As has been the case with a lot of large cities in Asia, I hadn’t heard a lot of great things about Kathmandu, apart from how exciting the approach to its airport was.
The city is surrounded by mountains on all sides, many people told me, so you descend—and then, upon departure, ascend—at a really steep angle. These people also all praised the Himalaya views from the plane.
I was indeed impressed when I began seeing snow-capped Himalayan peaks about 10 minutes before landing in Nepal many Novembers ago. But in fact, I found the cityscape of Kathmandu itself, a colorful cacophony of cubical houses that looked like Legos, to be sight the most intrigued me as the Thai Airways 777 touched town.
As has often been my experience in the poorly-rated large cities of Asia, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Kathmandu. Whether you’re coming as a weekend break from elsewhere in the region, or to begin a longer trip, here’s the best way to explore capital of Nepal, no matter how many days in Kathmandu you end up spending.
Kathmandu is Just the Beginning of Your Trip to Nepal
As you’ll see over the next many paragraphs, I legitimately fell in love with Kathmandu. Even if you don’t, however, it’s important to put the city in perspective. Many travelers (myself included) are planning a subsequent Everest Base Camp Trek, which means that a few days in Kathmandu is an appetizer before flying to Lukla and beginning the journey of a lifetime. Kathmandu is meant to feel “easy,” because what will follow is so daunting.
Other travelers, by contrast, may prefer to do an Annapurna Circuit Trek, which usually begins closer to the city of Pokhara than it does to Kathmandu. Even in this case, however, I still think a few days in the capital can be beneficial—and not just because I personally prefer Kathmandu over Pokhara. Namely, Kathmandu is where you’re likely to land in Nepal, and first impressions really do set the tone for the whole trip.
How to Divide Up Your Kathmandu Itinerary
Finding GOD in Thamel
In spite of how much time I spent in Thamel, I found it difficult to decide upon one definition for it. Was it the hub of things to do in Kathmandu, or simply its backpacker hub? The city’s most iconic district, or just its most cliché one. Whatever the case was, Thamel was definitely a convenient base for my 3 days in Kathamandu, even if I avoided the main drags as much as possible during the time I spent there.
One of the local Nepalese people I met asked if I had seen GOD while in Thamel, which made me roll my eyes until I realized what he had meant: Garden of Dreams, one of the city’s only bonafide green spaces.
“No,” I told him as we sped away on his motorbike, whose seat had a Batman logo on it, explaining that I’d spent my first day in Kathmandu walking from Thamel down to Durbar Square and back, taking in sights like Dharma Dhaatu Stupa and Kaathe Swyambhu ShreeGha—and the colorful local street markets, particularly in the morning—but not managing to stand before GOD, except when I was waiting for him to arrive.
A Tale of Two Temples—Er, Three
“This morning,” I continued, once we stopped at an intersection long enough for me to hear myself think above the roaring traffic of the city, “I went up to the Monkey Temple.”
“Swayambhunath?” he asked.
I nodded, albeit not in time for him to notice—we were off again.
Our first destination was Pashupatinath, a riverside temple where Hindus brought their dead to be cremated, among other ceremonies. After that we headed to Boudhanath, often just known by its abbreviated name Boudha, and went up to a rooftop café to enjoy a quick drink before heading back to my hotel.
(Yes, I managed to find a motorcycle-riding bad boy on Grindr in Kathmandu. No, I’m not going to go into further detail, other than to say I was very impressed by my experience.)
Bhaktapur and (Maybe) Beyond
The bad news is that I didn’t end up getting to see Batman again on my third of 3 days in Kathmandu. The good news is that I enjoyed my day, which saw me take a day trip to the nearby city of Bhaktapur, enough that I wasn’t totally devastated by our sudden estrangement. OK, maybe I was a little.
Bhaktapur, to be sure, is kind of like if Kathmandu’s Durbar Square was much bigger and was a mostly pedestrian area. In fact, looking back on both my experiences in Bhaktapur and the pictures I took there, the only real difference between Bhaktapur and Kathamandu seems to be that the former was much more damaged by the 2015 earthquake.
Which is not to say you shouldn’t take a day trip there—quite the contrary.
On the other hand, if your trip is simply 3 days in Kathmandu and not, ultimately, two weeks in Nepal or at least an Everest Base Camp trek, you might skip Bhaktapur and instead continue on to Nagarkot, which is the best Himalaya viewpoint in the Kathmandu Valley. If you take this option, you might even go a step further and spend one night here (might I recommend Peaceful Cottage?) so that you can enjoy one of the sunrises for which this little hill town is famous.
Where to Stay in Kathmandu
I wanted my Kathmandu itinerary to begin on a good note, and my extensive pre-trip research led me to believe that Kasthamandap Boutique Hotel would be the best place to make that happen. This proved a good decision: The hotel offered comfortable accommodation with great design sensibility and awesome amenities (rooftop lounges for the win!) at a fair price—about 5,000 rupees per night.
Then again, most any hotel (or even hostel) in Thamel will do, since that’s where your own trip to Kathmandu will begin. In general, however, I would recommend spending more rather than less where possible. Given that Kathmandu is such an affordable city in general, there is a multiplier effect for every 10 USD per night you go above the “minimum” rate. Why not pay a little more and get true luxury, particularly if you’re readed off the beaten path next?
Other FAQ About Visiting Kathmandu
How many days should I spend in Kathmandu?
Obviously, I have written this article to advocate that you spend 3 days in Kathmandu. With this being said, how long you spend in Kathmandu many vary, depending on your travel goals. If you simply want to recharge before or after visiting Everest, 1-2 days could suffice. If, on the other hand, you want to truly get to know the city, 3-4 days or even longer is a better bet.
Is Kathmandu worth visiting?
I hope this Kathmandu itinerary has made clear that Nepal’s capital is absolutely worth visiting. However, even if you don’t end up enjoying Kathmandu as much as I did, I hope staying here has some utility, namely a place to rest before or after Everest.
What is special in Kathmandu?
Some of my favorite things to do in Kathmandu include walking around the eclectic Thamel area, ascending the Swayambhunath Monkey Temple (and enjoying the panorama from its precipice) and taking day trips, most enjoyably to spiritual Bhakthapur.
The Bottom Line
Don’t believe (all) the hype: Kathmandu is an enjoyable city and a great introduction to Nepal, even if you can’t manage to find a motorcycle-riding bad boy to help you navigate the terrible traffic. For those who can’t devote longer to exploring the country, Kathmandu is a fun city in its own right, no matter how many days in Kathmandu you devote to this pursuit. Still need help planning your trip in the Himalaya after your Kathmandu itinerary? Whether you want to travel only in Nepal, or to add other destinations like Bhutan and Himalayan India to the mix, I hope you’ll consider hiring me as your Travel Coach!
