Region

Kathmandu Valleyकाठमाडौं उपत्यका

Sleep in Kathmandu; do Patan as a half-day, Bhaktapur as a day-trip, and Nagarkot only if you can spare a night for a clear-morning view.

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Key facts · Nepal

Best months: Oct–Mar
Visa: Depends on your passport
Currency: Nepalese rupee (NPR, Rs)
Language: Nepali
Plugs: C · D · M · 230 V
Time zone: UTC+5:45 all year

Month by month here

Rules in force · 6

South Asia ↗Trekking regions, border districts and several Indian states need separate permits on top of the visa; check the permit before you book transport into them.
South Asia ↗Remove shoes (and in many Jain and Hindu temples, leather) before entering; cover shoulders and legs; ask before photographing people or rituals.
Nepal ↗Get visa information only from the Department of Immigration; visa-service lookalike sites charge extra, and the rules differ by nationality.
Nepal ↗At stupas walk clockwise; at temples and homes remove shoes where there is a rack or a raised floor; cover shoulders and knees.
Nepal ↗Carry Nepalese rupees in small notes: many stalls, taxis and tea shops are cash-only, and shops rarely take foreign notes.
Nepal ↗Strikes (bandh) and protests can close roads without notice: check the news and your hotel the night before any airport or highway day.

The valley is one base and a few short trips. Moving hotels between Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur wastes the mornings: keep the Kathmandu room, take a day pack, and come back to the same bed. Each old town charges its own entry fee at its own Durbar Square.

Where to sleep

4 places in this region

Sleep base

KathmanduTrip line
Thamel for first-timers, Boudha for a quieter night near the airport.
Best Oct–Mar
JFMAMJJASOND
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One or two nights

NagarkotCity guide
Ridge for sunrise views on clear days; about 1.5 h each way.
Best Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov
JFMAMJJASOND
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Day trip

Patan (Lalitpur)City guide
Palace square and Golden Temple; 30 minutes by car.
Best Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Patan (Lalitpur) →
BhaktapurCity guide
Old brick town; about 1 h each way, entry ticket at the gate.
Best Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov
JFMAMJJASOND
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Plan the nights

How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags

Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags

Night sequences

4 nights: Kathmandu 4, Bhaktapur day-trip
6 nights: Kathmandu 5 + 1 night at Nagarkot

Kathmandu + Patan + Bhaktapur + Nagarkot in 3 days is mostly taxi seats and ticket queues.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Bhaktapur	Kathmandu	75 min	unknown	Taxi or bus; go by 08:00 to beat the groups, back by 17:00.Taxi or bus; go by 8:00 AM to beat the groups, back by 5:00 PM.
Nagarkot	Kathmandu	100 min	unknown	Ridge road; clear mornings only, cloud hides the peaks.

Bags between cities

No luggage forwarding culture: leave the big bag at the Kathmandu hotel and take a day pack.

When to go

Months and weather

Open When to goClose When to go1 partSeasons

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table

Country	JJan	FFeb	MMar	AApr	MMay	JJun	JJul	AAug	SSep	OOct	NNov	DDec
Kathmandu	go	go	go	ok	ok	×	×	×	ok	go	go	go
Nagarkot	ok	ok	go	go	ok	ok	×	×	ok	go	go	ok
Patan (Lalitpur)	×	ok	go	go	ok	×	×	×	×	go	go	×
Bhaktapur	×	ok	go	go	ok	×	×	×	×	go	go	×
Nepal (country-wide)	ok	go	go	go	ok	×	×	×	ok	go	go	go

Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Eat and move on

Regional food and where to go next

Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on1 partGo next

Go next

Other regions of the country

Pokhara and Gandaki

planned

3–4 nights

Lakeside base for the Annapurna region

Lumbini and Terai

planned

2–3 nights

Chitwan and Lumbini (low-lying, hot)

Kathmandu Valley: what we know, and what is coming

4 of 4 places open

On this page

4 places with their role: where to sleep, what to do as a day trip
How to split 4 or 6 nights
2 day trips with door-to-door time
Seasons month by month, from the cities’ own tables
What to do with the big bag between beds

Coming as the guide grows

Climate strip by zone, with the storm and haze months
Get in: airports and stations with door-to-door times
Regional passes and cards, with a buy / skip verdict
Regional food: what, where and when it works

Meanwhile

Planning aids

Built from this guide's own data

Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids3 partsIn numbers · Trips here · Local time

Region in numbers

Where to sleep: 1 base
Day trips: 2, 1 h 15 to 1 h 40
Nights suggested: 4–6 nights

Trips that stop here

From the Nepal guide

Valley only, 5 nights
5 nights here
kathmandu
Valley and lakes
7 days · 3 nights here
Kathmandu → Bhaktapur → Pokhara
Valley, Pokhara and Poon Hill
10 days · 3 nights here
Kathmandu → Pokhara → Poon Hill trek (Ghorepani, Tadapani) → Pokhara
Culture, jungle and mountains
14 days · 5 nights here
Kathmandu → Bhaktapur → Bandipur → Pokhara → Chitwan (Sauraha) → Kathmandu
Everest Base Camp
16 days · 4 nights here
Kathmandu → Everest Base Camp trek → Kathmandu

All Nepal trips →

Local time

What time it is there now, compared with the clock on your device.

Kathmandu
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Checking your clock…Asia/Kathmandu

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