Kathmandu

The capital: Pashupatinath, Boudhanath, Swayambhu, Hanuman Dhoka and the forested rim of Shivapuri.

Province: Bagmati Province
Belt: Pahad — the hills
Headquarters: Kathmandu

Districts of Bagmati Province

Dolakha Sindhupalchok Rasuwa Ramechhap Sindhuli Kavrepalanchok Lalitpur Bhaktapur Nuwakot Dhading Makwanpur Chitwan

Places in Kathmandu

Temple & shrine

Pashupatinath

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

Nepal's holiest Hindu temple, on the Bagmati river, where Shiva is worshipped as Lord of Animals and the dead are cremated on the ghats.

Monastery

Boudhanath Stupa

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

One of the largest stupas in the world, the heart of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal, ringed by monasteries and circling pilgrims.

Monastery

Swayambhunath

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

The ancient hilltop stupa of the 'self-arisen' Buddha, reached by 365 steps, overlooking the whole valley.

Heritage & palace

Kathmandu Durbar Square

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

The old royal palace of Hanuman Dhoka and its temple squares, home of the Kumari, the living goddess.

City & bazaar

Thamel and the old bazaars

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

Kathmandu's traveller quarter, and a walk south through Asan and Indra Chowk, the city's oldest market streets.

Heritage & palace

Garden of Dreams

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

A restored neo-classical Rana garden of the 1920s, a calm green refuge on the edge of Thamel.

Temple & shrine

Budhanilkantha

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

A 5-metre stone Vishnu reclining on a bed of serpents in a pond, carved in the Licchavi period.

Park & wildlife

Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

Forested hills on the valley's northern rim with day hikes to Shivapuri peak, Nagi Gompa and Jamacho.

Monastery

Kopan Monastery

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

A hilltop Tibetan Buddhist monastery north of Boudha, known worldwide for its meditation courses.

Hidden gem

Village & culture

Kirtipur

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

A Newar hilltop town that resisted Prithvi Narayan Shah three times, with temples, lanes and valley views.

Hidden gem

River & gorge

Chobhar Gorge and Jal Binayak

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

The narrow gorge where, legend says, Manjushri cut the hill to drain the valley lake, with caves and a riverside Ganesh temple.

Temple & shrine

Dakshinkali and Pharping

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

A goddess temple in a forest ravine where sacrifices are offered, and nearby Pharping's caves of Guru Rinpoche.

Hill & viewpoint

Chandragiri Hills

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

A cable car up to a 2,551 m ridge on the valley's south-west rim, with a Bhaleshwar temple and a Himalayan panorama.

Hidden gem

Village & culture

Tokha

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

A quiet Newar town on the northern edge of Kathmandu, famous for chaku molasses sweets and the Chandeshwari temple.

Hidden gem

Village & culture

Sankhu and Vajrayogini

Kathmandu, Bagmati Province

An old Newar trading town on the route to Tibet, with a forest temple of Vajrayogini on the hill above.