhel Zipline: a few days ahead
- Gokarna Forest Resort: a few days ahead
- Everest mountain flight: a few days ahead
- Panauti: a few days ahead
- The Nanee Bhaktapur: weeks ahead
- Book old city rooms weeks ahead in October, November, March, April and Bisket Jatra week.
- Book Bisket Jatra lodging and rooftop vantage points months ahead.
- Book guides, workshops, the Chef's Table, golf tee times and mountain flights ahead.
- Buy the entry ticket at official gate counters only and ask at purchase about multi day validity.
Is Bhaktapur safe?
- Bhaktapur is very safe by big city standards, with normal care needed in festival crowds.
- Only the Rasuwa border corridor carries a high-risk warning; travel to the Kathmandu Valley is not restricted.
- At Bisket Jatra, do not grip chariot ropes or stand in the chariot's downhill path.
- Do not drink tap water. Use filtered, bottled or refilled purified water.
- Lanes are dark and uneven after about 9 pm, so bring a torch or phone light.
- Dress modestly at temples, remove shoes where indicated and do not enter Hindu only shrines.
Bhaktapur travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Unlicensed guides at the gates who rush the squares and steer you to commission shops.
- Commission craft shops where prices inflate and new pieces are sold as old.
- Rooftop cafe dinners on the squares, where you pay for the view and the food is weaker.
- Paying the full city fee for a rushed two hour noon visit instead of a full day or overnight.
- Everest view promises in monsoon and haze season, when there is often no mountain view.
Getting around Bhaktapur: public transport and more
- Walk inside the old city, which is compact, brick paved and largely traffic restricted.
- Taxi or private car from Kathmandu takes 30 to 45 minutes in light traffic and up to 90 at peak.
- Agree the total taxi fare before you get in and get a receipt for hotel arranged cars.
- Buses for Nagarkot, Dhulikhel, Changu Narayan and Panauti leave from the Kamalbinayak and Suryabinayak side.
Who Bhaktapur suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Bhaktapur your trip
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