When we started planning for Nepal, I was quite skeptical about spending 2-3 days in Kathmandu. Being mountain lovers, we wanted to spend more and more time somewhere close to the mountains than being in a city. But the time at Kathmandu turned out to be phenomenal roaming around its world heritage sites, uniquely designed stupas and trying out some yummy food. Now as we have seen it ourselves, we would definitely recommend spending 3 to 4 days in this beautiful city, the food and heritage centre of Nepal.

If you are wondering what you can do here in the duration of your stay, then not to worry. You will have a plethora of things to see and do here. Here is a list of must visit places and food items to savour on while being in Kathmandu.

Places of Interest

Patan Durbar Square

This durbar square is located in Lalitpur around 20 minutes drive from Kathmandu. Apart from some beautiful temples with exquisite carvings, it also has a museum housing many religious artefacts. You will find Impressive wooden and metal idols and detailed information about various Hindu and Buddhist sites and gods in this museum.

Time required to visit: Approx. 2 hours

Entry Fee: 250 NPR per person

Boudhanath Stupa

This is the largest stupa in Nepal and even one of the largest in the world. This is one of the holiest sites for Tibetan Buddhists and many flock here during the festivities. This stupa has a monastery in front of it and the whole area is swarmed with pigeons. There are many bright coloured souvenir shops and restaurants in the area and it can easily take an hour to cover the stupa and the surrounding area.

Entry Fee: 100 NPR per person

Pashupatinath Temple

Pashupatinath temple is a major religious site for Hindus in Nepal and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The temple is on the banks of Bagmati river which is considered very sacred similar to River Ganga in India. The temple houses Shri Pashupatinath or Lord Shiva and is unique as the Shiva linga worshipped here is Saa-kar (translates to: having a form) and has faces in 4 directions unlike at other Shiva temples. The temple has exquisite carvings and has a pagoda like structure. There are various other small temples in the temple compound and a cremation area beside the river. Unlike other Hindu temples, the priesthood for this temple is not hereditary and the priest is instead selected through a specific selection process. That is why it is not necessary that the priest is Nepalese. The current priest of the temple is from Udupi, India. Read More……