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Travel guide
Kathmandu
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: October to November, and March to April
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Welcome
Kathmandu, in a few days
A capital of over a million people in a valley at 1,400 metres, with seven World Heritage monument zones within twenty kilometres. The April 2015 earthquake destroyed part of them, and rebuilding is still going on.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 3 things
- D2 Day 2 3 things
- D3 Day 3 1 thing
- D4 Day 4 1 thing
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Kathmandu Durbar Square · about 1 h 30The old royal square: Hanuman Dhoka palace, dozens of temples and the house of the Kumari, a girl revered as a living goddess.
- Afternoon · Thamel free · about 1 h 30The travellers' district: a few narrow streets packed with mountain gear shops, bookshops, trekking agencies, restaurants and live music bars.
- Late afternoon · Swayambhunath · about 1 hA hilltop stupa west of the city, by tradition over 2,000 years old, reached by 365 steep steps lined with statues and rhesus macaques.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Shanker ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€75 a night
D2
Day 2
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Pashupatinath · about 1 h 30Nepal's holiest Hindu shrine, to Shiva, on the Bagmati; only Hindus enter the main temple, but anyone can watch the cremation ghats opposite.
- Afternoon · Boudhanath Stupa · about 1 hOne of the largest stupas in Asia, 36 metres high and rebuilt after 2015, its tower painted with the Buddha's eyes on all four sides.
- Late afternoon · Patan Durbar Square · about 1 h 30Five kilometres south, a kingdom until the 18th century, with the valley's best-preserved square and the Patan Museum of Newar art in the royal palace.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Shanker ↗€75 a night
D3
Day 3
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Bhaktapur · half a dayThe valley's third royal city, thirteen kilometres east and the best preserved, with limited motor traffic in the old town.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Shanker ↗€75 a night
D4
Day 4
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Nagarkot free · half a dayA ridge village at 2,175 metres, 32 kilometres east of the capital, with a wide Himalayan panorama; Everest shows on clear days.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Dal bhat: rice, lentil soup and vegetable curry, eaten twice a day and refilled until you say stop.
- Momos: steamed or fried dumplings, the snack of the whole country.
- Newari and Thakali sets: regional platters of many small dishes, from the Kathmandu valley and the Kali Gandaki.
- Sel roti: a ring of sweet rice-flour dough, fried and eaten at festivals.
- Chiya: milky tea boiled with sugar and spices, served everywhere in small glasses.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Climb slowly: altitude sickness can become serious above 2,500 metres.
- Take a guide or porter, and travel insurance that covers helicopter evacuation.
- Drink filtered or bottled water, and eat food that has been cooked hot.
- Walk clockwise around stupas and prayer wheels, keeping them on your right.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Nepali
| English | Nepali |
|---|---|
| Hello | नमस्ते (namaste) |
| Thank you | धन्यवाद (dhanyabad) |
| Please | कृपया (kripaya) |
| Yes | हो (ho) |
| No | होइन (hoina) |
| Excuse me | माफ गर्नुहोस् (maaf garnuhos) |
| Goodbye | बिदा (bida) |
| Do you speak English? | अङ्ग्रेजी बोल्नुहुन्छ? (angreji bolnuhunchha?) |
| I don't understand | मैले बुझिनँ (maile bujhina) |
| How much is it? | यो कति पर्छ? (yo kati parchha?) |
| Where are the toilets? | शौचालय कहाँ छ? (shauchalaya kahan chha?) |
| The bill, please | बिल दिनुहोस् (bill dinuhos) |
| Help! | बचाउनुहोस्! (bachaunuhos!) |
| Cheers! | चियर्स! (cheers!) |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyNepalese rupee (NPR)
BudgetAbout €45 a day, mid-range
Best seasonOctober to November, and March to April
PlugC/D/M · 230V
Tap waterBottled or filtered only
TippingAppreciated; guides and porters count on it
Emergency100 / 102
EntryA visa is required for EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports. It is issued on arrival at Kathmandu airport and the main land borders, for 15, 30 or 90 days and paid in US dollars, or can be pre-registered online up to 15 days before arrival. The passport must be valid six months from entry.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. Malaria is present in some rural lowland areas, so ask about prophylaxis for your route. Dengue occurs, so use repellent. On treks, altitude is the main risk.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/kathmandu
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.