Kathmandu, Nepal-6-day-itinerary

Six days is enough to give each of the valley’s three old cities a real turn, plus a hill and a pair of sacred sites everyone mixes up. Here’s the version built one city at a time rather than a scattergun daily list.

Day 1: Arrival and Boudha

Land at Tribhuvan International, handle visa on arrival with crisp cash US dollars (15 days $30, 30 days $50, 90-day multi-entry $125), and use the prepaid taxi counter inside the terminal for a fixed NPR 700-800 into Thamel rather than negotiating with the first person who grabs your bag outside. Once settled, spend the afternoon at Boudhanath Stupa, NPR 400, one of the largest Buddhist stupas anywhere. Walk its full circle slowly, the kora that pilgrims do, rather than a quick photo lap. Stay for dinner in the Boudha neighborhood if you can; the Tibetan food here has a real edge over the Thamel version.

Day 2: Kathmandu’s old royal quarter

Full day in central Kathmandu. Morning at Kathmandu Durbar Square, roughly NPR 1,000, the former royal palace complex of the Malla kings. Most of the 2015 earthquake damage has been rebuilt by now, Kasthamandap reopened since 2023-24, with only the occasional scaffold remaining as evidence of the scale of the repair. Afternoon exploring the surrounding lanes on foot, taking a slower look at the wood carving that’s easy to miss when you’re moving between ticketed sites. Dinner in Thamel tonight, though keep your expectations modest; the better food days are still ahead.

Day 3: Bhaktapur, unrushed

Bhaktapur is its own medieval city, about 45 to 90 minutes out, with its own entry fee around NPR 1,800-2,000 covering the whole town for multiple days. Give it the entire day. Morning in the pottery square while the potters are actually working, afternoon through the preserved Newari streetscape, the best-looking in the valley by a wide margin. Its Nyatapola temple survived the 2015 earthquake standing, which is more than most Durbar Square structures can claim. Eat lunch in Bhaktapur itself rather than heading back to Kathmandu first, and bring cash, since smaller vendors here don’t take cards the way central Kathmandu shops increasingly do.

Day 4: Patan and the food you’ve been missing

Cross the Bagmati into Patan, technically its own city called Lalitpur, and spend the morning in its Durbar Square, widely considered the best-preserved of the valley’s three. If you only trust one recommendation on this trip, make it this: prioritize Patan’s square over Kathmandu’s own if you’re ever tight on time in a future visit. Browse the excellent metalwork shops before lunch, then get a proper Newari thali with chhoila and bara at Newa Lahana or Honacha, NPR 500-1,200. Having eaten Thamel’s version of Nepali food for three days straight by this point, the difference is stark; Thamel cooks for convenience, Patan cooks for flavor.

Day 5: The real Monkey Temple, Pashupatinath, and a hill

Morning at Swayambhunath, the genuine Monkey Temple, NPR 200, up the roughly 365 stone steps on the east side. This is worth stating clearly since it trips up a lot of guides: Swayambhunath is the Monkey Temple, not Pashupatinath, which is an entirely different site you’ll visit later today, dedicated to Shiva and home to Hindu cremation rites rather than monkeys.

Midday, head to Pashupatinath, NPR 1,000, Nepal’s holiest Hindu temple and an active cremation site along the Bagmati. Non-Hindus can’t enter the inner pagoda but can view the cremation ghats respectfully from across the river, so it’s a real and moving visit rather than a total lockout. Keep cameras down near grieving families.

In the late afternoon, if energy allows, take the Chandragiri cable car for a fast mountain payoff: about an hour to the base, a ten-minute ride up for roughly $13 one-way or $23 round-trip, temple and panoramic views included.

Day 6: Departure, with time to spare

Use the morning for last-minute shopping in Thamel; six days of practice means you’ll actually get a fair price this time. Check out, allow extra time for Kathmandu traffic, and head to Tribhuvan International for departure.

Practical notes for the whole trip

Taxis are legally metered and drivers reliably ignore that, so agree the fare before getting in or use Pathao or InDrive for a locked-in app price. There’s no metro system anywhere in the valley. Skip tap water entirely and stick to bottled or filtered water throughout. Learn “namaste” and “dhanyabaad”; both carry real weight with shopkeepers and drivers outside the main tourist strips. If a Thamel storefront tries to sell you a trek on the spot, check for TAAN or NTB registration and proof of insurance before handing over a deposit, since unlicensed operators remain a genuine and recurring problem in this part of the city.

Timing matters more than most itineraries admit. October and November deliver the clearest Himalaya views and the two biggest festivals, Dashain and Tihar, though Dashain’s roughly two-week run closes a fair number of businesses along the way, which can shuffle a day or two of this plan if you land mid-festival. March and April offer a similar window before the pre-monsoon haze sets in. Winter, December through February, starts cold and clear before valley haze typically returns by January or February, so don’t assume the mountain views from Chandragiri or the Bhaktapur rooftops will hold all season. Dust and pollution peak March through May and again during dry winter stretches; a mask isn’t overkill on the more exposed days, especially around Chandragiri’s base and the busier Thamel intersections.