Getting around Kathmandu: airport, taxis and apps

Tribhuvan International Airport, code KTM, sits on the eastern side of Kathmandu at about 1,338 m. It is small and often crowded, with the international and domestic terminals a few hundred metres apart on the same site. Most nationalities can get a tourist visa on arrival: fill in the form at the kiosks or online beforehand, pay the fee for 15, 30 or 90 days, usually in US dollars cash, and queue at immigration. Indian citizens do not need a visa. Fees and rules change, so check current status before you travel.

After customs you will find bank counters, ATMs and desks for the two mobile networks, Ncell and Nepal Telecom, where you can buy a SIM card with your passport. A local SIM makes ride apps and maps much easier. Outside, a prepaid taxi counter sells fixed-price rides to the main areas, and hotel and tour company drivers wait with name boards. Expect porters to offer help with bags; agree a small tip first or politely decline.

Thamel is about 6 km away, Patan about 7 km and Boudha about 4 km. Allow 25–40 minutes for any of them, more at rush hour.

Kathmandu taxis are small cars, usually white, with black number plates and a taxi sign on the roof. They have meters, but most drivers prefer to agree a price for visitors. Ask a hotel or your guide for the going rate before you set out, agree the fare clearly before getting in and have small notes ready, as drivers often say they have no change.

Fares rise after about 9 pm and in rain, and drivers may refuse long or traffic-heavy trips at rush hour. For a half or full day of sightseeing, hire a taxi or car by the hour or day rather than paying trip by trip. Taxis cannot enter the pedestrian centres of Bhaktapur and parts of Patan, so you will walk the last stretch.

If something goes wrong, note the taxi number, which is painted on the side and on the plate, and ask your hotel to help. Overcharging is common but disputes are rare and usually polite. Women travelling alone at night are generally safer using an app or a taxi called by their hotel than one hailed on the street.

Ride-hailing apps are the easiest way to get a fair price without bargaining. Pathao offers motorbike and car rides; inDrive lets you propose a fare that drivers accept or counter. Both work across the valley, and most drivers expect payment in cash. Motorbike rides are cheap and quick in traffic but come with real risk; always wear the helmet offered.

The rules for ride-hailing in Nepal have shifted over the years, and some drivers use private vehicles. Apps also depend on mobile data, which can be patchy in narrow lanes. Pick up and drop off on a main road, share your trip with someone and check current status before you travel.

Public transport in the valley is cheap, crowded and run by many private operators. Large buses and Sajha Yatayat buses, a cooperative that also runs some electric buses, follow main roads. Microbuses, white vans that seat about fifteen, link almost every corner of the valley, and safa tempos, small battery-powered three-wheelers, run fixed routes in the city. Fares are usually NPR 20–50 within the valley.

There are few printed timetables or maps. Routes are called out by the conductor from the door, so ask locals or your hotel which bus goes where. The Ratna Park and Old Bus Park area near Tundikhel is the main hub for many routes, including buses to Bhaktapur. Keep valuables close and expect to stand at peak times. For travellers with luggage or limited time, buses are hard work; for a short, simple hop like Kathmandu to Bhaktapur, they are fine and very cheap.

For sightseeing days, a private car with driver is the most efficient choice, and it is not expensive by international standards: roughly USD 40–70 for a full day in the valley, depending on the car and distance. The driver waits while you visit, knows where to park near each heritage zone and can take you to the rim towns of Nagarkot, Dhulikhel and Panauti. Nepal drives on the left, roads are crowded and rules are loosely followed, so we do not suggest self-drive for visitors. Scooters can be rented in Thamel, but only consider it if you hold a valid licence, have ridden in similar traffic and are insured.

A car is also the simplest way to leave the valley. Pokhara is about 200 km and 6–8 hours by road, Chitwan about 165 km and 5–7 hours, and the roads wind through river gorges with heavy truck traffic and frequent roadworks. Tourist buses leave early each morning from Kantipath, near Thamel, for Pokhara and Chitwan, and are a good budget option. Flights take 20–25 minutes to Pokhara or Bharatpur and save most of a day.

These are typical daytime taxi fares and times for visitors. They change with fuel prices and traffic, so treat them as a guide and check current status before you travel.

Inside Kathmandu's old town, Patan and Bhaktapur, walking is the only sensible way to move, and the best way to see. Lanes are narrow, courtyards connect through low passages and many streets are closed to cars. Pavements on main roads are often broken or missing, so watch your step and the motorbikes, which use any gap. Cross roads with local people, slowly and steadily.

Dust and vehicle fumes can be heavy, especially in the dry months from December to April, so many residents wear masks. Carry a scarf or mask, water and small change for tea stops. Distances are short: Thamel to Kathmandu Durbar Square is about 20 minutes on foot through Asan, and Patan's Durbar Square to the Golden Temple is five.

Offline maps help in the old towns, where lanes are poorly signed. Courtyards often have two entrances, and locals use them as short cuts, so do not be shy about following a stream of people through a low doorway.

Traffic is the biggest variable in any valley plan. The Ring Road, about 27 km long, circles Kathmandu and Patan, and most cross-city trips use some of it. Rush hours are roughly 9–11 am and 4–7 pm, and festivals, VIP movements and occasional strikes can stop traffic without warning. Plan heritage visits by area to avoid crossing the city twice.

For domestic flights, reach the domestic terminal about an hour before departure and allow plenty of time for the drive. Mountain flights and early Pokhara flights leave at dawn, when roads are clear. In busy seasons, flights to Lukla often leave from Ramechhap instead, about 4–5 hours by road; check current status before you travel.