Pro

There are dime a dozen trekking outfits and decent variety of food and fairly cheap
Con

Incredible traffic, pollution and and overwhelmed infrastructure
In a nutshell

A very nice and crazy place
102 Reviews Durbar Square contains a series of palaces, courtyards and temples with quadrangles in between them. There is spectacular architecture by the Newari artists and craftsmen. The first palace was built on this site 1,800 years ago and through the centuries the buildings have been continually rebuilt....
21 Reviews This flight is totally worth it!! I think we paid 140 USD and we used Yeti Airlines. Our tour company, www.adventurediscoverytreks.com, booked everything for us and we are so glad we decided to do this. We flew beside the Himalayan Mountain Range and the views were fantastic. There truly is no other...
19 Reviews Thamel is where the vast majority of travellers stay in Kathmandu these days. It has replaced the famous freak street as the main hangout for backpackers and these days it's full of cafes, restaurants, hotels and shops catering to tourists. It´s very practical to stay there as you can find most of...
40 Reviews If you are lucky enough to be in Kathmandu when during a religious festival at Pashiptinath it will be an excellent time to get some good photographs of the Holy Men who will congregate there. None of them objected to having their photo taken. It is not unusual to find a western who has dropped out...
58 Reviews SWAYAMBUNATH is a pleasant walk from the Thamel area, shouldn't take longer than 2 hours or better still, rent a bike. Beggars congregate on the 365 steps leading up to the temple so have a few small notes ready if you feel that way inclined. Once you reach the temple itself you will be greeted by a...
16 Reviews Bhaktapur is an ancient city outside Kathmandu that is famous for how well it is preserved. It is a great example of ancient architecture that uses terra cotta brick and wood. Even the streets are paved with brick and they are spotless. Bhaktapur offers great sightseeing and shopping and if you go...
34 Reviews I have recently finished volunteering at a orphanage in Kathmandu and i would like to recommend the experience to anyone wanting to volunteer in Nepal. The small orphanage called CHEF(Child Helping Education Fund) with the objectives to provide housing, food, clothing, education and medical care in...
3 Reviews Have not been to Tibet and so decided to visit the Tibetan Refugee Camp. Many of these refugees crossed the border into Nepal from Tibet when the Dalai Lama fled from the Red Chinese army. The Dalai Lama's official residence is now in India but there is a sizeable group of Tibetans in Nepal as Nepal...
5 Reviews and 349 Opinions Stayed almost 3 weeks on business in April 2011. The public areas are nice and the rooms are looking...
8 Reviews Rum Doodle is an institution, and the clientele are mountain high-fliers, post-trek trekking parties, guides, Everest climbers (they can eat here for free the rest of their lives!), local tourism business people, general visitors looking for a place with a name, and generally those going for good...
4 Reviews This restaurant in the heart of Thamel can hang with just about any restaurant in Kathmandu. It is next to Yin Yang, is a long running favorite that retains an old Kathmandu flavor. There is a rooftop terrace and the Indian food is to die for; try the butter chicken masala or spaghetti because they...
4 Reviews I have written about Rum Doodle in the restaurant tip pages - go there for details. Do not miss out Rum Doodle for a bit of night life on the decent side. Here is good music, mostly good people and good drinks. Definitely on the bar route in Thamel! Nothing particular, informal. dress up for your...
13 Reviews It is not difficult to find a taxi in Kathmandu. Most taxis are small Indian made Suzuki Maruti cars. All taxis have meters, but there are some taxi drivers who refuse to follow the meter reading while dealing with tourists. It is possible to contact the traffic police and complain about it, but...
4 Reviews Nowadays, you should consider biking in Kathmandu as OUT, it is simply too polluted and dangerous. There ae some good routes out of the city centre and into the surrounding countryside/ridges, but as a city mode of transport, forget it.
25 Reviews I didn't really pay attention to the specific names of any shops, but Thamel area is full of small, privately owned shops selling trekking clothes, felt bags and hats, scarves, meditation bowls, paper lanterns and all sorts of other things made from handmade paper, Buddist statues, jewelry, clothes,...
2 Reviews It was our first and only night at Kathmandu and our guide offered us free time before dinner. Either we could split from the group or go with them and see that famous bar in which famous mountaineers hang out and the Pilgrim’s Book Store. We –two girls- chose to go our way and went shopping. Then,...
8 Reviews What a great time I had in Kathmandu with the Holi Festival. It is a public holiday and people are just enjoying themselves with water and coloured powders! You will be a mess if you join them on the streets (which you should do). So, old clothes are important and protect your camera if you take it...
7 Reviews My first day in Kathmandu meant my first contact with the maoists – they were “requiring” a general strike, apparently because they were not satisfied with the ambassadors recently appointed to a number of European capitals. Groups of teenaged boys marching down the boulevards with red flags with...
3 Reviews If you have a problem, anything at all, you can call 100 on your mobile and ask for the Tourist Police. They speak English and if you speak another common language you may request one in that language if one is available. I had a problem with a 'hangers on' that wanted to extort money from me,...
Power cuts are frequent in Kathmandu.
cachaseiro Says: Be ware that Kathmandu does not have the most reliable electricity supply and you should power cuts for several hours a day.Because of that i highly recommend that you have little torch or even better a headlamp.A headlamp is not just for miners, but also very useful for...
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Plan a Kathmandu vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Kathmandu locals

Kathmandu - Kathmandu Valley The Kathmandu Valley, the political, commercial and cultural hub of Nepal, is the first stop of the majority of visitors to the country. Once a separate kingdom in itself, it contains...
177 members live in Kathmandu

Q: Hi guys, I am traveling to Nepal and I would like to know if it is easy to find shops in Kathmandu that sell products (traditional...

A: I can't actually tell you what is sold but there are many Indians, especially Kashmiris selling products from Kashmir so it wouldn't surprise me if Rahjastani items are...
Read 4 Replies
1
Kathmandu The Ancient City - Dream Destination.

Yes finally I could come to Kathmandu. I had life time's experience today. I took that early morning Mountain flight and saw Mt.Everest besides other mountains for one full hour. I shall never be......
2

After a long trip, visiting Mongolia, China and Tibet, I was lucky to stay for a few days in Kathmandu before flying back to Europe. We arrived in the Kathmandu Valley after a breathtaking flight...
3
Kathmandu (Kantipur) - a royal capital.....still

Kathmandu owes its name from Kasthamandap (aka Pavilion of Wood), the oldest building in the entire valley, constructed around the 12th century, located in the Durbar square. Most of the cultural...
4
Mountain Air & Himalayan Culture

Most unforgetable experience for me was taking the Everest flight along the Himalayan range. And then going to the cockpit of the airplane and seeing Mount Everest as close as I can. If you cannot...
5

The early evening was cold and dark when we stood outside the airport waiting for our transport to Thamel. After a few minutes we were offered hotels, treks, excursions etc by the many touts around......
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