District · Kathmandu
Durbar Square and Basantapur
The historic centre with Malla palaces and temples; crowded with shrines, pigeons and vendors.
Key facts
- Suits
- The royal square, temples, the Kumari
- Sights here
- 2
- Eats here
- 1
What it's like
- Feels:
- Ancient temples, pigeons and hawkers in brick and wood
- Suits:
- The royal square, temples, the Kumari
- Best time:
- 07:00–10:007:00 AM–10:00 AM
- Watch out for:
- Midday crowds.
- In short:
- The historic centre with Malla palaces and temples; crowded with shrines, pigeons and vendors.
About these names
The old city, Thamel and Durbar Square lie on the west bank of the Bagmati river; Boudhanath and Pashupatinath are about 6–8 km east; Patan is just across the river to the south; Swayambhunath sits on a hill to the west. Traffic decides every trip: allow double the map time.
Where exactly
This district is highlighted. Shapes follow this guide's walking areas and places, not official boundaries.
Durbar Square and Basantapur
see
The historic centre with Malla palaces and temples; crowded with shrines, pigeons and vendors.
Suits: The royal square, temples, the Kumari
On the map: Kumari Ghar, Kathmandu Durbar Square
District guideWalk: Kathmandu Durbar SquareIn the districts table
Off the map: Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) (30–60 min by the usual route).
Not drawn yet (no coordinates in this guide): Swayambhunath, Bhaktapur. See the table above.
Where’s what, as a list:
- Thamel: A dense visitor quarter of narrow lanes, hotels, trekking shops and restaurants; noisy at night, dusty by day. Suits: Trip logistics, gear, cafés, first nights. Price band $.
- Durbar Square and Basantapur: The historic centre with Malla palaces and temples; crowded with shrines, pigeons and vendors. Suits: The royal square, temples, the Kumari.
- Boudhanath: A Tibetan Buddhist neighbourhood around a huge stupa; quieter at night than Thamel. Suits: The stupa, monasteries, a calmer base. Price band $$.
- Pashupatinath: Reached by taxi from Boudha; a place of worship and funerals. Suits: The great Shiva temple and cremation ghats.
- Patan (Lalitpur): A Newar city with a beautiful square and metalwork workshops; often the easier day. Suits: A calmer old square, museums, crafts.
- Swayambhunath: A hilltop stupa west of the city with monkeys; about 365 steps from the eastern stair. Suits: Sunrise and city views from a hill temple.
- Bhaktapur: About 13 km east; well preserved and quieter than Kathmandu; entry fee for foreigners.About 8.1 mi east; well preserved and quieter than Kathmandu; entry fee for foreigners. Suits: A medieval town by day trip.
- Sleep area Boudha: suits The stupa, monasteries, a calmer base, price band $$.
- Sleep area Thamel: suits Trip logistics, gear, cafés, first nights, price band $.
- Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM), 30–60 min by the usual route.
Stay here?
Not a base in this guide
See
Opening hours and prices from each place page; (check) means typical hours, not yet verified.
The palace of the living goddess, with a carved wooden courtyard: 15–20 minutes, quiet, with strict rules about photography and behaviour.
- Hours:
- Desk estimate: daytime; the goddess appears at set times; confirm.(check)
- Entry:
- Included with the square ticket (check) (2026 estimate)
- Kathmandu Durbar SquareBook a time
Go at opening, before the tour groups; 75 minutes among old palace courtyards and temples, some still fenced after the 2015 earthquake.
- Hours:
- Desk estimate: daylight hours; ticket office closes late afternoon; confirm.(check)
- Entry:
- About NPR 1,000 (2026 estimate)
Eat
What to order and what locals pay, from each eat page. Prices are estimates; check the menu.
- Chiya, sel roti and sweets, Basantapur
Milky spiced tea, fried rice bread and sweets from tea stalls and sweet shops around Durbar Square: a cheap break in the old core, best mid-morning.
Price: A tea is about NPR 30–80.
Getting there and around
Where to get off
- Taxi to the Basantapur side of the square · for Kathmandu Durbar Square
- Beside the south end of Durbar Square (Basantapur) · for Kumari Ghar
- Tea stalls and sweet shops around Basantapur and Durbar Square · 3 min walk to Chiya, sel roti and sweets, Basantapur
Walks inside the district
- Kathmandu Durbar Square → Kumari Ghar: 3–5 min on foot (Walk across the square)
- Kumari Ghar → Chiya, sel roti and sweets, Basantapur: 3–5 min on foot (Walk to the tea stalls)
- Kathmandu Durbar Square → Chiya, sel roti and sweets, Basantapur: 3–5 min on foot (Walk to the tea stalls)
On to the next area
- Walk north: about 18 min to Thamel
- Car south: about 25 min to Patan Durbar Square
From other sleep areas
- From Thamel: 18–25 min walk to Kathmandu Durbar Square
Minutes are this guide’s typical walking and ride times (p50–p90); traffic and heat stretch them.
Walking loop
A loop that starts and ends at the same place, through this district's sights and eats. Pick a length; download it for Organic Maps, OsmAnd or Google Earth.
About 64 min in all: 9 min on foot, the rest at the stops. 3 stops, back to where you started.
- Kumari GharStart here · stop about 10 min
- Kathmandu Durbar Square3 min walk · stop about 30 min
- Chiya, sel roti and sweets, Basantapur3 min walk · stop about 15 min (snack, or note it for later)
- Back to Kumari Ghar: 3 min walk
Walking minutes come from this guide’s route graph where it has one; “estimate” means straight-line distance plus a quarter for street detours at an easy pace. Opening hours are not checked: look at “Open now” below before you set off.
Half-day walk
In the day plans: Day 1 — Durbar Square morning, a 12:30 lunch table (Kathmandu in 3 days)
Photo and sunset spots
Temple plinths and carved windows
Light: 07:00–09:00
Early light and few crowds; do not climb the steps of shrines.
Safety at night and noise
Durbar Square and Basantapurday: cautionnight: caution
Crowded; pickpockets and touts posing as guides.
Nearby districts
Built from this guide’s Kathmandu districts table, place, eat and sleep pages, route graph and city notes. Hours, prices and rules change: anything marked (check) is typical, not verified. checked: 2026-09.