District · Kathmandu
Durbar Square and Basantapur
The historic centre with Malla palaces and temples; crowded with shrines, pigeons and vendors.
Key facts
- Suits
- The royal square, temples, the Kumari
- Sights here
- 2
- Eats here
- 1
What it's like
- Feels:
- Ancient temples, pigeons and hawkers in brick and wood
- Suits:
- The royal square, temples, the Kumari
- Best time:
- 07:00–10:007:00 AM–10:00 AM
- Watch out for:
- Midday crowds.
- In short:
- The historic centre with Malla palaces and temples; crowded with shrines, pigeons and vendors.
About these names
The old city, Thamel and Durbar Square lie on the west bank of the Bagmati river; Boudhanath and Pashupatinath are about 6–8 km east; Patan is just across the river to the south; Swayambhunath sits on a hill to the west. Traffic decides every trip: allow double the map time.
Where exactly
This district is highlighted. Shapes follow this guide's walking areas and places, not official boundaries.
Shaded shapes: walking areas (click one). Black pins: sleep areas. Grey dots: places. Round badges: arrivals. Click the map to turn on scroll-wheel zoom.
Durbar Square and Basantapur
see
The historic centre with Malla palaces and temples; crowded with shrines, pigeons and vendors.
Suits: The royal square, temples, the Kumari
On the map: Kumari Ghar, Kathmandu Durbar Square
District guideWalk: Kathmandu Durbar SquareIn the districts table
Off the map: Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) (30–60 min by the usual route).
Not drawn yet (no coordinates in this guide): Swayambhunath, Bhaktapur. They are in the neighbourhood cards below.
Where’s what, as a list:
- Thamel: A dense visitor quarter of narrow lanes, hotels, trekking shops and restaurants; noisy at night, dusty by day. Suits: Trip logistics, gear, cafés, first nights. Price band $.
- Durbar Square and Basantapur: The historic centre with Malla palaces and temples; crowded with shrines, pigeons and vendors. Suits: The royal square, temples, the Kumari.
- Boudhanath: A Tibetan Buddhist neighbourhood around a huge stupa; quieter at night than Thamel. Suits: The stupa, monasteries, a calmer base. Price band $$.
- Pashupatinath: Reached by taxi from Boudha; a place of worship and funerals. Suits: The great Shiva temple and cremation ghats.
- Patan (Lalitpur): A Newar city with a beautiful square and metalwork workshops; often the easier day. Suits: A calmer old square, museums, crafts.
- Swayambhunath: A hilltop stupa west of the city with monkeys; about 365 steps from the eastern stair. Suits: Sunrise and city views from a hill temple.
- Bhaktapur: About 13 km (8.1 mi) east; well preserved and quieter than Kathmandu; entry fee for foreigners.About 8.1 mi (13 km) east; well preserved and quieter than Kathmandu; entry fee for foreigners. Suits: A medieval town by day trip.
- Sleep area Boudha: suits The stupa, monasteries, a calmer base, price band $$.
- Sleep area Thamel: suits Trip logistics, gear, cafés, first nights, price band $.
- Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM), 30–60 min by the usual route.
Stay here?
Not a base in this guide
See
Opening hours and prices from each place page; (check) means typical hours, not yet verified.
The palace of the living goddess, with a carved wooden courtyard: 15–20 minutes, quiet, with strict rules about photography and behaviour.
- Hours:
- Desk estimate: daytime; the goddess appears at set times; confirm.(check)
- Entry:
- Included with the square ticket (check) (2026 estimate)
- Kathmandu Durbar SquareBook a time
Go at opening, before the tour groups; 75 minutes among old palace courtyards and temples, some still fenced after the 2015 earthquake.
- Hours:
- Desk estimate: daylight hours; ticket office closes late afternoon; confirm.(check)
- Entry:
- About NPR 1,000 (2026 estimate)
Eat
What to order and what locals pay, from each eat page. Prices are estimates; check the menu.
- Chiya, sel roti and sweets, Basantapur
Milky spiced tea, fried rice bread and sweets from tea stalls and sweet shops around Durbar Square: a cheap break in the old core, best mid-morning.
Price: A tea is about NPR 30–80.
Show 6 sectionsHideGetting there and around, Walking loop, Half-day walk, Photo and sunset spots, Safety at night and noise, Nearby districts
Getting there and around
Where to get off
- Taxi to the Basantapur side of the square · for Kathmandu Durbar Square
- Beside the south end of Durbar Square (Basantapur) · for Kumari Ghar
- Tea stalls and sweet shops around Basantapur and Durbar Square · 3 min walk to Chiya, sel roti and sweets, Basantapur
Walks inside the district
- Kathmandu Durbar Square → Kumari Ghar: 3–5 min on foot (Walk across the square)
- Kumari Ghar → Chiya, sel roti and sweets, Basantapur: 3–5 min on foot (Walk to the tea stalls)
- Kathmandu Durbar Square → Chiya, sel roti and sweets, Basantapur: 3–5 min on foot (Walk to the tea stalls)
On to the next area
- Walk north: about 18 min to Thamel
- Car south: about 25 min to Patan Durbar Square
From other sleep areas
- From Thamel: 18–25 min walk to Kathmandu Durbar Square
Minutes are this guide’s typical walking and ride times (p50–p90); traffic and heat stretch them.
Walking loop
A loop that starts and ends at the same place, through this district's sights and eats. Pick a length; download it for Organic Maps, OsmAnd or Google Earth.
About 64 min in all: 9 min on foot, the rest at the stops. 3 stops, back to where you started.
- Kumari GharStart here · stop about 10 min
- Kathmandu Durbar Square3 min walk · stop about 30 min
- Chiya, sel roti and sweets, Basantapur3 min walk · stop about 15 min (snack, or note it for later)
- Back to Kumari Ghar: 3 min walk
Walking minutes come from this guide’s route graph where it has one; “estimate” means straight-line distance plus a quarter for street detours at an easy pace. Opening hours are not checked: look at “Open now” below before you set off.
Half-day walk
In the day plans: Day 1 — Durbar Square morning, a 12:30 lunch table (Kathmandu in 3 days)
Photo and sunset spots
Temple plinths and carved windows
Light: 07:00–09:00
Early light and few crowds; do not climb the steps of shrines.
Safety at night and noise
Durbar Square and Basantapurday: cautionnight: caution
Crowded; pickpockets and touts posing as guides.
Nearby districts
Built from this guide’s Kathmandu districts table, place, eat and sleep pages, route graph and city notes. Hours, prices and rules change: anything marked (check) is typical, not verified. checked: 2026-09.