Bhaktapur

Bhaktapur (Khwopa, 'city of devotees') was the capital of the whole valley under the early Malla kings. Its three great squares — Durbar Square with the 55-Window Palace and Golden Gate, Taumadhi with the five-storey Nyatapola temple of 1702, and Dattatreya with its woodcarving museum — are linked by brick lanes where life still follows the old calendar.

Watch potters at work in Pottery Square, eat juju dhau (king of curds), and try to visit during Bisket Jatra at Nepali New Year, when huge chariots are pulled and tugged through the streets. For more depth, see our sister site Hamro Sanothimi.