Things to do in Kathmandu
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Kathmandu
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best window, post monsoon clarity, Himalayan views and Tihar light, late October to mid November is peak.
Spring sweet spot, warm, rhododendrons on the rim and festivals before the worst haze builds.
Warm to hot with wildfire smoke, dust and less reliable mountain views week by week.
Monsoon, daily rain, leeches and landslide risk, but cleanest air, emerald valley and cheapest hotels. Late September turns autumn.
Pleasant sunny days, cold unheated nights, superb early mountain light but pollution trapped by inversions.
What's on
- Indra Jatra September
A week of chariot processions and the Kumari's public appearance at Durbar Square.
- Dashain Sep/Oct, about 15 days
Nepal's biggest festival, temples busy and the whole country travelling home.
- Tihar Oct/Nov, 5 days
Festival of lights with marigolds and candles on every old city lane, including Mha Puja.
- Maha Shivaratri Feb/Mar
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and sadhus at Pashupatinath for the year's biggest night there.
- Holi March
Joyful, chaotic colour festival in the old city, wear clothes you will discard.
- Bisket Jatra mid-April
Chariot pulling mayhem in Bhaktapur for Nepali New Year, the best reason to overnight there.
- Buddha Jayanti Apr/May
Buddha's birthday celebrated at Boudhanath and Swayambhunath.
- Gai Jatra August
Monsoon festival in the old city, processions continue despite the rain.
- Sonam / Gyalpo Losar Jan/Feb
Tibetan New Year at Boudhanath Stupa, the time to be based in Boudha.
Best things to do in Kathmandu
Boudhanath Stupa
Huge Tibetan Buddhist stupa best at dawn and dusk, walking the kora with monks and prayer wheels.
Pashupatinath Temple
Nepal's holiest Shiva temple, seen respectfully from the far bank with a guide at the evening aarti.
Swayambhunath Stupa
Ancient hilltop stupa reached by 365 steps, with valley views, prayer flags and bold monkeys.
Kathmandu Durbar Square
Old royal square of palaces and pagoda temples, made readable by a licensed guide on foot.
Patan Durbar Square
The finest royal square for craftsmanship, with the Patan Museum explaining the art around you.
Patan Museum
One of Asia's best small museums, inside the old palace and essential context for Patan's art.
Bhaktapur Durbar Square
Best preserved Newari royal city with Nyatapola, Pottery Square and juju dhau, worth its own day.
Garden of Dreams
Restored 1920s walled garden with pavilions and lawns, a quiet reset 50 metres from Thamel's noise.
Where to stay in Kathmandu
Northern Thamel / Paknajol
first trip, all-round base
Walkable to most sights and restaurants, with edge streets measurably quieter than the bar core.
Lazimpat
quiet, polish and repeat visitors
Calmer, greener embassy avenue with better hotels, a short walk or ride to Thamel.
Boudha
spiritual or slow stay, or a split stay
Live by the stupa for dawn kora and Tibetan restaurants, with Thamel 30 to 60 minutes away.
Patan (Lalitpur)
culture-first and longer stays
Sleep in the valley's most beautiful old city streets at local rhythm, a bridge from Kathmandu.
Bhaktapur
best single overnight in the valley
Magical after day trippers leave, but a cross valley drive taxes it as a whole trip base.
Think twice about
- Core Thamel bar streets (Chaksibari Marg / Mandala Street bar blocks)
Touts, drug offers, dance bar bill scams and bar noise until late. Good hotels exist, but every exit runs the gauntlet.
- Ratnapark / Sundhara / New Road bus-hub blocks
Diesel fumes, dust, horn noise and chaotic pavements with almost no visitor infrastructure.
- Sinamangal / airport strip
Noisy highway strip with nothing to walk to. Thamel is only about 30 minutes from the airport, Boudha 15.
Best restaurants in Kathmandu
Krishnarpan
Slow ceremonial Nepali tasting menus at Dwarika's, the defining fine dining splurge of a Kathmandu trip.
Le Sherpa
Kathmandu's best European fine dining in a garden house, plus the Saturday farmers market in its grounds.
Chez Caroline
Proper French bistro cooking since the 1990s in a quiet Rana palace courtyard south of Durbar Marg.
Thamel House Restaurant
Traditional Nepali set meals in a restored Thamel townhouse, the best first dal bhat dinner.
OR2K
Vegetarian Middle Eastern institution on Mandala Street, sharing platters on two floors of cushions.
Rosemary Kitchen and Coffee Shop
Thamel's best all rounder, European and Asian dishes done with care from breakfast through dinner.
Utse Restaurant
Thamel legend since 1979 for Tibetan momos, thukpa and hot pot sets at local ish prices.
Bhojan Griha
Set Nepali menus in a 150 year old mansion while dancers and musicians perform, dinner as cultural theatre.
Outdoor things to do in Kathmandu
Gokarna Forest Golf Course
Valley's only 18 hole course, set in old royal forest with deer, monkeys and a Himalayan backdrop.
Royal Nepal Golf Club
Historic compact 9 hole course by the airport, useful for a short hit rather than a golf day.
Buddha Air
One hour scenic flight past Everest, Lhotse and Makalu with a guaranteed window seat.
Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour
Helicopter landing near Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar, breathtaking but weather fragile and high.
Nagarkot
Classic sunrise ridge with Langtang to Everest views, then a downhill walk to Changu Narayan temple.
Shivapuri National Park
Forested northern valley wall with hikes to Nagi Gompa or Shivapuri Peak for the full panorama.
Chisapani
Start of the 2 to 3 day rim taster trek to Nagarkot, with lodges and Tamang villages and no flights.
Chandragiri Cable Car
Gondola to a 2,551m summit temple with Annapurna to Everest views, best on a clear weekday.
Best hotels in Kathmandu
Kathmandu Guest House
Original Thamel garden hotel since 1968, a calm garden oasis with rooms from backpacker to suite.
Taleju Boutique Hotel
Newer boutique pick in northern Thamel that recent forum posters report booking happily.
Zostel Kathmandu
Budget pick in quieter Paknajol with dorms, privates, rooftop bar and a garden cafe.
Aloft Kathmandu Thamel
Full five star Marriott hotel inside Thamel with pool and spa, for the base without a guesthouse.
Hotel Shanker
Former Rana palace with colonnades, gardens and pool, old Kathmandu grandeur below Dwarika's prices.
Hotel Tibet
Long running Tibetan run hotel off Lazimpat Road, the budget to mid way into this quiet avenue.
Hotel Ambassador by ACE Hotels
Modern luxury tower on Lazimpat Road, walkable to Thamel and Durbar Marg.
The Dwarika's Hotel
Nepal's consensus best hotel, a museum of rescued Newari woodcarving you sleep in, with a superb spa.
Is Kathmandu expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NPR 3,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NPR 8,342 a person |
| Splurge | NPR 25,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Namaste Cooking School: a few days ahead
- Gokarna Forest Golf Course: a few days ahead
- Buddha Air: weeks ahead
- Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour: weeks ahead
- Nagarkot: a few days ahead
- Chisapani: weeks ahead
- Trishuli River: a few days ahead
- Kakani: a few days ahead
- Book the Everest flight for your first clear morning and keep later mornings free for weather rebooking.
- October to November rooms fill and price up, book good Thamel edge and Lazimpat hotels 6 to 10 weeks out.
- Reserve Krishnarpan and Le Sherpa several days ahead in season, and Kopan's November course months ahead.
Is Kathmandu safe?
- Violent crime is uncommon, the real risks are scams, traffic and air quality.
- Use ride hailing or hotel cars after dark outside Thamel, keep bags on the building side of the pavement.
- Never drink tap water, eat busy and hot, and wear an N95 or KN95 mask on main roads in hazy months.
- Emergency police is 100, the tourist police post is in Thamel at Bhrikutimandap.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Kathmandu travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Treat every unsolicited friendly approach in Thamel as a sales pitch for a studio, gem shop or orphanage.
- Avoid dance bars entirely, steered entry leads to exorbitant bills and intimidation at the door.
- Skip the 7 sites in one day van marathon, it delivers ticket booths and 20 minutes per site.
Getting around Kathmandu: public transport and more
- Use Pathao and inDrive ride hailing for fixed quoted prices, cars and bike taxis.
- Taxis should use the meter or agree the full fare before moving, tourist ranks quote 2 to 3 times more.
- Walk Thamel to Durbar Square and Asan, ride the ring road distances to Boudha and Patan, carry a mask.
Who Kathmandu suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Kathmandu your trip
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