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Illuminated red pagoda temples glow at night around a shrine in Kathmandu Durbar Square.
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KathmanduTravel Guide

Nepal5 stories

Nepal's chaotic, charismatic capital packs medieval squares, great white stupas and Himalayan trailheads into one dusty, friendly valley.

Is Kathmandu right for you?

When to come

October to November and March to April

Around 30°C by day in June, 19°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

Cheap by regional standards — eating, sleeping and moving around all cost little.

What we've planned, and who for

We have a weekend here planned hour by hour.

Kathmandu is inKind to a budgetEnough for a long weekendSnow and mountains
When to go
January: around 19 degrees by day, 3 at night, 15 millimetres of rain, dry.
February: around 22 degrees by day, 5 at night, 24 millimetres of rain, dry.
March: around 26 degrees by day, 9 at night, 38 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
April: around 29 degrees by day, 12 at night, 63 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
May: around 29 degrees by day, 16 at night, 129 millimetres of rain, wet.
June: around 30 degrees by day, 19 at night, 241 millimetres of rain, very wet.
July: around 29 degrees by day, 20 at night, 384 millimetres of rain, very wet.
August: around 29 degrees by day, 20 at night, 343 millimetres of rain, very wet.
September: around 29 degrees by day, 19 at night, 208 millimetres of rain, very wet.
October: around 27 degrees by day, 14 at night, 43 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
November: around 24 degrees by day, 8 at night, 6 millimetres of rain, dry. We recommend this month.
December: around 20 degrees by day, 4 at night, 8 millimetres of rain, dry.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

October to November and March to April

Average daily highs, recorded at Kathmandu (Tribhuvan International Airport), 1337 m, 1991-2020 normals.

Where this comes from

World Meteorological Organization; Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (Nepal)

Budget level

Budget

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
  • Pokhara140 km

    a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in March, April, October

  • Varanasi, India360 km

    half a day's travel · both good in March, October, November

  • Agra, India720 km

    a full travel day · both good in March, October, November · a different price level (mixed)

  • Delhi, India800 km

    a full travel day · both good in March, October, November · a different price level (mixed)

Plan itWhere to stay in Kathmanduad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Kathmandu

Open in Google Maps Larger map
The stories

Reading Kathmandu

A busy Kathmandu avenue seen from above, packed with buses, taxis, motorbikes and an auto-rickshaw between tall painted shophouses, with the green valley rim hazy in the distance
01
Destinations

Kathmandu essentials: getting in, getting around and getting it right

Kathmandu repays preparation: the visa queue, the taxi fare, the neighbourhood you sleep in, and the order you walk the valley's temple squares in.

Nepal · 11 min
A Newari khaja set served on a leaf plate — beaten rice (chiura) ringed by black soybeans, spiced potato, sauteed greens, brown lentils and dark curried meat; the Newar people are the indigenous community of the Kathmandu Valley
02
Food

Coffee, cake and people-watching: Kathmandu's café hours

Kathmandu's cafe culture is not a break from the city but the best seat in it, and knowing which rooftop, which hour and which quarter turns a coffee into the main event of the day.

Nepal · 11 min
The Nepali flag flying on a wooded ridge at Nagarkot above the Kathmandu valley, with terraced slopes falling away into blue haze and a long line of snow peaks along the horizon
03
Hidden Gems

Green Kathmandu: gardens, hilltops and easy escapes

Ring Kathmandu's chaotic core and you find walled gardens, botanical valleys and forested ridgelines — here is how to reach each one, what it costs, and which months actually work.

Nepal · 11 min
A Nepali dal bhat thali on a brass platter: steamed rice with lentil soup, pickles, curried vegetables, greens, sliced onion, green chilli and lime, set among brass serving vessels
04
Stays

Kathmandu Has Four Bedrooms, and Only One of Them Is Thamel

The seven kilometres between Thamel and the Boudhanath stupa can cost you an hour in traffic, which is why the district matters more than the room: four Kathmandu neighbourhoods, priced three ways.

Nepal · 10 min
The white dome and painted Buddha eyes of Swayambhunath stupa in Kathmandu, strung with colourful prayer flags at dusk
05
Itineraries

48 Hours in Kathmandu: Temples, Stupas and Momos, Hour by Hour

Most travellers treat Kathmandu as a stopover before the mountains. Give it two proper days and the valley's medieval cities and great stupas will repay you.

Nepal · 2 min
In pictures

Kathmandu, framed

Tiered pagoda roofs at Kathmandu Durbar Square, their eaves hung with scarlet cloth valances and crowded with roosting pigeons, a gilded finial rising into a pale cloudy sky
Photo: Deepak Adhikari / Unsplash
A warmly lit first-floor cafe terrace in Kathmandu at night, its neon sign glowing above a shadowed lane of parked motorbikes and a lamplit courtyard passage behind
Photo: Bijay Pakhrin / Unsplash
Garden of Dreams, Kathmandu
Photo: kiran awale / Unsplash
A lone figure walks along Boudhanath Stupa's base as prayer flags radiate from its golden spire under a cloudy sky.
Photo: Long (lTiga) Nguyen / Unsplash
Our picks

What we'd do in Kathmandu

See and do

Eat and drink

Where to stay

Before you go

Practical essentials for Nepal

Money

Nepalese rupee (NPR)

Language

Nepali; English is widely used in Kathmandu, Pokhara and the trekking trade.

Power

Type C/D/M, 230V 50Hz

Getting around

Domestic flights and long-distance buses link Kathmandu and Pokhara; in town it is taxis, ride-hailing apps and hired cars, and there is no metro or transit card.

Tipping

Customary in tourism — about 10% in restaurants without a service charge, and a set tip for trekking guides and porters at the end of the trip.

Tap water

Tap water is not safe to drink — use bottled, boiled or properly filtered water.

Driving

Left-hand side; the 1968 International Driving Permit is required alongside your national licence, and the 1949 version is no longer accepted.

Emergency

100 police, 102 ambulance, 101 fire (112 from a mobile)

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

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