First time · Kathmandu
First time in Kathmanduकाठमाडौँ
Kathmandu is a dawn-and-dusk city: do the temple squares and the stupa before 10:00, leave the afternoon for cafés and rest, and never plan a transfer on a strike day.Kathmandu is a dawn-and-dusk city: do the temple squares and the stupa before 10:00 AM, leave the afternoon for cafés and rest, and never plan a transfer on a strike day.
The honest verdict
Kathmandu's sights are old, close together and crowded, and the streets between them are dusty, narrow and shared with motorbikes. The trips that go wrong drag suitcases through Thamel at night, walk at noon in the smoke haze, or book a flight out on the morning of a festival or strike. Four clusters cover a first visit: Thamel to sleep and eat, Durbar Square, Boudhanath and Patan. Bhaktapur and the valley rim are trips from one kept bed.
You will like
- Temples and stupas in use
- Cheap food and tea
- Trek-gear and craft shopping
What wears you down
- Dust and exhaust
- Uneven pavements
- Touts and aggressive shop calls
Five things not to miss
- 1Boudhanath at dawn or duskA huge white stupa with pilgrims circling and monasteries around it.Best Dawn or dusk · About NPR 400 (check)
- 2Kathmandu Durbar SquareThe old royal square with temples and palaces of the Malla kings.Best Early morning · About NPR 1,000 (check)
- 3Patan Durbar Square and museumA compact, well-kept square with a fine museum of metalwork.Best Morning · About NPR 1,000 (check)
- 4PashupatinathThe great Shiva temple complex on the Bagmati, with ghats and sadhus.Best Late afternoon · About NPR 1,000 (check)
- 5Kumari GharThe house of the living goddess, with a carved wooden courtyard.Best Morning · Included with the square (check)
Where to stay on a first visit
- ThamelFor: First visit, 2–3 nights, sights firstRestaurants, trekking agents and taxis are at the door.
From the airport
Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM)
- Fastest and cheapest
- Pre-booked pickup or prepaid taxi to the hotel door · about 30 min · about NPR 900
Typical ride times and fares, 2026 desk estimates (check). Last services and night options are on the gateway page.
How long to stay
- 1 day
- A long layover
- 3 days
- The standard Kathmandu stay
- 5 days
- A relaxed stay with a day trip and a slow day
Show 5 more blocksHideThree mistakes to avoid, Money and SIM, Etiquette, The best time to go, A first day
Three mistakes to avoid
- Fake guides at Durbar Square, Pashupatinath and Boudha who start a tour and then demand a high fee: decline, or agree a fee in writing first.(Scams)
- Inside Hindu and Buddhist shrines: remove shoes where marked and walk clockwise around stupas.(Survive · red lines)
- Traffic and uneven pavements: look down and left-right at every crossing; footpaths end without warning.(Survive · safety)
Money and SIM
- Budget day
- NPR 2,000–4,000 excl. bed
- Paying
- Cash (NPR) for small shops, taxis, food stalls and entry fees; cards at hotels, malls and upmarket restaurants. ATMs are inside banks and hotels.
- Cash
- Keep NPR 3,000 in small notes; use ATMs inside banks, hotels or malls in daylight, not on dark lanes.
- SIM
- Ncell or Nepal Telecom counter at the airport: Passport and a photo are needed for registration; buy only from the official counter.
Etiquette: the top three
- Temples and stupas
- Remove shoes where marked; walk clockwise around stupas; do not touch offerings or step over them.
- Dress
- Cover shoulders and knees at shrines; avoid leather in some Hindu temples; ask at the gate.
- Photos
- Ask before photographing people, especially at prayer and at cremation ghats; do not photograph the living goddess Kumari.
The best time to go
Jan: Cold mornings and nights, clear days; fog can delay flights.
Winter (Dec–Feb): Cold, dry and bright days; fewer crowds.
A first day
Day 1 — Durbar Square morning, a 12:30 lunch table
Start about 07:30
Fixed point: Lunch table 12:30 (Thamel)
Hotel or a café 13:00–16:00; Thamel lanes at dusk if energy allows.Hotel or a café 1:00 PM–4:00 PM; Thamel lanes at dusk if energy allows.
Timed version: Kathmandu in 3 daysYour Kathmandu checklist
The money points and the first-timer mistakes from this page in one list. Tick each one when you have handled it.
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