Kathmandu Travel Guide

Introduction

Kathmandu is not a beautiful city in any conventional sense and it is a compelling one. Beneath the traffic and the dust sit three medieval royal capitals, seven UNESCO monument zones, the largest stupa in Nepal and a Newar craft tradition that has been producing the same bronze and woodwork for six hundred years.

For most visitors it is also the machine room of the trip: permits, guides, gear hire, domestic flights and the buffer days that keep a Himalayan itinerary from collapsing.

Getting there

Tribhuvan International is six kilometres east of the centre. Visas on arrival are issued at the terminal — bring a passport photo and cash in a major currency, and expect the queue to take an hour in the evening arrival bank.

Prepaid taxis to Thamel cost around NPR 800; the ride-hailing apps Pathao and InDrive are roughly half that.

Getting around

Walk in the old city — it is the only sane way to move through Asan and Indra Chowk. For anything further, use an app rather than negotiating at the kerb. Cycle rickshaws are for short hops in the old town and are priced by negotiation.

Where to stay

Thamel is the tourist district: gear shops, agencies, bakeries and noise. Convenient, and slightly exhausting. Patan is fifteen minutes south across the river and is where most people wish they had stayed — quieter courtyards, better restaurants, the finest durbar square. Boudhanath suits anyone interested in Tibetan Buddhist life, and is close to the airport.

Things to do

• Patan Durbar Square and the Patan Museum, the best-curated museum in Nepal.
• Bhaktapur old town, ideally with an overnight stay after the day trippers leave.
• Boudhanath at dusk, walking the kora with everyone else.
• Pashupatinath, Nepal's principal Hindu temple complex and cremation ground.
• Swayambhunath for the view over the valley.
• Kathmandu Durbar Square — earthquake damage is still visible, and the reconstruction work is part of the interest.

Food

Newari food is the valley's own cuisine and is worth seeking out: bara, chatamari, choila and yomari. Dal bhat is everywhere and comes with refills. Thamel has a strong international scene; Patan has the best modern Nepali restaurants in the country.

Costs

Safety

Kathmandu is safe by the standards of any large South Asian city. Petty theft happens in crowded markets; traffic is the genuine hazard. Air quality in winter is poor. Tap water is not drinkable — carry a filter bottle rather than buying plastic.