Kathmandu travel guide: four sacred sites, fees and where to stay

Where to base yourself: Thamel, with Boudha as a half day

Thamel is the capital's tourist hub, with restaurants and shops along its lanes. The Nepal Tourism Board names Thamel, Lazimpat, Durbarmarg, Jhamsikhel and Boudha as the districts where most of the city's restaurants are concentrated. Detailed maps are sold in Thamel, and bicycles can be hired there and at Jhochhen, the old Freak Street. Base yourself here for Durbar Square, the Garden of Dreams and the day trips to Patan and Bhaktapur.

Visit Boudha as a half day from Thamel, paired with Pashupatinath, as in the second day below.

Kathmandu Durbar Square: the Museum of Temples

Kathmandu Durbar Square, also called Basantapur Durbar or Hanuman Dhoka, sits in the middle of the old city and is nicknamed the Museum of Temples for the more than 50 temples around it. Hanuman Dhoka was first built in the Licchavi period (4th to 8th centuries AD) and King Pratap Malla extended it greatly in the 17th century. The palace has two courtyards, an outer one with the Kasthamandap, the Kumari Ghar and the Shiva-Parvati Temple, and an inner one holding Hanuman Dhoka and the main palace.

The sights worth stopping for are specific. Taleju Temple is the tallest structure, built by King Mahendra Malla, and opens to the public one day a year during Dashain. The Kumari Ghar, also called the Kumari Temple, is the official residence of the Living Goddess Kumari of Kathmandu. Kal Bhairav is one of the largest 17th-century stone statues in the city, the 16th-century Jagannath Temple is known for the carved figures on its wooden struts, and in the Tribhuvan Museum you see King Tribhuvan's bedroom and study with his personal belongings. Swet Bhairav is shown to the public only once a year, at Indra Jatra in August or September.

The Nepal Tourism Board's heritage table, checked on 17 October 2026, listed the square, including the Tribhuvan Museum, at NPR 1,000 for foreign nationals, NPR 500 for SAARC visitors under the BIMSTEC rate and NPR 1,000 for Chinese nationals, with children under 10 free. Fees are paid at the entry point; carry rupee cash for the tickets. The city lists the square as open 24 hours.

Several buildings in the square collapsed in the earthquake of 25 April 2015, and most parts of the palace premises are open to tourists throughout the week.

Swayambhunath: the hilltop stupa and its steps

Swayambhunath stands on a hillock about 3 km west of central Kathmandu, with a panoramic view of the city, and is the oldest stupa in the valley. It dates to about 460 AD, and its complex of chaityas, shrines and monasteries sets Buddhist and Hindu deities side by side. Devotees circle the stupa at all hours, and the base of the hill is ringed with prayer wheels. Foreigners have long called it the Monkey Temple, and the monkeys come with the territory.

Look for the gold-plated vajra on the east side of the stupa, the sleeping Buddha, the Dewa Dharma Monastery with its bronze Buddha and Tibetan paintings and the temple of Harati, the goddess of children. The largest image of the Buddha in Nepal sits on the western boundary beside the Ring Road. The stone steps up are very steep, and a motor road reaches almost to the top, from where it is a short walk. Swayambhunath (Swayambhu Stupa) lists an entry fee of NPR 200 for foreign nationals and NPR 50 for SAARC nationals; children under 10 enter free. Chinese nationals are listed at NPR 200. These fees were checked on 18 October 2026. The city lists the stupa as open 24 hours. Crowds are largest on Buddha's birthday, which usually falls in May.

Boudhanath and Pashupatinath: a half day on the east side

Boudhanath, which the city also calls Swasti, is the largest stupa in the valley, with a dome 36 m across, about 8 km east of downtown. It is visible as soon as you land at the airport and is the centre of Himalayan Buddhism. It stands on the ancient trade route from Tibet, which entered the valley at Sankhu, and Tibetan merchants have rested and prayed here for centuries; many Tibetan refugees settled around it from the 1950s, and the stupa is said to entomb the remains of Kassapa Buddha. Boudhanath (Boudha Stupa) lists an entry fee of NPR 400 for foreign nationals and NPR 100 for SAARC nationals; children under 10 enter free. Chinese nationals are listed at NPR 400. These fees were checked on 18 October 2026. The city lists the stupa as open 24 hours.

Pashupatinath is the most revered Hindu temple in Nepal, on the Bagmati river about 5 km east of the city centre, and the Pashupati Area Development Trust says the Pashupati Area around it spreads over 264 hectares. It is one of the seven monument zones of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site, which UNESCO inscribed in 1979. The city calls it a living heritage where rituals from birth to death are performed, and along the river you look onto the cremation ghats that the Pashupati Area Development Trust runs, Arya Ghat and Bhasmeshwar Ghat among them. The trust lists the temple open daily from 4:00 to 21:00, with the main sanctum for Hindus only and the surrounding ghats open for observation; non-Hindus also watch from the terraces across the river to the east. Keep well back from families at a cremation.

The Bagmati Aarati, the river ritual that the tourism board calls one of the most engaging at the site, closes the day; the trust posts the day's evening aarti time on its home page. The trust puts the temple about 15 minutes by taxi from Thamel, and microbuses and the three-wheeled tempos stop at Gaushala, a short walk away. Leather items, including shoes and belts, must be left outside the complex, and the Slesh Mantak forest around the site is full of monkeys.

Pashupatinath lists NPR 1,000 per day per entry for foreign nationals and for Chinese nationals, and entry is free for Indian nationals. The trust says that after the 2015 earthquake the main temple's ancient construction withstood significant damage, while many subsidiary shrines had to be rebuilt in full. The biggest crowds come at Shivaratri, the night of Shiva, when sadhus and pilgrims from across Nepal and India throng the temple, and on Teej, a festival observed by Hindu women.

Thamel and the Garden of Dreams

Thamel is a quarter of narrow lanes, shops, cafes and rickshaws, and it is where most visitors end the day. For souvenirs, the tourism board names showrooms at Durbar Marg, Asan and Thamel for pashmina shawls, carpets, Thangka paintings, spices and tea.

The Garden of Dreams, at the entrance to Thamel, is the calm option. Field Marshal Kaiser Shumsher Rana built it in 1920 after seeing the garden of King Edward VII on a visit to the United Kingdom, and it passed to the government in 1964 and was left neglected for decades. It reopened in 2007 after nearly seven years of reconstruction. Pavilions are named after the six seasons, and there are ponds, European-style verandas and aviaries for birds. The Kaiser Cafe operates inside.

Getting around the valley

The Nepal Tourism Board says you can hail a taxi, recognised by the taxi sign on top and a black licence plate, that private taxis charge higher rates, and that no tip is expected. Its FAQ says the cities have metered taxis; ask for the meter or agree the fare before you set off. Pathao's car service runs in the Kathmandu Valley and is booked in its app. InDrive's Nepal page names Kathmandu, Pokhara and Bharatpur among the cities where you can book a ride, and lets the passenger offer a fare.

Leave room for traffic between the sites. The green Sajha buses, which the tourism board calls government-run and Sajha Yatayat describes as a cooperative, follow the main north-south and east-west roads of the valley and stop only at designated stops. Battery-run three-wheelers and tempos cover shorter hops, and rickshaws suit the old city. Our Nepal transport guide covers the flights and roads beyond the valley.

Outside the terminal, a prepaid taxi service is available, and taxi drivers, travel agents and hoteliers wait to offer rides. Ask the prepaid counter for the Thamel fare before you pay, or have your hotel send a car. The other choices are a taxi with the roof sign and black plate, or a Pathao or inDrive ride, which inDrive says you can book through its app on arrival. Carry an extra passport photo to buy a local SIM card in the arrival halls. On 15 September 2026 France's foreign ministry said works at the airport have partly closed it and may affect bookings on arrival or departure, so check your flight with the airline before you travel.

Airport–Thamel fares and road distance, and journey times between the main sights, need checking when you arrange the car.

Air, scams and demonstrations in the valley

The UK, French and German governments' travel advice pages add three cautions for the city. The Kathmandu Valley has some of the highest air pollution in the world, according to the French foreign ministry, with peaks of high to very high intensity in winter. The Department of Environment's 2025 annual report names the valley and the Terai as Nepal's most polluted regions and finds pollution generally highest in winter and before the monsoon, and lowest during the rains. The department's live readings are on pollution.gov.np. France advises older people, children, pregnant women and anyone with asthma or a heart condition to cut outdoor time at peaks and to wear an N95, KN95 or FFP2 mask.

In Thamel, the French foreign ministry reports frequent scams, the commonest being a stranger who offers to export jewellery or gold abroad for a commission: the practice is illegal, and those who agree are blackmailed with a threat of denunciation to the police. The UK government names Thamel, Sanepa and Kupondol for pickpockets and bag-snatchers, and Germany says petty crime rises in the festival season from September to November.

Germany and France both tell foreigners to keep away from demonstrations and large gatherings, and Germany adds that taking part can be an offence.

Two or three days, and day trips from the valley

Spend the first day on Durbar Square and an afternoon in the Garden of Dreams and Thamel, and the second on Swayambhunath, Boudhanath and Pashupatinath, moving between them by taxi in daylight. Give the third to Patan, about 5 km southeast, or Bhaktapur, 12 km east, each a half to a full day. Their guides give the ticket categories and the sights to prioritise. With only two days, keep the first two.

Nagarkot, 32 km from the capital, is a viewpoint to see at dawn or dusk and is worth a night; see our Nagarkot guide. For a whole-trip budget that includes these Kathmandu nights, see our seven-day itinerary.

Drive between valley sights and to Nagarkot in daylight, and check that the road is open before setting off. The UK government advises against night road travel; Germany warns that floods damage roads around the Kathmandu Valley and that closures and local night-driving bans can be imposed at short notice. If the Nagarkot road is closed, keep your night in Kathmandu and postpone the ridge. Other governments may draw a wider line, so check your own government's advice before travelling.