What you should do if you ever find yourself in Nepal

May 10, 2023

What you should do if you ever find yourself in Nepal - Kathmandu Edition

What you should do if you ever find yourself in Nepal - Kathmandu edition

First and foremost, you should definitely do a trek. There are plenty of different ones depending on what experience you’re looking for. From easy 4-day ones to full-on hardcore trekker ones, I would opt for the picturesque 4-day one, but that’s just me.

Then take time to just chill, what I’ve seen a lot of people do is just go there for the trek but Kathmandu is actually a really nice city where you can easily spend a week or so just exploring, the same goes for Pokhara.

Here are some of my favourite things in Kathmandu:

Accommodation-wise I would recommend staying in a hostel in Thamel, it’s the safest bet. I stayed in Flock Hostel which was super clean and nice. They had a really good restaurant and it was actually quite cheap to stay there. We also stayed in some small hotels and guest houses but I would not recommend these. You would spend the same amount of money in a clean hostel dorm as in a dirty guest house. Plus, you make friends easily in hostels, so it's your best bet if you’re looking for people to do things with you or give you tips.

As for food, here’s a list of my favourite restaurants:

Places - https://goo.gl/maps/JT7wb7u5sL17VWNA8?coh=178572&entry=tt
Namaste -
https://goo.gl/maps/3pyN5qXrz8MsXMwv6?coh=178572&entry=tt
Western Tandoori & Naan House - https://goo.gl/maps/pRNWfdiFy4z7N5SN6?coh=178572&entry=tt
French Creperie - https://goo.gl/maps/gr3KR3EFrecDicrH6?coh=178572&entry=tt
Roadhouse cafe - https://goo.gl/maps/CzsqoQDCxX5xKMbGA?coh=178572&entry=tt
Avocado Cafe - https://goo.gl/maps/y5VZiAibkowY1EjA8?coh=178572&entry=tt
Green Peach Cafe - https://goo.gl/maps/xxWWY2b1EviNfzCr6?coh=178572&entry=tt
Vera Pizza - https://goo.gl/maps/WkZbpH6YsJZuxKR96?coh=178572&entry=tt

For going out:

Purple Haze (live music bar) - https://goo.gl/maps/E8uBxxGkoz9zcHxHA?coh=178572&entry=tt
LOD (huge nightclub) - https://goo.gl/maps/PJfAsSxQiTzwBVvZ7?coh=178572&entry=tt
Sam’s Bar - https://goo.gl/maps/24mCbYX3woJ8ifxp6?coh=178572&entry=tt

Things to visit:

Buddha Stupa in Bodha - https://goo.gl/maps/kvkbaEvg1EbMEQsCA?coh=178572&entry=tt - definitely go for sunset and get a drink at one of the rooftops.
Pashupatinath Temple - https://goo.gl/maps/msC2CyuyR2kkFpEf6?coh=178572&entry=tt - they burn people there it’s weird but if you go at night the ceremony is actually quite beautiful. Just go up a bit don’t stay in the bottom part of the temple.
Patan Durbar Square - https://goo.gl/maps/iU9HofUncAHR1FyN6?coh=178572&entry=tt - it’s just nice to walk around
Kathmandu Durbar square (right next to Thamel) - https://goo.gl/maps/c7Jh31AFEmRX2wBg9?coh=178572&entry=tt - there’s a little market which is nice and then some nice temples so just walk around and explore
Monkey Temple (Swayambunath) - https://goo.gl/maps/PDemy5SZWDUq14x39?coh=178572&entry=tt - ask your taxi driver to take you to the upper entrance so that you don’t have to walk up the 1000000 stairs
Museum of Nepali Art - https://goo.gl/maps/Qo3sauccZAGB1MkBA?coh=178572&entry=tt - a very small but well-curated museum, there are also different expos there from locals artists. + for 500rs you can get paint and a canvas and paint in the garden of Kathmandu Guest House which is nice for a chill afternoon.
Go shopping in Thamel!!!!

A few miles away from the centre of Kathmandu there’s Bhaktapur. It used to house the Malla kings of Nepal from the 14th to 15th century and the kings of the Kingdom of Bhaktapur from the 15th to late 18th century until the kingdom was conquered in 1769. It has now left a beautiful and elegant little town, where the Newari culture and community shines.

Here are the main things you should see, but just walking around the little town is the nicest part of it.