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Kathmandu
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Kathmandu, NepalOpen-Meteo forecast.
Kathmandu city overview
Kathmandu works best as a base in Nepal when you anchor days around Kathmandu Durbar Square, Swayambhunath and Boudhanath. Use those sights to understand the city's history, street life and visitor rhythm. Kathmandu Tribhuvan handles the main arrival flow, so hotel choice should balance the centre, transfer time and day-trip plans.
Worth seeing
Kathmandu Durbar Square
Kathmandu Durbar Square is a clear heritage marker in Kathmandu, best used as a fixed point when grouping nearby streets, monuments and viewpoints.
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Swayambhunath
Swayambhunath is a named stop in Kathmandu worth keeping on the route when it fits the day's transport, timing and neighborhood plan.
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Boudhanath
Boudhanath is a named stop in Kathmandu worth keeping on the route when it fits the day's transport, timing and neighborhood plan.
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Pashupatinath Temple
Pashupatinath Temple anchors the historic and ceremonial side of Kathmandu, making it a practical stop for architecture, local memory and orientation.
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Thamel
Thamel is a named stop in Kathmandu worth keeping on the route when it fits the day's transport, timing and neighborhood plan.
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Garden of Dreams
Garden of Dreams adds outdoor time to a Kathmandu stay, with open space, views or waterfront breathing room between denser city sights.
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Start with City centre for the easiest first Kathmandu stay, then compare Old Town and Waterfront when price, nightlife, quieter evenings or transfer timing matter more than being beside every major sight.
Hotels & areas
Kathmandu hotel choice is mostly about repeat journeys: use City centre for sightseeing, Old Town for a different local base, and Waterfront or Airport area when views, parking, airport timing or longer stays matter.
City centre
City centre is the most practical first base in Kathmandu, keeping main sights, restaurants and short local transfers close.
Best for: first visits, sightseeing, restaurantsSee hotel optionsOld Town
Old Town is the most practical first base in Kathmandu, keeping main sights, restaurants and short local transfers close.
Best for: first visits, sightseeing, restaurantsSee hotel optionsWaterfront
Waterfront suits travellers who want views, evening walks and a calmer base while still keeping central Kathmandu reachable.
Best for: views, quieter evenings, walksSee hotel optionsAirport area
Airport area works mainly for early departures, late arrivals or car pickup, not for a first Kathmandu sightseeing base.
Best for: early flights, late arrivals, car pickupSee hotel optionsFlights & airports
Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) arrival plan
- Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM)About 4 km from the centre
Compare airport access against hotel location, arrival time, rental car pickup, late flights and onward driving before choosing the first night base.
Rental cars
Kathmandu day-trip car use
Do not rent a car for central Kathmandu unless parking and traffic are part of the plan; use one mainly for regional day trips.
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Best base
Choose City centre for a first stay because it keeps main sights, restaurants and practical local movement close.
Airport timing
Leave extra time for Kathmandu Tribhuvan, especially for early flights, late arrivals, traffic or unfamiliar transfer routes.
Local movement
Plan each day in clusters around Kathmandu Durbar Square and Swayambhunath so transfers do not consume the best sightseeing hours.
Day trips
Keep one flexible slot for nearby routes from Kathmandu, checking weather, transport and opening hours before committing.
Upcoming events
No upcoming Kathmandu events in the shared event index yet.
City history
This public pavilion, also known as Maru Satta in Newari, was rebuilt in 1596 by Biseth in the period of King Laxmi Narsingh Malla.
The earliest Western reference to Kathmandu appears in an account of Portuguese Jesuit Father Joao Cabral who passed through the Kathmandu Valley in the spring of 1628 and was received graciously by the king.
The nine-storey tower Dharahara was originally built during this era. Rana rule Rana rule over Nepal started with the Kot massacre of 1846, which occurred near Hanuman Dhoka Durbar.
In June 2001, the Nepalese royal massacre at Narayanhiti Palace claimed the lives of King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya, Crown Prince Dipendra, and several others, and following Dipendra’s brief, comatose reign, Gyanendra was appointed king.
After the 2006 Revolution, it was turned into a museum.
The Nepali name Kathmandu comes from Kasthamandap, a building that stood in Kathmandu Durbar Square and was completely destroyed by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake (it has since been reconstructed).
On 28 February 2025, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck north of Kathmandu, Nepal, according to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre.
Father Cabral reported that they reached "Cadmendu", the capital of Nepal kingdom.
During the Kirata era, a settlement called Yambu existed in the northern half of old Kathmandu.
Another smaller settlement called Yengal was present in the southern half of old Kathmandu, near Manjupattan.
During the reign of the seventh Kirata ruler, Jitedasti, Buddhist monks entered Kathmandu valley and established a forest monastery at Sankhu. Licchavi era The Licchavis from Vaisali in modern-day Bihar migrated north and defeated.
This created the basis of Newar Buddhism, which is the only surviving Sanskrit-based Buddhist tradition in the world.
The city served as an important transit point in the trade between India and Tibet, leading to tremendous growth in architecture.
For example, the famous 7th-century Chinese traveller Xuanzang described Kailaskut Bhawan, the palace of the Licchavi king Amshuverma.