Kathmandu 6 Day Itinerary

Quick correction before we start: there is no flight to Nagarkot, it’s a road trip, about 1.5-2 hours by car from Kathmandu, and no itinerary should tell you otherwise. Six days gives you room to do the valley properly, including that Nagarkot overnight done the right way.

Day 1: land and settle in

Sort your visa on arrival before baggage claim, 15 days for $30, 30 days for $50, crisp US cash since card machines here are unreliable. Prepaid taxi counter into Thamel runs a fixed NPR 700-800, skip the curbside touts quoting NPR 1,500 while grabbing your bags for leverage. Spend the afternoon wandering Thamel’s narrow lanes and rooftop bars, it’s chaotic and motorbike-heavy but genuinely fun to explore on foot. Stick to bottled water for the whole trip, tap water isn’t worth the risk.

Day 2: Boudhanath and Pashupatinath

Morning at Boudhanath Stupa, NPR 400, walking the kora clockwise through the Tibetan Buddhist quarter surrounding it. Afternoon at Pashupatinath, NPR 1,000, the Hindu cremation site on the Bagmati. Non-Hindus are barred from the inner pagoda but you can view the full complex and the cremation ghats from across the river, so don’t treat it as off-limits entirely, just stay respectful and keep your camera down around grieving families. Dress modestly and remove shoes wherever required.

Day 3: overnight up to Nagarkot

Drive up to Nagarkot in the afternoon, 1.5-2 hours out at 2,175 meters, and stay overnight so you’re in position for sunrise. Clear October-November or March-April mornings deliver genuine Himalaya views, Everest included, and that dawn payoff is exactly why this deserves an overnight rather than a rushed day trip. Come back down to Kathmandu the next morning.

Day 4: Bhaktapur, unhurried

Bhaktapur earns a full day, not a quick stop. It’s a separate medieval town about 90 minutes out, entry runs NPR 1,800-2,000 covering the whole entry-controlled town, and it’s worth every rupee. The Nyatapola temple survived the 2015 earthquake standing, one of the tallest temples in the country, and the pottery square is where you’ll want to linger, watching potters throw on manual wheels the traditional way. Midday sun is intense here, so plan your walking for morning and late afternoon if you can.

Day 5: Patan

Patan, also called Lalitpur, sits across the Bagmati as its own separate city, and honestly it’s the best day of the trip. Patan Durbar Square is better preserved and far less crowded than its Kathmandu counterpart, my clear pick if you ever have to choose between the two. Spend the day among the Newari architecture and metalwork studios, then eat real Newari food at Newa Lahana or Honacha, chhoila and bara for NPR 500-1,200, it’s a different tier from Thamel’s tourist menus. Support the local artisans here too, plenty of handmade work worth bringing home.

Day 6: last stop and departure

If you haven’t managed it yet, use the morning for Swayambhunath, NPR 200 and about 365 steps up the east side. This is the genuine Monkey Temple, not Pashupatinath, a distinction worth getting right before you fly out. Grab last souvenirs in Thamel, keep a photocopy of your passport separate from the original, and exchange any leftover rupees before you head to the airport.

Getting around

No metro exists in Kathmandu, don’t plan around one. Taxi meters are required by law and ignored in practice, agree your fare before getting in or use Pathao and InDrive for a locked app price. Verify any Thamel trekking agency is TAAN or NTB registered if you’re booking anything beyond day trips, unlicensed storefronts are common and not worth the risk.