Skip to content
Mixroutes
Bhaktapur
Place in Bagmati, Nepal

Bhaktapur

Bhaktapur, known locally as Khwopa and historically called Bhadgaon, is a city in the east corner of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal located about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from the capital city, Kathmandu.

Plan a trip to Bhaktapur→From Pokhara

Bhaktapur is the smallest municipality of Nepal by size as well as the most densely populated. Along with Kathmandu and Lalitpur, Bhaktapur is one of the three main cities of the Kathmandu Valley and is a major Newar settlement of the country. The city is also known for its Newar tradition, cuisine and artisans. Bhaktapur suffered heavy damage in the April 2015 earthquake.

Get in

Getting to Bhaktapur

If you are not arriving as part of a tour group, you may take minibus (bound for Kamal Binayak stop in Bhaktapur) or big bus (bound for Charansingh stop in Bhaktapur) from the bus stop near Bhadrakali. You can save time by taking Express Bus (this does not stop in between except in Maitighar and Sallaghari) from Bag bazar in Kathmandu.

See

Worth seeing

The primary reason for visiting Bhaktapur is because its Durbar Square is one of the seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley. There are other worthwhile things to see as well. Bhaktapur Durbar Square was the seat of royalty before 1769 AD. The building now houses the National Art Gallery.

Eat

Where to eat

Don't leave Bhaktapur without trying some of their famous yogurt with local honey: Juju-dhau, literally the "King of all yogurt." It's made from fresh buffalo (or sometimes cow) milk and is set to thicken in clay pots like those Bhaktapur is famous for.

  1. 01
    Cafe Beyond

    Itachhen-15, Bhaktapur (Just outside of Durbar Square walk for 3 minutes after the front gate.

  2. 02
    Red Chilli Restaurant

    3 khwapa chhen Guest House and Restaurant.

  3. 03
    Mi:loco Cafe' n Restaurant

    Bhaktapur Multiple Campus Road, Dudhpati-1.

How locals move

Getting around Bhaktapur the local way

  • Get inIf you are not arriving as part of a tour group, you may take minibus (bound for Kamal Binayak stop in Bhaktapur) or big bus (bound for Charansingh stop in Bhaktapur) from the bus stop near Bhadrakali.
  • Get aroundRickshaws, tuk-tuks or taxis are not allowed inside the city: an inconvenience more than made up for by the quiet and clean air.

From Wikivoyage: Bhaktapur, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.