Nepal's capital and the arrival city for almost every flight from India. Pashupatinath, the great Shiva temple on the Bagmati, draws Hindu pilgrims from across India; the stupas of Boudhanath and Swayambhunath are the heart of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal; Durbar Square holds the old royal palace and the Kumari's house. Thamel is the backpacker and trekking quarter, where permits, gear and Indian and vegetarian restaurants are all within a few streets. Traffic and dust are heavy; the valley is best seen early in the morning.
Highlights
- Evening aarti at Pashupatinath
- Boudhanath Stupa at dusk
- Swayambhunath and its monkeys
- Kathmandu Durbar Square and the Kumari Ghar
- Thamel's gear shops and cafés
- Garden of Dreams
- Asan and Indra Chowk bazaars
- Chandragiri cable car view of the Himalaya
- Momos and Newari food
- Everest mountain flight (sunrise)
Things to do
- Pashupatinath Temple & the Bagmati ghatsMorning · 2h 30m
- Boudhanath Stupa kora at duskEvening · 2h
- Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) climbMorning · 2h
- Kathmandu Durbar Square & Kumari GharAfternoon · 2h 30m
- Asan & Indra Chowk bazaar walkAfternoon · 2h
- Newari food & momo crawl in ThamelEvening · 2h
- Everest mountain flight (1 h sightseeing flight)Morning · 3h
- Chandragiri Hills cable carMorning · 3h 30m
- Budhanilkantha: the sleeping Vishnu in his tankMorning · 1h 30m
- Narayanhiti Palace Museum, the former royal palaceMorning · 1h 30m
- Garden of Dreams, ThamelAfternoon · 1h
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: October – April
Heads up
Monsoon: Road Delays out of Kathmandu
June to September, landslides slow or close the highways to Pokhara, Chitwan and Syabrubesi for hours at a time, and flights in the hills are often delayed. Allow slack between legs and before your flight home.
Worth knowing
Dashain: Transport Full, Offices and Shops Closed
During Dashain (late September or October, 15 days, the main 4-5 days like India's Navratri and Dussehra) most of Kathmandu goes home to the villages: long-distance buses and domestic flights sell out a week either side, offices, banks and many shops and restaurants close for the main days, and taxis are scarce. Book transport early and carry cash.
Heads up
Tihar: Holidays and Full Buses
Tihar (Nepal's Deepawali, five days, two to three weeks after Dashain) closes offices and many shops for its last days and fills buses again. The lamps and decorations are lovely to see; plan around the transport.
Heads up
Dust and Smog in the Valley
Kathmandu's air is at its worst in the dry months, with dust from traffic and road works and, from March to May, smoke from forest fires that also turns the mountain views to haze. Carry an N95 mask for the city and for long road journeys.
- Dashain (Bada Dashain) — Nepal's biggest festival, 15 days ending on the full moon, with the main days (Phulpati to Vijaya Dashami, the day of tika from elders) like India's Navratri and Dussehra. Kathmandu empties as people go home: buses and domestic flights sell out a week either side, government offices, many shops and some restaurants close for 4-5 days, and prices rise. It falls in the autumn trekking season, so book transport early.
- Tihar (Deepawali) — Five days of lights, two to three weeks after Dashain: crows, dogs and cows are honoured on successive days, Laxmi Puja falls on India's Diwali, and Bhai Tika ends it. Towns are lit with oil lamps and garlands and children sing deusi-bhailo door to door. Offices close for the last days and long-distance buses fill up again.
- Maha Shivaratri at Pashupatinath — Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, many from India, and thousands of sadhus camp at Pashupatinath for Shiva's night. Queues for darshan last hours, roads round the temple close, and the area is crowded day and night; foreign visitors are sometimes kept out of the main day's rush.
- Holi (Fagu Purnima) — Colours are thrown in the hills, Kathmandu included, a day before the Terai (Janakpur, Chitwan, Lumbini) celebrates with India. Basantapur and Thamel are the centres in Kathmandu; wear old clothes and keep phones in a bag.
- Buddha Jayanti — The Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death, on the full moon of Baisakh: Lumbini holds the main ceremonies at the Maya Devi Temple, and Boudhanath and Swayambhunath in Kathmandu are lit with butter lamps and crowded with pilgrims. Lumbini's rooms fill early, and it is already very hot.
- Indra Jatra — Kathmandu Durbar Square's eight-day festival at the end of the monsoon: masked dances, the raising of the Yosin pole, and the Kumari, the living goddess, pulled through the old city in her chariot. Basantapur is packed; find a rooftop café early.
Part of a longer route
Kathmandu is a stop on a curated circuit through Nepal.