Kathmandu

What you’ll actually spend and where the tourist traps are

Three separate old city-states make up the historic core here, and each one charges its own entry fee. That trips people up constantly: there is no combo ticket covering Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur Durbar Squares, they’re independently ticketed, so plan the spend for each one separately rather than assuming a single pass gets you everywhere.

Kathmandu Durbar Square runs about NPR 1,000 for a same-day ticket. Most of the damage from the 2015 earthquake has been repaired, including the Kasthamandap pavilion, which reopened in 2023-24, though you’ll still spot some scaffolding around the edges. Patan Durbar Square, over the Bagmati in Lalitpur, costs about the same and is the best-preserved of the three, worth prioritizing if your schedule is tight. Bhaktapur Durbar Square is the expensive one at NPR 1,800-2,000, because the fee covers entry to the whole town rather than just the square, and the ticket is valid across multiple days so there’s no reason to rush it into a single afternoon.

Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple, is NPR 200 and about 365 steps up the eastern side, worth doing early before the heat and crowds build. Get the name right: this is the Monkey Temple, not Pashupatinath, a mistake that shows up constantly in lazy guides. Boudhanath Stupa is NPR 400 and anchors the Tibetan Buddhist quarter, walk the kora loop around its base rather than just snapping a photo and leaving. Pashupatinath itself is NPR 1,000, the Hindu cremation site on the Bagmati. Non-Hindus are barred from the inner pagoda but you can view the cremation ghats respectfully from across the river, it’s not a closed-off site entirely, just restricted at the core.

Eating well means leaving Thamel. Thamel restaurants are built for tourists and priced like it, and the food is mediocre for what you pay. Momos are sold everywhere for NPR 150-300, and if you’re staying in the neighborhood, OR2K is a decent option. But the real Newari food, chhoila, bara, proper thali, is a short ride away in Patan at places like Newa Lahana or Honacha, running NPR 500-1,200 and worth every rupee of the taxi fare to get there. Dal bhat is NPR 300-600 with unlimited refills, don’t be shy about asking for more rice or lentils, it’s expected. For Thakali cuisine, Thakali Bhanchha Ghar in Thamel is solid at NPR 400-700. If you want a full traditional dinner with dance performance, Bhojan Griha in Dilli Bazar delivers that experience properly.

Getting into the city and around it. At Tribhuvan International, get your visa on arrival with cash US dollars: $30 for 15 days, $50 for 30, $125 for 90 days multi-entry. The card machines are unreliable, don’t count on them. From the airport, use the prepaid taxi counter inside the terminal, a fixed NPR 700-800 to Thamel, rather than negotiating with the touts outside who’ll ask for double or triple that. Watch for the scam where a driver claims your hotel is closed or has burned down and tries to redirect you to a commission guesthouse, have your hotel’s address and number ready and refuse the detour.

Once you’re in the city, taxis are supposed to run on the meter but drivers routinely refuse, negotiate your price before getting in. Pathao and InDrive apps are more reliable since the price is locked in before the ride starts, though watch for drivers asking for extra cash at drop-off, hold firm to the app price. There’s no metro or subway system in Kathmandu. Thamel is walkable but narrow and packed with motorbikes, budget more time than you think you need to cross town on foot.

Weather and timing. October and November bring the clearest mountain views and line up with festival season, the best overall window. March and April are good too, before the pre-monsoon haze sets in. Summer monsoon, June to September, brings rain and occasional landslides on mountain routes, but far fewer crowds. Winter is cold and clear early on, then valley haze builds by January and February.

A few things worth knowing before you land. Bargaining is expected in markets and with taxi drivers, don’t take the first price offered. Carry cash, ATMs aren’t reliable everywhere outside the main tourist zones. Dress modestly at religious sites and remove your shoes before entering temples. If a self-appointed “holy man” near Pashupatinath puts a tika on your forehead uninvited, expect a demand for payment afterward, decline before contact or settle on a small fixed amount up front.

Also worth knowing: the trekking shops lining Thamel’s streets are not all equal. Some are unlicensed operators running on nothing but a storefront and a sales pitch, so check for TAAN or NTB registration and confirmed insurance before handing over deposit money for a multi-day trek. Booking on impulse the day you land is false economy compared to a vetted operator, even if the walk-in price looks cheaper.

Skip the overnight in Thamel dining scene and book that Patan dinner instead, it’s a better night out for less money.