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District · Kathmandu

Patan (Lalitpur)

A Newar city with a beautiful square and metalwork workshops; often the easier day.

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Key facts

Suits
A calmer old square, museums, crafts
Sights here
2
Eats here
1

What it's like

Feels:
A quieter, craft-rich old town
Suits:
A calmer old square, museums, crafts
Best time:
Morning
Watch out for:
Late afternoon closings.
In short:
A Newar city with a beautiful square and metalwork workshops; often the easier day.

About these names

Addresses are given by neighbourhood, chowk (square) and a nearby landmark; give your driver a landmark and show the pin.

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.

Patan (Lalitpur) on the Kathmandu mapTap an area for what it is like and who it suits. Shapes follow this guide’s walking areas and places, not official boundaries.
Boudha: The stupa, monasteries, a calmer baseThamel · $

Patan (Lalitpur)

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A Newar city with a beautiful square and metalwork workshops; often the easier day.

Suits: A calmer old square, museums, crafts

On the map: Golden Temple, Patan (Hiranya Varna Mahavihar), Patan Durbar Square

District guideWalk: Patan 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 $$.
  • Pashupatinath: Reached by taxi from Boudha; a place of worship and funerals. Suits: The great Shiva temple and cremation ghats.
  • Patan (Lalitpur): A Newar city with a beautiful square and metalwork workshops; often the easier day. Suits: A calmer old square, museums, crafts.
  • Swayambhunath: A hilltop stupa west of the city with monkeys; about 365 steps from the eastern stair. Suits: Sunrise and city views from a hill temple.
  • Bhaktapur: About 13 km east; well preserved and quieter than Kathmandu; entry fee for foreigners. Suits: A medieval town by day trip.
  • Sleep area Boudha: suits The stupa, monasteries, a calmer base, price band $$.
  • 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

No sleep area here has scores. The best-placed bases are Boudhanath, Thamel.

See

Opening hours and prices from each place page; (check) means typical hours, not yet verified.

  • Patan Durbar SquareGo

    A compact square of temples and a palace museum, with a calmer pace than Kathmandu: go in the morning for 2 hours and include the museum.

    Hours:
    Desk estimate: daylight; museum has its own hours; confirm.(check)
    Entry:
    About NPR 1,000 (2026 estimate)
  • Golden Temple, Patan (Hiranya Varna Mahavihar)Go

    A gilded Buddhist monastery with a narrow courtyard, a 5-minute walk from Patan Durbar Square: 20 minutes, quiet, and best in the morning.

    Hours:
    Desk estimate: daytime; confirm.(check)
    Entry:
    About NPR 50–100 (2026 estimate)

Eat

What to order and what locals pay, from each eat page. Prices are estimates; check the menu.

  • Newari khaja set, Patan

    A Newar snack-meal of beaten rice with spiced meat or vegetables, pickles and sweets in a small restaurant near Patan Durbar Square; try it for lunch.

    Price: A set is about NPR 400–1,000.

Drink and nightlife

Lines from the Kathmandu drinking guide that name this district.

  • Jhamel and Patan bars · Cafés and small bars · until about 22:30Calmer, with local crowds.

Shopping

Markets and shopping streets from the Kathmandu buying guide that name this district.

  • Patan handicraft shops and workshops · Metalwork, statues, woodcarving, thangka · About 09:00–18:00 · haggling: mediumAsk to see how a piece is made and compare prices.
  • Singing bowls, thangka and metalwork · Patan and Boudha workshopsAsk who made it and how; compare at three shops.

Getting there and around

Where to get off

  • A short walk north of Patan Durbar Square · for Golden Temple, Patan (Hiranya Varna Mahavihar)
  • Taxi to the edge of the square (Mangal Bazaar side) · for Patan Durbar Square
  • Small restaurants around Patan Durbar Square and Mangal Bazaar (ask a local) · 4 min walk to Newari khaja set, Patan

Walks inside the district

  • Patan Durbar Square → Golden Temple (Hiranya Varna Mahavihar): 6–10 min on foot (Walk through the lanes)
  • Golden Temple (Hiranya Varna Mahavihar) → Newari khaja set, Patan: 6–9 min on foot (Walk to the khaja restaurant)
  • Patan Durbar Square → Newari khaja set, Patan: 4–6 min on foot (Walk to the khaja restaurant)

On to the next area

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 76 min in all: 16 min on foot, the rest at the stops. 3 stops, back to where you started.

123
  1. Patan Durbar SquareStart here · stop about 30 min
  2. Golden Temple, Patan (Hiranya Varna Mahavihar)6 min walk · stop about 15 min
  3. Newari khaja set, Patan6 min walk · stop about 15 min (snack, or note it for later)
  4. Back to Patan Durbar Square: 4 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 3 — Patan, car to the airport at 12:00 (Kathmandu in 3 days)

Photo and sunset spots

Safety at night and noise

  • Patanday: oknight: ok

    Quiet in the evening; use a booked car back.

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.