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Top 14 places to visit when in Kathmandu, Nepal

Author: Mohammad Amaan
Date: 2020-04-21

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Kathmandu, also known as the city of temples, stands at an elevation of approximately 1,400 m above sea level in the bowl-shaped Kathmandu Valley in central Nepal. The valley is historically termed as "Nepal Mandala" and is home to the Newar people. The royal capital of the Kingdom of Nepal, you can find palaces, mansions, and gardens of the Nepalese aristocracy. It has been home to the headquarters of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) since 1985. Today, it is the seat of government of the Nepalese republic established in 2008 and is part of the Bagmati province.

Blog post: Best time to visit Nepal for a perfect vacation

Kathmandu is and has been for many years the centre of Nepal's history, art, culture, and economy. It has a multiethnic population with a Hindu and Buddhist majority. Religious and cultural festivities form a major part of the lives of people residing in Kathmandu. Tourism is an important part of the economy. In 2013, Kathmandu was ranked third among the top ten upcoming travel destinations in the world and ranked first in Asia.

GENERAL INFO

Best time to visit: September-November

How to reach: Fly to Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport or take a cab from India. Buses ply from Patna, Varanasi, Darjeeling, and Gorakhpur to Kathmandu.

TOP 14 PLACES TO VISIT IN KATHMANDU

(1) Pashupatinath Temple

The Pashupatinath Temple is a famous and sacred Hindu temple complex that is located on the banks of the Bagmati River, approximately 5 km northeast of Kathmandu in the eastern part of Kathmandu Valley. The temple serves as the seat of Pashupatinath. This temple complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site's list in 1979. This "extensive Hindu temple precinct" is a "sprawling collection of temples, ashrams, images, and inscriptions raised over the centuries along the banks of the sacred Bagmati river" and is included as one of the seven monuments groups in UNESCO's designation of Kathmandu Valley as visit here. This is among the best places to visit in Kathmandu for religious travelers.

Learn more: Celebration of faith: Pashupatinath Mandir in Nepal

(2) Boudhanath Stupa

Boudhanath is a stupa in Kathmandu, located about 11 km from the center and northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu The stupa's massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal. This is among the best places to visit in Kathmandu for tourists in Nepal.

Learn more: Boudhanath Stupa, Nepal: Bliss Amidst the Chaos

(3) Thamel

Thamel is a commercial neighborhood located in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Thamel has been the centre of the tourist industry in Kathmandu for over four decades, starting from the hippie days when many artists came to Nepal and spent weeks in Thamel. It is the hottest spot for tourism inside the Kathmandu valley. This is among the best places to visit in Kathmandu for shopaholics.

Thamel

(4) Swayambhunath Temple

Swayambhu is an ancient religious architecture atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city. The Tibetan name for the site means 'Sublime Trees', for the many varieties of trees found on the hill. However, Shing.kun may be a corruption of the local Nepal Bhasa name for the complex, Swayambhu, meaning 'self-sprung'. For the Buddhist Newars, in whose mythological history and origin myth as well as day-to-day religious practice Swayambhunath occupies a central position, it is probably the most sacred among Buddhist pilgrimage sites. For Tibetans and followers of Tibetan Buddhism, it is second only to Boudha. This is among the favorite places to visit in Kathmandu for pilgrims.

Learn more: Swayambhunath Temple– where monkeys abound

(5) The Garden of Dreams

The Garden of Dreams, also, the Garden of Six Seasons, is a neo-classical garden in Kaiser Mahal Kathmandu, Nepal, built in 1920. Designed by Kishore Narshingh, it consists of 6,895 square m of gardens with three pavilions, an amphitheater, ponds, pergolas, and urns. From the mid-1960s, upon the death of its patron, Kaiser Sumsher Rana, it lay in neglect but was recently restored with the help of the Austrian government. This is among the best places to visit in Kathmandu for flower lovers.

Learn more: Garden of Dreams: An idyllic escape in Kathmandu

Garden of Dreams, Kathmandu

(6) Kathmandu Durbar Square

Kathmandu Durbar Square (Basantapur Durbar Khsetra) in front of the old royal palace of the former Kathmandu Kingdom is one of three Durbar (royal palace) Squares in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Several buildings in the Square collapsed due to a major earthquake on 25 April 2015. Kathmandu Durbar Square was surrounded by spectacular architecture and vividly showcases the skills of the Newar artists and craftsmen over several centuries. The Royal Palace was originally at Dattaraya square and was later moved to the Kathmandu Durbar square. This is among the best places to visit in Kathmandu for history lovers.

Learn more: Kathmandu Durbar Square

(7) Hanuman Dhoka

Hanuman Dhoka is a complex of structures with the Royal Palace of the Malla kings and also of the Shah dynasty in the Durbar Square of central Kathmandu, Nepal. It is spread over five acres. The Hanuman Dhoka Palace (Hanuman Dhoka Darbar in Nepali) gets its name from the stone image of Hanuman, the Hindu deity that sits near the main entryway. 'Dhoka' means door or gate in Nepali. . This is among the best places to visit in Kathmandu for religious lovers.

Adventure activities in Nepal

(8) Indra Chowk

Packed with colorful shops and stalls, Indra Chowk is a centuries-old market area of Kathmandu. There’s a wide range of places for produce, aromatic spices, and textiles, plus a specialist market selling beads, bangles, and ornaments for traditional Nepali weddings. Temples include Seto Machhendranath, with its intricate wood carvings, and Aakash Bhairav guarded by lion statues. Street food stands serve up fried momo dumplings. This is among the best places to visit in Kathmandu for food lovers.

(9) Kopan Monastery

Just north of the ancient Buddhist town of Boudhanath is the Kopan hill, which rises up out of the terraced fields of the Kathmandu valley and is visible for miles. Dominated by a magnificent bodhi tree, it was once the home of the astrologer to the king of Nepal. This same hill is now the home of Kopan Monastery, a monastery in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism under the guidance of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. The air is clean and the view across the valley magical. This is among the best places to visit in Kathmandu for Buddhist travellers.

Kopan Monastery

Kopan Monastery

(10) Phulchowki

Phulchowki which means 'Hill of Flowers' in Nepali is the highest hill (2782m) among the surrounding hills of Kathmandu valley which is located approx. People visit the top by hiking or cycling. It must be in the list of adventurous places in a visit to Kathmandu.

Discover more about Kathmandu

(11) Kumari Ghar

Kumari, or Kumari Devi, or Living Goddess – Nepal, is the tradition of worshiping young prepubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy or devi in Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions. A Kumari is generally chosen for one day and worshiped accordingly on certain festivals like Navaratri or Durga Puja. In Kathmandu Valley, this is a particularly prevalent practice. A Kumari is believed to be the incarnation of Taleju. Visit the Kumari Ghar across Durbar Square, at Basantapur, where she resides and you may be in luck to catch a glimpse of this Goddess. If you are visiting in late August or early September, you may get the opportunity to observe the fascinating festival known as Indra Jatra when the Living Goddess Kumari is carried out of her residence and pulled through the narrow roads of old Kathmandu in a large chariot.

Learn more: Kumari Ghar: House of the Living Goddess

Kumari Ghar

(12) Narayanhiti Palace

Narayanhiti Palace, or Narayanhiti Durbar, converted to Narayanhiti Palace Museum in 2008, is a palace in Kathmandu, which long served as the residence and principal workplace of the reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Nepal. Located in the capital city of Kathmandu, the palace was the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. This is among the best places to visit in Kathmandu for history lovers.

(13) Dakshinkali Temple

Dakshinkali Temple, also Dakshin Kali Temple, located 22 km outside Kathmandu and about 1 km outside the village of Pharping, is one of the major Hindu temples in Nepal dedicated to the goddess Kali. Animal sacrifices, particularly of cockerels and uncastrated male goats, are the main way that the goddess is worshipped, and this is especially seen during the Dashain festival.

(14) Taudaha Lake

Taudaha Lake is a small lake in the outskirts of Kathmandu, in Nepal. The name comes from a combination of Newari words 'Ta', meaning snake, and 'Daha', which means lake. This is among the best places to visit in Kathmandu for peace lovers.

Learn more: Taudaha Lake: A Sinister Beauty in Kathmandu