Kathmandu, Nepal 7 Day Itinerary

Kathmandu’s airport taxis in the arrivals parking lot will ask for up to 2,000 rupees to reach Thamel, five kilometers away, when the prepaid counter inside charges 900 and an app like Pathao or InDrive gets you there for 500 to 600. That gap tells you most of what you need to know about pricing in this city: the sticker price is a starting offer, not a fact, and it pays to know the real number before you negotiate anything, from a taxi to a pashmina scarf.

Day 1: Arrival and acclimatizing in Thamel

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport, get a SIM card at one of the counters in arrivals if you need data, and either use the prepaid taxi counter or book through an app rather than negotiating with a driver in the parking lot. Traffic between the airport and Thamel is often worse than the five-kilometer distance suggests, budget 30 to 40 minutes. Check into Thamel or the quieter Bouddha area depending on whether you want nightlife and gear shops on your doorstep or a calmer base near the stupa; Dwarika’s Hotel is the standout heritage property in the city if budget allows, built around salvaged Newari woodcarvings, while Hotel Manang is a solid mid-range option right in Thamel’s center.

Spend the afternoon walking Thamel itself, and treat the trekking gear shops with real skepticism. A meaningful share of the “North Face” and “Marmot” jackets hanging outside stores are counterfeits made from thin, non-breathable synthetic, not the technical fabric they claim, and if you’re buying gear for an actual trek later in your trip, stick to the handful of authorized dealers with visible authorized-retailer signage rather than street stalls. If anyone approaches you offering a discounted trek or a guide service on the spot, ask for their TAAN registration number and verify it before handing over any deposit; fake trekking agencies with polished websites and no real Kathmandu office have cost travelers thousands of dollars in recent years.

Day 2: Kathmandu Durbar Square and Swayambhunath

Kathmandu Durbar Square, the old royal palace complex, costs 1,000 rupees for foreign visitors and is worth a slow two to three hours picking through the temple courtyards and the Kumari Ghar, home to Kathmandu’s living goddess. From there it’s a manageable walk or short taxi to Swayambhunath, the hilltop stupa everyone calls the Monkey Temple for the macaques that genuinely do run the grounds; climb the steep stone steps rather than taking the side road if you want the full effect, and go in the late afternoon for the best light over the valley and fewer tour groups. In the evening, cross to Patan, technically its own city across the Bagmati River, for Patan Durbar Square, which most visitors who see both agree has the more refined Newari stone and metalwork of the two Durbar Squares. Have dinner nearby on authentic Newari cuisine rather than the more generic tourist-menu places back in Thamel.

Day 3: Pashupatinath and Boudhanath

Pashupatinath, Nepal’s most important Hindu temple complex, sits on the Bagmati River and costs 1,000 rupees for foreign visitors. Non-Hindus cannot enter the inner sanctum housing the sacred lingam, but the outer complex, including the cremation ghats along the river, subsidiary shrines, and the Mrigasthali deer park, is open to everyone, and watching a real cremation ceremony from the opposite bank is a sobering, unfiltered experience rather than a staged one, so behave accordingly and keep cameras discreet. From there it’s a short ride to Boudhanath, one of the largest stupas in the world and the spiritual center of Kathmandu’s Tibetan community; entry runs around 300 to 400 rupees depending on the day, and circling the stupa clockwise with the pilgrims at dusk, when the butter lamps are lit, is a better experience than the midday rush. Have dinner at one of the rooftop cafes ringing the stupa itself rather than heading back into Thamel, since the view of the monument lit up at night is worth the extra twenty minutes.

Day 4: Bhaktapur and Changu Narayan

Bhaktapur, roughly 90 minutes east of central Kathmandu by taxi or local bus, is the best-preserved of the valley’s medieval Newari cities and charges a separate, steeper entry fee than the other Durbar Squares, worth it for Nyatapola Temple’s five-tier pagoda and the potters’ square where you can watch clay work happen in real time. Changu Narayan, a short ride further on, is one of the oldest temples in the valley, with stone carvings and inscriptions dating back over 1,500 years, and it draws a fraction of Bhaktapur’s crowds, which makes it a good counterpoint if the main square starts to feel like a photo queue. Head back into Kathmandu for a dinner of Newari specialties like choila and bara if you didn’t already get your fill on day two.

Day 5: Nagarkot for sunrise over the Himalayas

Nagarkot, about 90 minutes to two hours from Kathmandu depending on traffic, is the classic hill-station side trip for Himalayan views, and it only really pays off if you stay overnight and catch sunrise the next morning, since afternoon haze frequently blocks the mountain view entirely by midday. On a genuinely clear morning you can see a long stretch of the Himalayan range including, weather depending, distant glimpses toward Everest, though closer peaks like Ganesh Himal and the Langtang range are the more reliable sightlines. If your schedule doesn’t allow the overnight, an early-morning day trip still beats an afternoon visit, but temper your expectations; this is a place where the payoff depends entirely on the sky cooperating.

Day 6: Kirtipur, Thamel, and last-minute shopping

Kirtipur, an old Newari hilltop town southwest of the city, gets a fraction of the tourist traffic of Bhaktapur despite similarly old temples and narrow lanes, and it’s a good half-day if you want valley views without the crowds. Spend the afternoon back in Thamel for shopping now that you know which shops sell genuine gear versus street knockoffs, and pashmina, singing bowls, and thangka paintings are the classic souvenirs worth bargaining hard on; expect to pay well under half the first quoted price on anything in the tourist stalls. Have a farewell dinner somewhere with live traditional music, several of the courtyard restaurants around Thamel’s core run nightly folk performances alongside a set Nepali thali menu.

Day 7: Departure

Keep your morning loose for repacking and any last souvenirs, exchange leftover rupees before heading to the airport since they’re difficult to change back home, and budget extra time for the drive to Tribhuvan given Kathmandu’s unpredictable traffic. International departures often want you at the airport three hours ahead, and security lines can move slowly during peak morning departure banks.

Getting around and practical notes

Taxis and ride apps cover the valley well, but always confirm a price or insist on the meter before getting in if you’re not using an app. Local buses are cheap but crowded and not well signed in English, fine for the adventurous but not worth the hassle on a first visit. Carry cash, since card acceptance outside hotels and larger restaurants is inconsistent, and keep your daypack zipped and in front of you in Thamel’s busier lanes, pickpocketing is opportunistic rather than common but does happen. October through November and March through April give the clearest mountain views and the most comfortable temperatures; the monsoon months of June through August bring heavy rain that can wash out the Nagarkot payoff entirely.