Region
Kathmandu Valley
The cultural heart of Nepal, three ancient cities, temples, and the gateway for most visitors. Dense with UNESCO World Heritage Sites within a compact valley.
3 Destinations
Bhaktapur
1,401mKathmandu Valley
The best-preserved of the valley's three medieval royal cities, 12km east of Kathmandu. Durbar Square, the 55-Window Palace, and Pottery Square are still a living town rather than a museum, potters work the wheel in the open square where tourists walk. Traffic-calmed brick lanes make it far easier to explore on foot than the capital.
CulturalPhotographyFood
EasySpring · Autumn · Winter
Kathmandu
1,400mKathmandu Valley
Nepal's capital crams centuries of Newari architecture and Hindu-Buddhist temples into a maze of streets that never quite go quiet. Durbar Square, Swayambhunath, and Pashupatinath are all within the valley. The city is noisy and chaotic, and it is the first impression of Nepal most travellers carry home.
CulturalSpiritualFood
EasySpring · Autumn · Winter
Nagarkot
2,175mKathmandu Valley
A ridgeline hill station an hour from Kathmandu, built almost entirely around one thing: a 180-degree Himalayan sunrise, from Dhaulagiri to Everest on a clear morning. Lodges cluster along the viewpoint ridge, and the walk down to Changu Narayan, the valley's oldest temple, makes a genuine half-day hike rather than just a drive-up view.
PhotographyRelaxed
ModerateSpring · Autumn · Winter