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Kathmandu, Nepal
Author: Bernard Gagnon (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 Generic)
Kathmandu (काठमांडौ) is the capital and largest city of Nepal. The Kathmandu metropolitan area includes nearby Patan and Bhaktapur, neighboring cities which were former capitals of ancient kingdoms. The metropolitan area has a population of 1.6 million people.
Although battered by political turmoil in the past decade, Kathmandu continues to attract a steady stream of tourists and visitors, drawn by its fascinating culture, as well as the opportunity of viewing the Himalayan mountains up close.
Thamel, Kathmandu
Author: Adrian Sulc (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Guide to Kathmandu Hotels
Here's a list of hotels in Kathmandu that you can book online, with full description, star rating, address, location map, evaluation, and prices as offered by different booking sites.More on Kathmandu
Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur are rich in heritage sites which have collectively been inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. There is a lot of see in this city, and through this guide, I hope to describe them all to you.The history of Kathmandu goes back to antiquity, with evidence of human settlement here as early as 167 BC. The Pashupatinath Temple was already a pilgrimage site during the time of Buddha.
Kathmandu is located in the warm temperate zone - one of five climatic regions in Nepal. It experiences a fairly pleasant climate with temperature ranging from 30°C in summer to 10°C in winter. The warmest months are from April to September while the coldest are December and January. Heaviest rain is expected in July, with over 300 mm for that month. Driest months are November and December.
World Heritage Site Inscription Details
Heritage sites in Kathmandu, along with the cities of Patan and Bhaktapur, were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Details as shown below:Location: N 27 42 14.22 E 85 18 30.888 covering a core zone of 188.95 hectares and a buffer zone of 239.34 hectares of the Kathmandu Valley
Inscription Year: 1979
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: III, IV, VI
Boudhanath, Kathmandu
Author: Luca Galuzzi (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 Generic)
Budget Travel to Kathmandu
Citizens of most countries will require a visa to enter Nepal. This can be obtained upon your arrival at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM). The visa fee depends on your length of stay. A 15-day visa will cost you US$25.There is plenty of taxis waiting for customers at the Kathmandu airport. A taxi ride to the tourist enclave of Thamel should cost you not more than 300 Nepali rupees. If you can't stand the hassle of bargaining, you can pre-pay your taxi at the booth inside the airport. This will cost you 450 Nepali rupees.
To change money, do it when you arrive in Thamel, where you are likely to get better rates.
Kasthamandap, Thapathali, Kathmandu
Author: Wonker (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
Budget Travel within Kathmandu
Most streets do not have street names. To explore, you need to remember the landmarks, which can be a square (chowk) or an intersection (tole). It is possible to explore Kathmandu on foot, which gives you the opportunity to observe the locals up close. The streets are usually filled with people - I often wonder where all the people come from, and where are they going. It is not uncommon for the locals to crowd around tourists, especially if you are carrying a big medium-format camera.For longer distances, you should get a rickshaw or taxi. You can also book a taxi to take you around for the whole day. Always pre-negotiate the fare before entering. It will cost about 300 Nepali rupees to go to Patan, and between 1000 to 3000 rupees to visit Bhaktapur or to go to the airport.
Places of Interest in Kathmandu
- Singha Durbar
Grand Palace of Kathmandu, housing the Parliament of Nepal. - Babar Mahal Revisited
Upscale shopping mall created out of former stables and cowsheds. - Tundikhel
Long open field used for parades in Kathmandu. - Bhimsen Tower
Also called Dharahara, a nine-storey tower in Kathmandu. - Durbar Marg
Office street in the central business district of Kathmandu. - Narayanhiti Royal Palace
Residence of the royal family of Nepal. - Juddha Sadak
Road in the old city of Kathmandu that was rebuilt after the 1934 earthquake. - Freak Street
Famous hippie haunt of the 1960's. - Basantapur Square
Square with souvenir sellers in front of the Hanuman Dhoka. - Kumari Bahal
House of the Living Goddess. 18th century temple housing the living goddess of Kathmandu. - Adko Narayan
Temple of Narayan, a five-tiered plinth erected in 1670. - Kathmandu Durbar Square
Heart of the old city of Kathmandu, with some 50 temples and monuments. - Kasthamandap
House of Wood, structure that denotes the very heart of Kathmandu. - Ashok Binayak
Small but very important golden shrine also known as Maru Ganesh dedicatged to the elephant-headed god at the durbar square. - Navadurga Temple
Temple with wooden carvings of Shiva and Parvati at the durbar square. - Maju Deval Shiva Temple
Large temple with three roofs at the Kathmandu durbar square. - Degutale Temple
Temple dedicated to the royal deity in the durbar square. - Krishna Mandir
Small, octogonal temple in the durbar square. - Hanuman Dhoka Durbar
The Hanuman Royal Palace, the former seat of power of the kings of Kathmandu. - Jagannath Mandir
Two-tiered 17th century temple, oldest in the area. - Gopinath Mandir
Temple with three roofs and a three-stepped plinth. - Kala Bahirav
Relief of Shiva with eight arms and wearing a garland of skulls. - Taleju Mandir
Kathmandu's largest temple, on the northeastern end of the Durbar Square. - Kot
Former armoury, now a courtyard on the northwestern end of the Durbar Square. - Indra Chowk
A busy, colorful junction where six Kathmandu streets meet. - Potey Pasaal
Bead bazaar with vendors sitting cross-legged selling colorful beads. - Khel Tol
Oldest trading part of the bazaar. - Seto Machhendranath
One of the most venerated shrines in Kathmandu. - Asan Tol
Crossroad said to be the real heart of the old city of Kathmandu. - Trichandra College
Institute of higher learning built by the Rana kings. - Kathe Simbhu
White Buddhist stupa built as a replica of the Swayambhunath. - Chhetrapati
Tourist quarter of Kathmandu. - Thamel
Most popular tourist quarter of Kathmandu. - Keshar Mahal
Palace in Thamel now housing the Ministry of Education and Culture. - Natural History Museum
Museum showcasing the flora and fauna of Nepal.
Sights around Kathmandu
- Bhaktapur Budget Travel Guide
Guide to the former capital of another nearby kingdom within the Kathmandu Valley. - Patan Budget Travel Guide
Guide to another former capital of a nearby kingdom within the Kathmandu Valley. - Swayambhunath
Buddhist stupa popularly known as the Monkey Temple. - National Museum of Nepal
Museum with collection of local treasures and handicrafts. - Boudhanath
The great stupa of Boudhanath is the largest and holiest Tibetan stupa in Nepal. - Pashupatinath
Also known as the Temple of the Lord of Animals, this is one of the holiest Hindu temple in Nepal. - Chabahil
Ancient stupa located north of Pashupatinath - Gokarna Mahadev
An important Shiva shrine in Kathmandu.
Sights in the Kathmandu Valley
- Kirtipur
A city on a rocky ridgetop to the west of the Bagmati River. - Ichangu Narayan
An ancient Hindu site said to be founded by King Hari Datta in the 6th century. - Nagarjun Ban
A forest reserve known as the "Queen's Forest" - Budhanilkantha
A small village with an enormous statue of a reclining Vishnu. - Changu Narayan
Hill top temple with a spectacular shrine to Vishnu. - Sankhu
Village that was on the old trading route to Helambu. - Nagarkot
Settlement located at 1,985 meters (6,512 feet) above sea level. - Kakani
Viewpoint village at a height of 2,073 meters (6,801 feet). - Banepa
Trading town that was once the capital of a 14th-century kingdom. - Nala
Former outpost of Bhaktapur kingdom. - Panauti
A village with plenty of art and architecture. - Dhulikhel
Important trading post on a hilltop. - Chobhar Gorge
A famous natural site in the Kathmandu Valley where the legendary Manjushri released the lake water with his sword. - Pharping
An important centre of Tibetan Buddhism in the Kathmandu Valley. - Dakshinkali
An important temple to Kali where animals are sacrificed twice a week. - Khokana
Traditional Nepali village dating from the 16th century. - Bungamati
Village that is the winter home of Rato Machhendranath, god of Patan. - Karya Binayak
A shrine between the villages of Khokana and Bungamati - Lele
Ancient village of terraced fields. - Bishankhu Narayan
One of the most famous Vishnu shrines in the Kathmandu Valley. - Godavari
Village with a St Xavier's School run by Jesuit missionaries. - Phulchoki
A hill which is at the rim of the Kathmandu Valley.
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