Where to stay in Nepal: Thamel, Lakeside, Sauraha and four more bases

Thamel: the base for Durbar Square and dinner

Thamel is what Kathmandu Metropolitan City calls the capital's tourist hub, and the Garden of Dreams, a garden laid out in 1920 and reopened in 2007 after nearly seven years of reconstruction, stands at its entrance. The Nepal Tourism Board lists Thamel first among the districts where Kathmandu's restaurants are concentrated, so an evening out needs no taxi. Choose it for a first visit built around Durbar Square, Swayambhunath and the old city, which our Kathmandu guide fits into three days.

Lazimpat and Durbarmarg, which the board lists beside Thamel for restaurants, are the central districts to look at if you would rather not sleep in the tourist hub itself.

The reference hotel is Hotel Marshyangdi on Chaksibari Marg, with 80 rooms and a garden restaurant. Checked on 17 October 2026, its mid-range Deluxe Room, a king or twin with air conditioning and Wi-Fi, started at USD 70 a night, the Super Deluxe Room at USD 80 and the Junior Suites at USD 100.

Keep your bag closed in the crowds: the UK government names Thamel, with Sanepa and Kupondol, for pickpockets and bag-snatchers.

Boudha: the great stupa, as a visit from Thamel

Boudha lies 8 km east of downtown Kathmandu around the largest stupa in the valley, whose dome measures 36 m across and which the Nepal Tourism Board calls the centre of Himalayan Buddhism. Kathmandu Metropolitan City describes the district as a settlement of Tibetan refugees that is often crowded with visitors. Plan it as a half day from Thamel, paired with Pashupatinath: the restaurants and the old city that a first trip is built around are on the Thamel side.

Patan and Bhaktapur: a night inside an old town

Patan lies 5 km southeast of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur 12 km east of it on the Arniko Highway, so both work as day trips from Thamel. Give one of your three Kathmandu nights to either when you want the squares and brick lanes on foot at the start and end of the day, without a taxi ride each way. Either way the Durbar Squares are ticketed: buy the ticket at the entry point, at the price our Patan and Bhaktapur guides give.

Patan, the city of artisans, keeps its narrow streets, brick houses and temples, and the board says its predominant sound is the tinkering of craftsmen bent over the statuettes they are shaping. The reference hotel is Hotel Shaligram in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur. Its Heritage Room, 210 square feet with a power shower and an open terrace, is listed from USD 59 a night for two adults, with free luggage storage; breakfast is an add-on at USD 8 per person.

Bhaktapur sits on a hill at 1,401 m, with brick-paved roads, red brick houses and the 15th-century Palace of 55 Windows on its Durbar Square. The reference hotel, Sweet Home Bhaktapur, says it stands in front of the Royal Bath and behind that palace, so the square is at the door. It lists a Twin Room at USD 40 and a Deluxe Room at USD 60 a night, and says a continental breakfast is available each morning.

Nagarkot: one night for the sunrise

Nagarkot is 32 km from Kathmandu on the rim of the valley. The Nepal Tourism Board recommends it, with Dhulikhel, for panoramic views of the Himalayas, and says you could stay overnight there to watch the sunrise and sunset. One night is the right length: arrive in the afternoon for the evening light and stay for the first light of the next morning.

The reference hotel is Hotel Country Villa, which says it stands on the top of Nagarkot hill. Its Country Villa Deluxe Room, with a private balcony, free Wi-Fi and a complimentary water bottle, is listed from USD 105 a night; the Country Villa Deluxe Premium starts at USD 125 and the Executive Suite at USD 485.

Lakeside, Pokhara: the lake town and the nights around a trek

Lakeside, also called Baidam, runs along the eastern shore of Phewa Lake, and the Nepal Tourism Board calls it a thriving resort town of hotels, restaurants, bars and souvenir shops, with boats for hire on the water; boaters cross to Taal Barahi Temple on its little island, and the board says many visitors keep Machhapuchhre's "Fish Tail" peak, reflected in the still lake with the Annapurna range behind, as their most lasting picture of Nepal. Book two nights for the lake and the dawn view, a third in case cloud hides the mountains, and one night on each side of a trek if you walk from here, as our Pokhara guide explains; the board calls Pokhara the gateway to the Annapurna region.

Yeti Airlines gives Kathmandu to Pokhara as about 25 minutes. Allow a full travel day for the road alternative.

Sarangkot, the hill above the lake, has tourist-standard hotels, lodges and teahouses and luxury resorts, 11.3 km from Lakeside and at most 30 minutes by road. The board says a day visit is also fine, so sleep there only if sunrise from the view tower is the point of the trip.

The reference hotel is New Pokhara Lodge in Lakeside, a budget lodge. Its Standard Room with attached bathroom, double or twin for two people, is listed at USD 30 a night including all taxes, with Wi-Fi, and breakfast is USD 5 per person extra. The same tariff lists an Economy room at USD 20, a Superior room at USD 35 and a Deluxe room with a tub at USD 45, all for two people. Agree with the lodge where your main bag waits while you trek when you book the nights either side.

Sauraha or Meghauli: the lodge towns beside Chitwan National Park

Sauraha is the town where, in the Nepal Tourism Board's words, visitors stop over before their jungle adventure, with tourist-standard hotels, community homestays and luxury resorts and restaurants that overlook the Rapti River at sunset; with luck, the board says, you may see one-horned rhinos or elephants near the river banks or in the town itself, even off safari. The board describes a typical jungle safari as two nights and three days, so book two nights; the park permit and the jungle day are in our Chitwan guide.

Meghauli, the park's western entrance on the banks of the Rapti and Narayani rivers, is the other base: the board points to Tharu culture and sunset at Golghat where the rivers meet. Choose it if Tharu villages and the Golghat sunset matter more to you than Sauraha's restaurants and nightlife.

For Chitwan, Buddha Air flies Kathmandu to Bharatpur in 25 minutes, and the Nepal Tourism Board puts Bharatpur 145 km from Kathmandu by road. From Lakeside, Buddha Air flies Pokhara to Bharatpur once a day in 20 minutes. Make any road transfer in daylight.

The reference hotel is Jungle Safari Resort on Sauraha's Main Road. Its Standard Deluxe Room, with air conditioning, an attached bathroom with a hot and cold shower and satellite television, is listed at USD 30 a night, and its Super Deluxe Cottage at USD 49. Park fees are separate, and the resort's own tariff lists its activities from USD 55 for a canoe ride or a half-day jeep safari and USD 70 for a jungle walk, prices that it says vary with the size of the group, nationality and the guide.

Lumbini: a night by the Sacred Garden

Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its Maya Devi Temple holds the marker stone showing the spot where he was born. Sleep by the garden rather than in Bhairahawa, the airport town, which the tourism board calls a major industrial city bordering India, so the evening and the next morning are spent among the monasteries; one night is the minimum, as the Lumbini guide sets out.

For Lumbini you fly to Bhairahawa: Yeti Airlines gives approximately 35 minutes. The Lumbini Development Trust lists Kathmandu to Lumbini at approximately 280 km and around 10 to 11 hours by bus, with departures at 07:00 and 19:00 and fares around NPR 1,500 to 2,000, checked on 18 October 2026; use a road service only if it can finish before dark; otherwise fly or change the plan. From Lakeside, Buddha Air flies Pokhara to Bhairahawa once a day in 20 minutes. From Sauraha, go by road through Butwal: Buddha Air lists its Bharatpur to Bhairahawa flight as temporarily suspended. From the airport the Lumbini Development Trust puts Lumbini 18 km away by car or taxi; the Nepal Tourism Board says Lumbini lies 22 km from Bhairahawa town.

The reference hotel is Lumbini Zambala Hotel, which says it stands in front of gate no. 4. Its Standard Room, 230 square feet with a garden view for two adults, is listed at USD 65 a night. The Deluxe Room is USD 80 and the Suite Deluxe, for four adults, USD 120.

Trek lodges: the nights on the trail

On the trails you sleep in lodges and teahouses. The National Trust for Nature Conservation counts over 1,000 lodges, teashops and other services in the Annapurna Conservation Area alone, and the tourism board lists hotels, restaurants, a pub and Wi-Fi among what Namche Bazaar, the main stop on the Everest route, offers. Plan lodge nights from your trekking agency's quote; no lodge rates are given here.

The routes in this edition need a licensed guide and a TIMS card issued through a registered trekking agency, under the board's rule in force since 31 March 2023, so solo trekking is not an option on them.

Roads between the bases in the monsoon

The road legs above are the bookings the weather changes most. The Nepal Tourism Board says most rain falls in the monsoon. The monsoon runs from June to September. The UK government warns about hazardous monsoon travel from June to October, when roads can be impassable; it advises checking the road is open, avoiding overloaded buses and not travelling at night, and Germany says to use only marked tourist buses. The transport guide covers the flights and buses. Check your own government's advice before travelling, since it may draw a wider line.