Things to do · Kathmandu · Nepal
17 best things to do in Kathmandu
17 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Nabin K. Sapkota, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Kathmandu are Kathmandu Durbar Square, Swayambhunath and Boudhanath. Of the 17 picks below, 6 are free, 2 work on a rainy day and 3 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Kathmandu Durbar Square
- Free sights
- 6
- Good on a rainy day
- Patan Museum
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu Durbar Square | Freak Street and Durbar Square | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Swayambhunath | Swayambhu | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Boudhanath | Boudha | 2 hours | Low cost |
| Pashupatinath Temple | Gaushala | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Patan Durbar Square | Patan (Lalitpur) | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Everest mountain flight | Tribhuvan International Airport | About 1 hour in the air | Expensive |
| Patan Museum | Patan (Lalitpur) | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Asan and Indra Chowk market walk | Old City | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Garden of Dreams | Thamel | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Narayanhiti Palace Museum | Durbar Marg | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Kopan Monastery | Boudha | 1.5 hours | Free |
| Chandragiri Hills cable car | Thankot | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park | Budhanilkantha | Half to full day | Low cost |
| Budhanilkantha Temple | Budhanilkantha | 45 minutes | Free |
| Taudaha Lake | Chobhar | 1 hour | Free |
| Freak Street | Freak Street and Durbar Square | 30 minutes | Free |
| Thamel | Thamel | 2 hours | Free |
The 17 best things to do
Historic site · Freak Street and Durbar Square
1.Kathmandu Durbar Square
The former royal square, also called Hanuman Dhoka after the palace guarded by a red-cloaked Hanuman statue, is a cluster of multi-roofed temples, palace courtyards and shrines. Highlights include the rebuilt Kasthamandap pavilion, the fierce Kal Bhairav relief and the Kumari Ghar, home of the Kumari, a girl worshipped as a living goddess who sometimes appears at her courtyard window.
Arrive early to see morning worship before tour groups; keep your ticket, which is checked at several entry points around the square.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Religious site · Swayambhu
2.Swayambhunath
On a wooded hill west of the city, this ancient stupa painted with the all-seeing eyes of the Buddha is surrounded by shrines, prayer wheels and resident monkeys, which give it its nickname, the Monkey Temple. The eastern stairway climbs about 365 steep stone steps, and the top looks across the whole valley.
Climb the eastern stairs early in the morning when pilgrims circle the stupa, and keep food and loose items away from the monkeys.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Views
- History
- Photo spot
- Kids
Religious site · Boudha
3.Boudhanath
One of the largest stupas in the world, Boudhanath's white dome and gilded tower are strung with prayer flags and ringed by Tibetan monasteries, shops and cafés. At dawn and dusk hundreds of people walk the kora, the clockwise circuit around it, spinning prayer wheels and chanting.
Come in the late afternoon, walk the kora clockwise with the pilgrims, then watch the stupa from a rooftop café as butter lamps are lit.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Photo spot
- Couples
- After dark
Religious site · Gaushala
4.Pashupatinath Temple
Nepal's holiest Hindu temple, dedicated to Shiva, stands on the banks of the Bagmati River. Only Hindus may enter the main pagoda, but visitors can explore the surrounding shrines, meet sadhus and watch, from the opposite bank, the open-air cremations on the riverside ghats. An evening aarti ceremony takes place by the river.
Watch cremations quietly from the east bank and never photograph mourners up close; a licensed guide helps explain the rituals.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- After dark
Historic site · Patan (Lalitpur)
5.Patan Durbar Square
Patan's royal square is often considered the most harmonious in the valley, with the stone shikhara of the 17th-century Krishna Mandir, the Royal Palace's courtyards and a row of tiered temples. The surrounding lanes lead to the Golden Temple (Kwa Bahal) and workshops where artisans cast bronze statues.
Spend the afternoon here, then stay for dusk when locals gather on the temple steps.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Experience · Tribhuvan International Airport
6.Everest mountain flight
Early-morning sightseeing flights from Kathmandu's domestic terminal fly east along the Himalaya for about an hour, giving every passenger a window view of peaks including Everest without trekking. Flights depend on clear weather.
Book for one of your first mornings so there is time to rebook if the flight is cancelled for cloud.
- Time needed
- About 1 hour in the air
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Book through an airline or agent a few days ahead, and choose a date early in your stay in case of weather cancellations.
- Views
- Kids
- Photo spot
- Iconic
Museum · Patan (Lalitpur)
7.Patan Museum
Housed in the Keshav Narayan Chowk wing of Patan's royal palace, this museum displays bronze and stone Hindu and Buddhist sculpture with clear explanations of iconography. Its galleries and restored courtyard garden café are among the most rewarding in South Asia.
Visit before exploring Patan Durbar Square; the displays will help you read the temples outside.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Street · Old City
8.Asan and Indra Chowk market walk
The diagonal market street from Thamel to Durbar Square passes Asan Tole, an ancient crossroads of spice, grain and utensil traders around a small temple to Annapurna, and Indra Chowk, where a bead bazaar sells glass necklaces worn by married women. Tiny shrines are tucked into courtyards all along the way.
Walk it in the morning when the vegetable sellers are out, and step into side courtyards such as those off Kel Tole to find hidden shrines.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
- Photo spot
- History
Garden · Thamel
1.Garden of Dreams
A neoclassical garden of pavilions, fountains and lawns created in the 1920s for Field Marshal Kaiser Shumsher Rana and restored with Austrian support. It sits at the edge of Thamel and is the quietest spot in central Kathmandu for reading or coffee.
Bring a book for an hour's escape from Thamel's traffic.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Architecture
Museum · Durbar Marg
2.Narayanhiti Palace Museum
The royal palace at the top of Durbar Marg became a museum after Nepal abolished its monarchy in 2008. Visitors walk through state rooms decorated with hunting trophies and gifts from foreign governments, and the grounds mark the site of the 2001 royal massacre.
Cameras and phones usually have to be deposited at the entrance, so plan to look rather than photograph.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Religious site · Boudha
3.Kopan Monastery
On a hilltop north of Boudhanath, this Tibetan Buddhist monastery is home to monks and nuns and runs well-known introductory courses in Buddhism and meditation. Its gardens and stupas look out over the valley.
Check the monastery's schedule for short meditation sessions open to visitors.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
Viewpoint · Thankot
4.Chandragiri Hills cable car
A cable car from Thankot, on the south-western rim of the valley, rises about 2.4 km to Chandragiri hill at around 2,500 metres. On clear days the summit looks across a long stretch of the Himalaya, and there is a small Shiva temple, a playground and restaurants at the top.
Go on a clear morning between October and March for the best mountain views; afternoons often cloud over.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Kids
- Outdoors
Nature · Budhanilkantha
5.Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park
The forested hills on the valley's northern rim form a national park crossed by trails, including a steep climb to Shivapuri peak at about 2,730 metres and walks to the Nagi Gompa nunnery. It is the nearest place to the city for birdwatching and a day hike.
Start early from the Budhanilkantha entrance, carry water and lunch, and go with a companion or guide.
- Time needed
- Half to full day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Active
- Outdoors
- Views
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Religious site · Budhanilkantha
6.Budhanilkantha Temple
About 10 km north of the centre, a 5-metre stone statue of Vishnu reclines on a bed of coiled serpents in a pool of water. Carved more than a thousand years ago, it is one of the most striking sculptures in Nepal and draws worshippers each morning.
Non-Hindus usually view the statue from beside the enclosure; combine it with a hike in Shivapuri park.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Off the beaten path
Nature · Chobhar
7.Taudaha Lake
A small lake south-west of the city on the road to Dakshinkali, linked by legend to the draining of the Kathmandu Valley by the bodhisattva Manjushri. In winter it attracts migratory waterbirds, and a path circles the shore.
Combine it with the Chobhar gorge and the Newar villages of Bungamati and Khokana on a half-day loop.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
Street · Freak Street and Durbar Square
8.Freak Street
Jhochhen Tole, the short lane leading south from Basantapur, earned its nickname as the end point of the 1960s and 1970s hippie trail. Today it has cheap cafés, guesthouses and souvenir shops, and makes a pleasant detour from Durbar Square.
Have a cheap lunch here after visiting Durbar Square, away from the square's tourist restaurants.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Off the beaten path
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Neighbourhood · Thamel
9.Thamel
Kathmandu's traveller district is a maze of lanes lined with trekking-gear shops, bookshops, singing-bowl stores and rooftop restaurants. Evenings bring live music in the bars and a stream of travellers back from treks.
Compare prices across several shops before buying trekking gear, and check stitching and zips carefully.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- After dark
- Food
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Patan Museum and Narayanhiti Palace Museum |
| History | Kathmandu Durbar Square, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath and Pashupatinath Temple |
| Views | Swayambhunath, Kopan Monastery, Chandragiri Hills cable car and Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park |
| Outdoors and nature | Garden of Dreams, Kopan Monastery, Chandragiri Hills cable car and Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park |
| Food and markets | Asan and Indra Chowk market walk and Thamel |
| After dark | Boudhanath, Pashupatinath Temple and Thamel |
| With children | Swayambhunath, Chandragiri Hills cable car and Everest mountain flight |
| On a rainy day | Patan Museum and Narayanhiti Palace Museum |
What to book ahead
- Everest mountain flight: Book through an airline or agent a few days ahead, and choose a date early in your stay in case of weather cancellations.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Kathmandu?
Kathmandu Durbar Square. The former royal square, also called Hanuman Dhoka after the palace guarded by a red-cloaked Hanuman statue, is a cluster of multi-roofed temples, palace courtyards and shrines.
+What can you do for free in Kathmandu?
Asan and Indra Chowk market walk, Kopan Monastery, Budhanilkantha Temple, Taudaha Lake and Freak Street. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Kathmandu when it rains?
Head indoors to Patan Museum and Narayanhiti Palace Museum.
+What is there to do in Kathmandu at night?
Boudhanath, Pashupatinath Temple and Thamel are best after dark.