Essential Travel Tips for Kathmandu

Insider Tips

• •Sightsee in the mornings - Kathmandu runs on an early rhythm: temples are liveliest with worshippers before 9am, the light is best, the air is cleanest, and the traffic has not yet thickened. Save museums, cafes, and shopping for the afternoons.
• •Use ride-hailing apps (Pathao or InDrive) instead of street taxis - fares are fixed upfront, cheaper, and there is no haggling. The motorbike-taxi option cuts through traffic at a fraction of car prices if you are traveling light.
• •Keep your Durbar Square ticket - the foreigner entry ticket is typically valid for re-entry the same day (and can be extended to your visa length at the site office with a photo), so you can return for the evening atmosphere without paying twice.
• •Walk the old town rather than driving through it - the lanes between Thamel, Asan, and Durbar Square are the real exhibit, and they are faster on foot than in traffic anyway. Keep to the side, watch for motorbikes, and let the detours happen.
• •Dress modestly at religious sites - shoulders and knees covered, shoes off in shrine rooms, and walk clockwise around stupas and prayer wheels. A scarf in your daypack solves most situations.
• •Drink only treated or bottled water (including for brushing teeth), and eat where the locals queue - busy lunch spots with high turnover are both the safest and the tastiest introduction to the city.
• •Ask before photographing people, sadhus, and rituals - sadhus at temple sites often expect a small payment for posed photos, which is a fair transaction as long as you agree it first.
• •Carry small notes (NPR 100s and below) - taxis, temple donations, street snacks, and small shops rarely have change for big bills, and ATMs dispense inconveniently large ones.
• •Bargain politely in markets and souvenir shops, but not in restaurants or for marked prices - start below the ask, smile, and settle honestly. Fixed-price and fair-trade shops mean what the tag says.
• •Expect dust and traffic air - the valley's dry-season air quality is genuinely poor, so consider a mask on long roadside walks if you are sensitive, and plan green escapes (the Garden of Dreams, Swayambhunath hill) between the chaos.
• •Power cuts are far rarer than old guidebooks claim, but a power bank is still wise - for long sightseeing days, trekking-permit queues, and the odd outage.
• •Download offline maps before you land - coverage is good in the city but navigation through the old town's unnamed lanes is far easier with an offline map that works in every alley.
• •Time your visit around festivals knowingly - Dashain and Tihar (Sep-Nov, lunar dates) bring wonderful atmosphere but close offices and book out transport; Indra Jatra fills Durbar Square spectacularly. Check the current year's festival calendar either way.
• •Hire a licensed guide at the big heritage sites - an hour with a knowledgeable guide at Durbar Square, Boudhanath, or Pashupatinath converts old bricks into stories, and the official ones (arranged at site ticket offices) are inexpensive and worth it.

Best Time to Visit

October to November & March to April (Spring & Autumn)

The best time to visit Kathmandu is during autumn (October-November) when the weather is clear with blue skies, perfect for mountain views and sightseeing. Spring (March-April) is also excellent with pleasant temperatures and blooming rhododendrons. Winter can be cold but clear, while the monsoon season (June-August) brings heavy rain.

How to Get There

Kathmandu is well-connected by air and road, serving as the main entry point to Nepal.

Daily Budget Guide