Thamel, Kathmandu

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Although Thamel is noisy and can be a little bit hassley, I lkied it and would stay here again. There are so many restaurants, cafes, bars, supermarkets, stalls and so much accomodation. The location is very handy for wandering into the older parts of Kathmandu, too.

Well, in Thamel, there are thousands of things you can buy especially trekkers. Name it, track pants, sleeping bags, bottles, jackets..and etc..etc...every single shop has got it all and what you need to do is to find the one with the best price offer.

A lot of people are complaining about Thamel. Ok, it´s not real Nepal and it can be chaotic, crowded, noisy and even dangerous, but i`ve found it fun and interesting; a nice place to eat well and enjoy a little nightlife after the peace of Phokara or the beauty of Patan or Bakthapur. That´s what vacation´s are for to enjoy all class of experiences.

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Thamel is a popular touristic destination in Kathmandu, specially for the budget travellers. A good place for great shopping (cheap mountaneering gear shops, handicrafts, etc) cheap hostels, good restaurants and a lively nightlife, it´s also a chaotic place full of vendors and touts. A couple of days are enough to shop and do some sightseing around or you can use Thamel as a cheap hub to explore the wonderful cities of Patan or bakthapur. For some people is a touristic guetto but i like character of the place.

According to me, everything occurs here in Kathmandu. It is the center of the life. All the important shops, cafés, restaurants are here, I think. It is a big shopping district and can easily be named as the center. Thamel was not easy to figure out for me. I still remember it as a labyrinth.
The first time, we went there by bus. Then the traffic gone crazy and we had to walk on a crowded street. With our huge group, it was really difficult to walk in the chaos without lost somebody. We were going to Rum Doodle for dinner and it was dark. I must say the darkness is not the main problem because we tried to reach Thamel from Durbar Square in day light with a smaller group and it was as difficult as the one before. Luckily I had a small plan on my mind after the dinner in Rum Doodle and many people (vendors on the way) know the place of this restaurant.
Thamel is a crowded, must to experienced place in my opinion. But also can be thought as a touristic and overrated. See and decide yourself.

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Thamel seems to be the tourist area of Kathmandu. It has many, many guest houses, hotels, restaurants, clubs, bars and loads of shopping.
There is a healthy nightlife in Thamel, although the place closes down at around 10h30 – 11h00 pm.
Despite being “touristy”, there are some great shops and services in Thamel. The offers of ‘hash and girls etc’ can be a bit annoying, but usually a ‘no thank you’ was enough not to be bothered too much.
It is easy to find taxis and other modes of transport here, but discuss the fare before you get in.
There are many travel agents in this area where you can organize trips, trekking and airplane tickets.

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Thamel is the main hotel, shopping and Entertainment district of Kathmandu. This is the area where most of the hotels located mostly budget hotels and also it is one of the places where you can find mountaneering, Camping and trekking gears on rent or purchase. There are about hundred hotels located in Thamel. Recently lots of restaurants and dancing bars have also come up, where Nepalese youth spend their evenings.
Shopping is also there but most of the things sold out there are very expensive as compared to Calcutta or India. We did not find anything worth buying except for T shirts, or small souvenir of genuine Nepalese origin.

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Themal is a fantastic area (but very touristy) where you can basically find anything you need. There are shops and restaurants galore with every single taste in mind. It is dirty, smelly and extremely busy but that just adds to the atmosphere and excitement of it all.

This is the place where you can book all ongoing travel and treks but bargaining with the travel agencies, buy your trekking gear, send emails home and basically spend all of your money.

Most of the things you buy won't be real, but they're cheap and look like the real thing, so who cares?

I spent at least a full day in Themal and didn't get bored. It's the perfect place who people who have been starved of shopping for any period of time.