Kathmandu Travel Guide: Four Temples in One Valley

See & Do

The valley is a bowl 25 km across, and its three old royal cities are 5 to 13 km apart.

Durbar Square and the Kumari Ghar

The old square holds the Hanuman Dhoka palace, the Kumari Ghar where the living goddess is housed, and a yard of pagoda temples. The 7.8 earthquake of 25 April 2015 damaged it badly and collapsed the Dharahara tower a kilometre south, killing 132 people. Some of it is eleventh century, some is a decade old.

Swayambhunath, west of the city

A stupa on a hill above the valley with the Buddha's painted eyes on four sides, UNESCO listed in 1979. The climb is the point and the reward is the whole valley. The monkeys are quick.

Boudhanath, the largest spherical stupa in Nepal

Boudha is a mandala laid out in brick and one of the largest stupas of its kind in the world. Tibetans walk the kora clockwise at dusk, and the surrounding streets are the centre of Tibetan life in exile. The 2015 quake cracked the spire and donations paid for the rebuild.

Pashupatinath on the Bagmati

A 246 hectare Hindu complex of 518 temples on the river where cremations have been held for centuries. The ghats are open to visitors and the temple is not. Keep the camera down at the fires, and give the pandas on the riverbank a wide berth.

Eat

Nepali food is cheap, filling and built for walking uphill.

What a meal costs

Numbeo's 6 November snapshot: a meal at an inexpensive restaurant NPR 300 (USD 2), a three course dinner for two NPR 3,250 (USD 22), a McDonald's combo NPR 1,200 (USD 8), a local beer NPR 477.50 (USD 3).

Dal bhat, momo, Newari food

Dal bhat is the national meal and the reason trekkers keep going: rice, lentil soup, vegetables and pickle, refilled until you stop. Momo are the snack, and jhol momo arrives in a sesame and tomato broth. Newari cooking is the city's own, bara and chatamari and yomari.

Chiya, and where to sit

Chiya is boiled with milk and sugar. Thamel is for the tourist trade; Jhamsikhel and Patan have the quieter cafés where people open laptops.

Where to Stay

What a bed costs

Nomads.com's medians are USD 10 a night for a hotel, or USD 205 across thirty nights, and USD 36 a night for an Airbnb, or USD 1,100 a month. Its central studio is USD 225.

Thamel, Patan or Boudha

Thamel is the tourist core: guesthouses, bookshops, bars, and the noise that comes with them. Patan and Jhamsikhel are calmer for a long stay. Boudha suits anyone who wants the kora at dawn instead of a backpacker strip.

Logistics

Tribhuvan International Airport is the only international gateway, east of the centre. The run is short and the traffic is the slowest thing in town. Sarathi is the ride app nomads.com lists. A bus ticket is NPR 30 and a taxi starts at NPR 250 (USD 2), with NPR 180 a kilometre after that.

Cash is the assumption, especially for foreigners, though cards work in hotels and better restaurants. Tap water is not drinkable. Power is 230V at 50Hz on Type D and M sockets, and the grid is graded Bad.