Thamel and the old bazaars

Thamel is a maze of guesthouses, restaurants, trekking shops, bookshops and bars, where most visitors to Nepal spend their first nights. It is also where to hire guides, buy gear and arrange permits.

Walk south from Thamel through Chhetrapati and Thahiti to Asan, a six-way crossroads where spice, grain and brass sellers have traded for centuries around little temples, then on to Indra Chowk and Durbar Square. Tucked in the courtyards (bahal) along the way are stupas and shrines that few people notice.