The capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, is always the best destination for visitors. The only international airport is the gateway point to many travelers to get inside Nepal. The top things to see in Kathmandu city embraces cultural and UNESCO world heritage sites, temples, royal palace and many more.
Arriving in Kathmandu
Once you land in Kathmandu airport (Tribhuvan international airport) then continue to immigration, get visa on arrival easily. If you have a visa before landing in Nepal, just put the stamp on immigration. After this follow others to get outside of the immigration building.
If you have booked your trip with the Tour Company then they will pick up you from the airport. If you have planned to travel by yourself then get a taxi from Airport Taxi Service to Down Town (City Center) called Thamel or your Hotel where you booked.
While you don’t have booked the hotel then you can get information from HAN (Hotel Association Nepal) counter from the airport.
Then reach your hotel and get refreshed and head towards money exchange to exchange your currency with Nepalese one. You can use your credit cards which applicable require 4% extra for paying your bills or get money from ATM which is easily available in Thamel.
If you want to visit yourself then visit these places around Kathmandu which are highly recommended by Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor.
Top Things to see in Kathmandu
Kathmandu Durbar Square:
Kathmandu Durbar Square called Basantapur, which is situated in heart of Kathmandu City as well known by Old Kathmandu. It impresses visitors with temples, Courtyards and Old Royal Places those built-in Malla Period.
Further, you can see many things like Royal Place of 18 century, magnificent views of Pagoda of Kasthamandap, Kumari Ghar, Kal Bhairav and Taleju Temple. Similarly, the artifacts that are assembled in the temples are mesmerizing to see, if you love the artworks. So these are the top things to see but still, you feel the people, religious scenario, market and many things which are always calling for visitors.
Swayambhunath Stupa:
It is located on Hill which is almost 3 km west from Thamel (Down Town) is second on our list to top things to see in Kathmandu. We can say it’s the Buddhists Temple (Holy Temple) in Nepal.
It’s the oldest stupa where you can see monks, monastery, temple and many things about Buddhist religions. Also, it is the best viewpoint for Kathmandu Valley with a range of peaks and hills in the far view. Nowadays it has got another name “Monkey temple”.
Bouddhanath Stupa:
Famous Bouddhanath Stupa is the biggest stupa in Kathmandu Valley. It is situated 8 km from downtown. It’s the place for Tibetan Buddhism as well as famous for meditation. We call peace stupa the best place for Photography.
Still, there are many interesting and well famous places around Kathmandu like Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar square, Chandragiri Hill station, Sleeping Bishnu, Chagunarayan, Kirtipur and many more. Travelers can visit those places depending on their holidays and time.
Pashupatinath Temple:
One of the biggest and well famous Hindu Temple in the world called Pashupatinath is situated east of Down Town which is 5 km far. Lord Shiva is considered one of the most sacred Hindu shires in the world.
Most of Hindu people have a dream to be there once in a lifetime for worship. As well as visitors can explore crematory and Hindu Religion. So, this obviously falls under the top places to visit in Kathmandu.
Old Market:
In the list of top things to see in Kathmandu, how can we leave old markets. The likes of Asan And Indrachowk are always famous. These famous place always acquire a large number of people. Even walking in this old market gets traffic jam(read: Good and Bad things about Nepal).
Small roads with lots of shops with high-quality items are the point of attraction. The temples are also present. It is a belief that if anyone doesn’t get things they want in their home places or shop, then go to Asan.
This is the sole point behind influx of people in this place. It is also one of get way point to get to Kathmandu Durbar Square.
Royal palace:
Royal palace now a days museum is another best place to visit in Kathmandu. It is right next to Thamel, that’s why it gets lots of visits.
The Narayanhiti before 2009 was a Royal palace where the last royal families resided being royal of the country. But after the movement in 2006 and the newly elected assembly, the Royal family had to leave that palace.
The palace has been the center of attraction since it became a museum. The question was always there how the royal family lived, what belongings they had, their lifestyle and many more.
Once became museum lots of questions get answers. The rooms are named on the basis on the name of Districts of Nepal.
A lot of presents, medals, photographs of foreign representatives and previous royal families describe the royal family.
The king’s throne, halls, wild animal’s body parts have fetched the attraction. So, if you are in Kathmandu then go and visit the former Royal Palace.
Kirtipur:
Kirtipur is one of the ancient towns in Kathmandu Valley. Previously, it was the territory of Lalitpur. After Gorkhali troop invaded it and annexed to kingdom of Nepal in 1767. Tribhuvan University, the oldest university, is located in Kirtipur.
Kirtipur is the tallest town among the cities in Kathmandu valley. We can see beautiful mountain panorama and the entire Kathmandu valley from Kirtipur in fair weather. Moreover, Bagh Bhairab, Chilancho Stupa,Uma Maheshwar,
Nagar Mandap and Shri Kirti Bihar are the prominent sites to visit in Kirtipur.
Bagh Vairab is three storeyed temple from 16th century where Newar community ( Pradhan) worship go Vairab. The Newars of Kirtipur regard Bhairab as their protector. You can see erotic arts on the slanted wooden frames of the temple.
Chilancho Stupa is Chaitya styled stupa which marks the history and architecture from Lichhibi Period. Similarly, Suspension bridge in Kirtipur is situated above a very deep gorge. This is also a thing to see while you are in Kirtipur.
From the highest point of Kirtipur, Uma Maheshwar, we can witness spectacular Langtang, Dorge Lakkpa, Chobhu Bhamure, and Gaurishankar. Mainly, we have a beautiful insight of Newar culture heritage during our Kirtipur Visit.
Garden of Dreams:
In our final list to top things to see in Kathmandu, the Garden of Dreams becomes the unanimous choice. It is between Thamel and Royal palace. Enjoy the environment inside Graden of Dreams.
How to visit top things in Kathmandu?
If you plan to visit yourself, you can hire a private vehicle from the hotel or use Local Taxi and go everywhere easily. If you are looking for a cheap trip(read: How to travel cheap in Nepal?) and different experience then you can reach Kathmandu Durbar Square and Swayambhunath and Old market on foot.
Then get a local public bus to Bouddhanath and Pashupatinath. After finishing tour get a bus to Ratnapark and walk back to the hotel. To reach Kirtipur you can ride a local bus from Ratnapark. Ratnapark is a bus station from where you can get vehicles for different routes in Kathmandu. Infact, you can get vehicles for Bhaktapur and Patan from Ratnapark areas.
Nowadays, visitors hire motorbike and bicycle too for their trip to those places.
Where to eat Nepali food?
In Kathmandu, there are many local and tourist restaurants that provide a variety of food. In Thamel, you can find Italian, Indian, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Halal, and Mexican as well as Nepali restaurant, where you can pick your own choice. When you are visiting some other country then why not to try their local food and get new taste and flavor.
In Nepal, there are many popular dishes like:
- Dal Bhat (lentil soup, rice, green veg, curry, pickle with local food)
- Momo
- Chapati
- Curry
- Noodles
- Rice and many more.
You can have your lunch, dinner and snacks in a local restaurant.
See also:
Best time to visit Kathmandu
You can visit Kathmandu anytime of the year. The main reason is that you can visit all these places even in Monsoon and Winter. But your visit may be disturbed by rain and sometimes you have to wait till afternoon to see mountains in winter time. Otherwise these places are always open and welcome visitors anytime of the year.
If you want to visit Kathmandu city then do contact us. There is yet another way to explore Kathmandu city With Everest with Eco Holidays Nepal.
Please leave a comment below if you have any query.