Kathmandu Valley · Durbar squares, stupas and old towns
Heritage and temples in Kathmandu Valley
The Kathmandu Valley alone holds seven monument zones inscribed together as one UNESCO World Heritage Site. Add Lumbini, Tansen, Gorkha, Nuwakot, Janakpur and Lo Manthang, and you can read Nepal's history in brick, wood and stone.
Trips
Kathmandu Valleymax 1,750 mBuddhist Kathmandu: Boudha to Namobuddha
Five nights following the Buddhist thread of the Kathmandu Valley: three at Boudhanath for dawn koras and monastery visits, Swayambhu and the …
Kathmandu Valleymax 2,175 mDashain festival days in the Kathmandu Valley
Six nights timed to the last and biggest days of Dashain, Nepal's fifteen-day autumn festival. See the Fulpati procession reach Hanuman Dhoka, …
Kathmandu Valleymax 2,175 mEverest by air, Kathmandu and Nagarkot
Three nights to see Everest without walking to it. A one-hour dawn mountain flight runs along the Himalaya to the Everest massif …
Kathmandu Valleymax 1,420 mKathmandu stopover in two nights
Two nights in Kathmandu for travellers between flights or before a trek. See Swayambhu at sunset, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Pashupatinath and the …
Kathmandu Valleymax 1,750 mKathmandu to Lumbini: the Buddha's path
An eight-night Buddhist pilgrimage that starts at the great stupas of the Kathmandu Valley and the hilltop shrine of Namobuddha, flies down …
Kathmandu Valleymax 1,401 mMakers of the valley: metal, clay, wood, masks
Four nights in the workshops of the Kathmandu Valley's craft families. Watch bronze cast by the lost-wax method in Patan, carvers at …
Kathmandu Valleymax 2,551 mKathmandu Valley with children
A five-night family trip around the Kathmandu Valley built for short attention spans and early bedtimes: monkeys at Swayambhu, a momo-making class, …
Kathmandu Valleymax 1,540 mThe seven heritage zones of the Kathmandu Valley
Four nights, five days and all seven monument zones that make up the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site: the Durbar squares of …
Kathmandu Valleymax 1,600 mNepal first-timer: Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan
The classic first trip to Nepal in nine nights: three in Kathmandu for the Durbar squares, stupas and Pashupatinath, three in Pokhara …
Kathmandu Valleymax 1,400 mNewar food and festivals of the valley
Five nights in the kitchens, markets and festival squares of the Newars, the valley's oldest people. Eat samay baji in Kirtipur, buy …
Places
Kathmandu Valley1,401 mBhaktapur
Khwopa, the city of potters, drums and the five-roofed Nyatapola
Kathmandu Valley1,370 mBoudhanath
The great white stupa where Tibet meets the Kathmandu Valley
Kathmandu Valley1,350 mBungamati
Home village of the red rain god, and of the valley's woodcarvers
Kathmandu Valley1,541 mChangunarayan
A hilltop Vishnu temple with Nepal's oldest dated inscription
Kathmandu Valley1,400 mKathmandu
Yen of the Newars: a capital built round one wooden pavilion
Kathmandu Valley1,400 mKirtipur
Kipu, the ridge town that held off the Gorkha army three times
Kathmandu Valley1,442 mPanauti
A Newar river town where three rivers meet, one of them unseen
Kathmandu Valley1,330 mPashupatinath
Shiva's temple on the Bagmati, where Nepal comes to pray and to part
Kathmandu Valley1,350 mPatan
Yala, the city of metalworkers, courtyards and Buddhist bahals
Kathmandu Valley1,450 mPharping
Guru Rinpoche's caves and the gorge of Dakshinkali on the southern rim
Kathmandu Valley1,420 mSwayambhunath
The self-born stupa on the hill where the valley's story begins
Experiences
HeritageBhaktapur's three squares with a local guide
A morning walk linking Bhaktapur's Durbar Square, Taumadhi and Tachupal through the lanes between them. We see the Golden Gate, …
CraftThrow a pot in Bhaktapur's Pottery Square
Spend a morning with a Prajapati potter in Talako, the pottery quarter just south of Taumadhi. Watch pots thrown on …
FoodJuju dhau, bara and Khwopa's snack shops
A late-afternoon food walk through Bhaktapur's squares and lanes: juju dhau from the clay bowl, bara and chatamari off the …
HeritageDawn in Khwopa's toles and water spouts
An early walk for those staying overnight: neighbours at morning puja, women at the stone spouts, farmers heading out with …
SpiritualDawn kora with the pilgrims of Boudha
Walk three slow circuits round the great stupa at first light with Tibetan families, monks and neighbours. We explain the …
SpiritualSit in on a Tibetan monastery puja
Visit two of Boudha's monasteries during prayers: deep chanting, long horns, drums and butter lamps. We explain the main images, …
CraftWatch thangka painters at work in Boudha
Visit a working thangka studio near the stupa where painters grind mineral pigments and paint Buddhist scrolls by hand. Learn …
Slow daysWalk up to Kopan for quiet and valley views
A gentle walk from the stupa up to Kopan Monastery on its hill north of Boudha, through lanes and fields. …
Stays
heritage hotel1,400 mDwarika's Hotel
A heritage hotel at Battisputali, near Pashupatinath, built around brick courtyards and fitted with carved Newar windows, doors and struts …
city hotel1,400 mHotel Yak & Yeti
A large city hotel on Durbar Marg, built around part of a 19th-century Rana palace, with gardens, a pool and …
heritage hotel1,400 mHotel Shanker
A Rana-era palace in Lazimpat converted into a hotel, with a white neoclassical facade, high-ceilinged halls and a large garden …
city hotel1,400 mKathmandu Guest House
One of the first guesthouses in Thamel, opened in the late 1960s, and the place many say started the area's …
resort1,400 mGokarna Forest Resort
A resort inside the Gokarna forest, a former royal hunting reserve on the north-eastern edge of Kathmandu, with an 18-hole …