30.04.2023 | Nepal, Travel

Our 15 favorite must-see places in Kathmandu, Nepal

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There is so much to see in Kathmandu, so many incredible temples and squares. Also the street life in Kathmandu is really nice! Definitely plan some time to stroll through the streets and soak in the vibes. The city, once center of the main trading route between Tibet and India, is located 1.296m above sea level, 1.4 million people live here. The most impressive temple was Shri Pashupatinath Temple, similar to India, women bath themselves in the water of the river and a few meters downstream the temple and river is used for cremation. When it gets dark they hold a beautiful ceremony with fire. We also recommend to visit the 3 different squares: Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square and Patan Durbar Square. They are all really beautiful. Definitely plan 2-3 days in Kathmandu! If you still have to buy all the outdoor gear for a hiking trip, Kathmandu has hundreds of cheap stores for imitated outdoor gear, plan even more time.

1. Boudhanath Stupa

This largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal from the 14th century is a must-see in Kathmandu! You can walk around the central temple, we actually did it several times – always clockwise! You can watch Tibetan monks praying, locals feeding pigeons and Buddhist turning the prayer wheels around the stupa. Walk in one of the oldest monasteries Guru Lhakhan Gompa for a great view over the area. In the morning there will be less tourists, however in the afternoon you might have a better feeling of the every day life of the locals.

2. Shri Pashupatinath Temple

We highly recommend to visit this palace to understand the circle of life from a Nepalese point of view. Be prepared for an intense but very impressive experience. Shri Pashupatinath is one of the holiest sites in Hinduism. Next to the Bagmati river you can watch buddhist and Hindu cremations over the whole day. Just a few meters up the river women wash themselves as part of a holy ceremony. It’s strange for us European people seeing these open cremations, where remains are pushed into the river. The site includes 518 temples, only the Pashupatinath temple itself is only open for Hindus. We highly recommend to visit this place in the afternoon and stay for the Aarti ceremony at 6:30pm. Hundreds of Nepalese people com here to see this fire ceremony every day, it also give you a lighter experience compared to what you see throughout the day. The ceremony is free to watch.

3. Sasane Sisterhood of Survivors Cooking Class

On our last day in Kathmandu we escaped the rain by participating at a very special cooking class with Indira and Sasane-Sisterhood orginisation. It was wonderful! We learned how to make the traditional dumplings called momos, dhal bhat and chai tea. The Sisterhood of Survivors organisation helps victims of human trafficking by giving these women a home and access to further education and so much more. Check out their website! Please, if you are in Nepal, book a cooking class or a trekking tour with them.

4. Kathmandu Durbar Square

In earlier days Nepal was split into three kingdoms, therefore three different squares developed in the three kingdoms: Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan. Every square had it’s one royal palace. We highly recommend to visit all three, Kathmandu Durbar Square and Patan Durbar Square located close to the center, as well as the beautiful Bhaktapur Durbar Square a little further away. In each square you find beautiful temples, statues and courtyards. Bhaktapur was our favorite one. There are always some temples under construction, since there are still effects of the horrible earthquake in 2015.

Kathmandu Durbar Square is listed as UNESCO World Heritage side. Here, you will find Hindu and Buddhist temples and shrines. Walk from courtyard to courtyard and admire the beautiful pagodas. The most famous temples are Hanuman Dhoka Temple (Royal Palace, free to enter), Jagannath Temple (from 16th century), Kumari Ghar (beautiful courtyard), Kal Bhairav (praying locals in front of a sculpture). We visited the square on a traditional festival day, therefore drummer groups of young people moved around the temples.

5. Bhaktapur Dubar Square

Bhaktapur Durbar Square is our favorite square out of the three, although it will take 30-40 minutes by car to get here. For an entrance fee of around 10 USD you get a beautiful paper ticket. The square is a lot less busy as the other two squares, so you can relax a bit while walking through the alleys. Check out the main square with all the little temples, the Nyatapola temple with the tallest five level pagoda of Nepal, Dattatreya Square and the pottery. There is still a traditional production of pottery in the south of Bhaktapur.

6. Patan Durbar Square

This square is a little less touristic than Kathmandu Durbar Square. Check out the Patan museum in the former Royal Palace, the beautiful temple Krishna Mandir and the central courtyard Mul Chowk. This square is also listed as UNESCO World Heritage side.

7. Swayambhunath Stupa

The Hindu and Buddhist Swayambhunath temple, or also called monkey temple, is located on top of a hill overlooking Kathmandu and one of the holiest places in Nepal. You have to climb 365 stairs for this view, but it’s worth it, especially for sunset. In the evening you might be lucky to see monks walking around the stupa turning the prayer wheels. The monkeys are really cheeky here though.

8. Explore Thamel

We highly recommend to choose an airbnb in Thamel, since it’s the nicest area with the most cafés, bakeries, hundreds of cute little alleys, art studios, book shops and a lot of outdoor gear stores (mostly good imitations). It’s located directly in the heart of Kathmandu and you will be surrounded by a lot of other backpackers preparing their upcoming hike in the mountains. We had some bad luck with the weather in Kathmandu, it rained a lot although we went to Nepal in the dry season. However, luckily while hiking in the mountains we had perfect weather.

9. Seto Machendranath Temple

This temple is a hidden one with almost no tourists around and it’s free to visit. Unfortunately it was under construction when we’ve been there, sadly it was not much to see from the outside. The temple was built in the 17th century and it’s now an important site for Buddhist and Hindus both.

10. Asan Market

This market is definitely worth a visit, since it’s mostly visited by locals. Watch locals negotiating and soak in the vibes of the bustling streets. You find this market between Thamel and Kathmandu Durbar Square.

11. Shree Ghah Chaity Temple

We found this temple by accident, when we visited Asan market. It’s a mini version of Swayambhunath Stupa built in the 17th century. Unfortunately we were a bit unlucky with the weather, since it rained the whole day.

12. Garden of Dreams

Ready for a little break in nature after exploring a lot of temples? Well, then this is for you. For 2 USD you can walk through the beautiful and peaceful Garden of Dreams. Sadly it was closed when we wanted to visit due to heavy rainfall. We highly recommend to go there, since the gardens with the little temples look really nice!

13. Try some restaurants

The food in Nepal is so extremely good, trust us! No matter, if you eat in remote teahouses in the mountains or fancy cafés in Kathmandu. Here are our favorite traditional Nepalese meals:

Dal Bhat: A mix of curry, rice, crackers and lentil soup.
Momos: similar to dumplings, filled pasta with vegetables

Nourish by Avata

This cute café serves amazing smoothie bowls, coffee and wraps. They have many vegan options, too.

Organic Smoothie Bowl Café

A few minutes away from the center by car, this café offers incredibly tasting food!! It was so good, but also not the cheapest.

Pumpernickel Café

Are you searching for European bread, croissants and a good coffee? Then this modern café is for you! It’s located directly in the bustling streets of Thamel. From the second floor you have a great view of the lively streets.

Roadhouse Restaurant

For good pasta and good pizza, Roadhouse is the place to go! In the evening it can get very crowded and loud.

Bhavana Café

We found this little café by accident with a cute little garden area behind the shop. Definitely worth a try!

OR2K

This restaurant is famous for Arabic and Israeli food. It’s a really chilled place with good music, the perfect place for the evening. Also the food isn’t expensive.

More

• Yangling!!! (We were told it is the best Tibetan / Nepali cuisine in Kathmandu with cheap prices, unfortunately it was closed due to festivals)
• Himalaya Café (There are several Himalaya Cafés in Kathmandu, it’s always a great place to relax for a while)
• Thulo Thakali

14. Stay in a cute airbnb in Thamel

We highly recommend to stay in a cute airbnb directly in Thamel. We stayed at Nepal Pavilion Inn, and were very happy with that! It is located in a calm alley directly at the vibrant streets of Thamel. The rooms are cheap but very clean. But the best thing: The owners are very friendly! They even invited us for a family dinner. You will find lots of art in the floors, since the owner collects special peaces of Nepalese pictures and sculptures.

15. Support local projects around Kathmandu

We found a few incredible projects supporting women in Nepal. By joining activities of these organizations, you get eye-opening education and you give back to an important humanitarian cause.

Panauti Community Homestay

This homestay is a secret tip to experience authentic Nepali lifestyle. 32km, around 2 hours South East of Kathmandu, there is this Newari village. Most buildings are brick buildings surrounded by beautiful rice terraces and Himalayan mountains. You will learn how to cook traditional food, harvesting, traditional dancing and clothes, or you join a hiking and village tour. A family of the Panauti homestay can earn a good amount of money, 80% of this money goes to the women in charge, 20% into a community fund improving the buildings and education.

Seven Women Cooking Class

Join a cooking class at the Seven Women social enterprise. They help marginalized Nepalese women by teaching them new skills and literacy. By joining a cooking class you support the organization a lot and you learn about Nepali cooking and their background.

Anzeige / ad: Most of the hotels, restaurants and companies we mentioned above didn’t sponsor us. All our recommendations are always based on our own opinion.