Kathmandu
Kathmandu is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley.
Kathmandu is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. The city is in Kathmandu District. Kathmandu is the main governmental, financial, industrial, and cultural centre of Nepal. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 million people in the surrounding metropolitan area. The city stands at an elevation of 1,324 metres (4,344 ft) above sea level. From ancient times until the medieval period, Kathmandu was known as Kantipur and is also referred to as Kasthamandap.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Kathmandu
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Pashupatinath Temple
Pashupatinath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupati, considered a manifestation of Shiva. Located on the banks of the sacred Bagmati River in Kathmandu, Nepal, the temple is one of the oldest and most significant religious complexes in South Asia.
2.8 km · Hindu temple in Kathmandu · Wikipedia - 02Dharahara
Dharahara or Bhimsen Stambha, is a 72-metre-tall tower at the centre of Sundhara, Kathmandu, Nepal. It was first built in 1832 by Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa under the commission of Queen Lalit Tripurasundari and was a part of the architecture of Kathmandu recognized by UNESCO. It has been destroyed and reconstructed several times.
1.3 km · nine storey tower built in 1832 · Wikipedia - 03Tribhuvan University
Tribhuvan University is a public university located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal. Established in 1959, TU is the oldest and the largest university in Nepal.
4.9 km · public university in Kathmandu, Nepal · Wikipedia - 04Basantapur Durbar Square
Kathmandu Durbar Square is a historically and culturally significant site in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal that are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
1.4 km · square in Kathmandu, Nepal · Wikipedia - 05Narayanhiti Palace
The Narayanhiti Palace Museum is a public museum in Kathmandu, Nepal located east of the Kaiser Mahal and next to Thamel. The museum was created in 2008 from the complex of the former Narayanhiti Palace following the 2006 revolution.
600 m · palace in Kathmandu, Nepal · Wikipedia - 06Dasarath Rangasala Stadium
Dasharath Rangasala is a multi-purpose stadium in Tripureshwar, Kathmandu. It is named after Dasharath Chand, one of the four great martyrs of Nepal.
1.7 km · football stadium · Wikipedia - 07Budhanilkantha Temple
Budanilkantha Temple, located in Budhanilkantha, Nepal, is a Hindu open air temple dedicated to Lord Mahavishnu. Budhanilkantha Temple is also known as the Narayanthan Temple for Hindus, and can be identified by a large reclining statue of Lord Mahavishnu.
8.6 km · Hindu temple in Kathmandu District, Nepal · Wikipedia - 08Patan Durbar Square
Patan Durbar Square is situated at the centre of the city of Lalitpur in Nepal. It is one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
4.1 km · square in Lalitpur, Nepal · Wikipedia - 09Singha Durbar
Singha Durbar is a palace in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The palace complex lies in the centre of Kathmandu, to the north of Babar Mahal and Thapathali Durbar and east of Bhadrakali Temple.
1.4 km · palace in Kathmandu, Nepal · Wikipedia - 10Hanuman 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. The Hanuman Dhoka Palace gets its name from the stone image of Hanuman, the Hindu deity, that sits near the main entryway.
1.4 km · kathmandu's old royal palace · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
Kathmandu has several excellent museums and galleries, which are mostly located in the central area of the city. The city is also home to a large number of Buddhist and Hindu temples, monasteries, and sacred sites. In particular, Boudha and Swayambu are famous for Buddhist monasteries, while Durbar Square is the center of Hindu culture.
From Wikivoyage: Kathmandu, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Kathmandu city itself has limited activities for visitors beyond the amazing sightseeing and general experience of being there. Mountain Flights. Most local airlines offer one hour flights over the Himalayas departing 06:30-09:00 from Kathmandu airport, costing US$197. Book in advance during the popular tourist season. Future Nepal, Kathmandu, contact@futurenepal.org.
From Wikivoyage: Kathmandu, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
The most important food in Kathmandu could be the indigenous Newa food. There are hundreds of traditional Newa delicacies, which can be found in bhatti (local restaurants) or cafes. The most popular food in Kathmandu could be the momo, a dumpling which has its roots in Tibet and China. They are available fried or steamed and stuffed with buffalo, chicken, or veggies.
From Wikivoyage: Kathmandu, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Kathmandu
- Airports
- Tribhuvan (KTM), 4 km · Pokhara (PHH), 139 km · Gautam Buddha (BWA), 190 km
- Stations
- Tribhuvan International Airport, 4 km
- Pokhara → Kathmandu147 km · quickest by road, 3h 49m · ₨760–1,010
- Siddharthanagar (Bhairahawa) → Kathmandu185 km · quickest by road, 4h 55m · ₨960–1,280
- Siliguri → Kathmandu327 km · quickest by road, 7h 21m · ₹3,170–3,970
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Kathmandu
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Kathmandu. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inBy pre-arranged transfers – Available from most hotels and included in most trekking/touring packages.
- Get inYour hotel or trekking company may also be able to help.
- Get inBuses and minivans run between Kathmandu and the Nepalese border town of Kodari, across the Sino-Nepal Friendship Bridge from the Tibetan city of Zhangmu.
- Get inPrivate jeeps (US$60 for up to 4 people) are a quicker option, and can make this journey in 4 hours.
- Get inSunauli — rickshaw to the Nepalese border city of Bhairahawa (ten minutes from Sunauli).
From Wikivoyage: Kathmandu, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01166 km
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If you know how people move in Kathmandu – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Kathmandu
- Lalitpurcity in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal3.2 km
- Lalitpur Districtdistrict of Nepal4.8 km
- Kathmandu Districtdistrict of Nepal1.7 km
- Kirtipurmunicipality in Kathmandu District, Nepal6 km
- Budhanilkanthamunicipality in Kathmandu District, Nepal8.4 km
- Madhyapur Thimihuman settlement7.4 km