Kathmandu, Nepal-5-day-itinerary

Correction worth flagging first: cramming Bhaktapur and Nagarkot into one day, complete with a sunset stop, sounds efficient on paper and falls apart in practice. Bhaktapur alone deserves a full day, and Nagarkot’s whole appeal is sunrise, not sunset, which means an overnight. Five days is enough to give both the time they actually need, so that’s how I’ve built this one.

Day 1: arrival and Thamel

Handle your visa on arrival before baggage claim, 15 days for $30, 30 days for $50, or a 90-day multi-entry for $125, crisp US cash since card machines are unreliable. Fill out the online arrival form ahead of time if you can, it saves real time during the October-November peak when queues can stretch 45-90 minutes. The prepaid taxi counter into Thamel runs a fixed NPR 700-800 for the 20-30 minute ride, skip curbside touts quoting NPR 1,500 while grabbing your bags for leverage, and watch for the scam where a driver insists your hotel is closed or burned down to redirect you elsewhere, keep your hotel’s address and number handy and refuse the detour.

Spend the afternoon wandering Thamel’s narrow lanes, trekking shops, and rooftop bars, it’s chaotic but genuinely enjoyable to get lost in, just watch your footing since motorbikes weave through pedestrians constantly and proper footpaths barely exist. Dinner here is convenient, though honestly not the city’s best, you’ll eat far better later this week.

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 can’t enter the inner pagoda but the whole complex and cremation ghats are visible from across the river, so it’s still absolutely worth the trip, just stay respectful around grieving families and decline any sadhu offering a tika unless you’ve already agreed a fixed donation. Evening at Kathmandu Durbar Square, about NPR 1,000, mostly rebuilt since the 2015 quake with Kasthamandap reopened since 2023-24.

Day 3: Patan, done right

Cross the Bagmati to Patan Durbar Square in the separate city of Lalitpur and give it real time rather than a rushed stop. It’s comparably priced to Kathmandu Durbar Square but better preserved and far less crowded, my clear pick between the two every time someone asks. Wander the Newari architecture and metalwork studios, then eat dinner here too, Newa Lahana or Honacha for genuine Newari thali, chhoila, and bara at NPR 500-1,200, a real step up from Thamel’s tourist menus. Swayambhunath fits well as a morning add-on if you want it, NPR 200 and roughly 365 steps up the east side, this is the actual Monkey Temple, not Pashupatinath, worth stating clearly since that mix-up is everywhere online.

Day 4: Bhaktapur, its own full day

Bhaktapur is a separate medieval town about 45-90 minutes out, entry runs NPR 1,800-2,000 covering the whole entry-controlled town. Give it the whole day it deserves rather than pairing it with anything else. The Nyatapola temple survived the 2015 quake standing, and the pottery square rewards slow wandering, watching potters work manual wheels the traditional way. Eat lunch in town, and don’t rush the cobblestone streets, comfortable shoes matter here.

Day 5: Nagarkot sunrise, then departure

Head up to Nagarkot the evening before if your flight timing allows, or treat this as a half-day trade-off: Nagarkot at 2,175 meters delivers genuine Himalaya views, Everest included on clear October-November or March-April mornings, but only pays off with an overnight for sunrise, not a sunset stop bolted onto another day. If your schedule can’t accommodate the overnight, the Chandragiri Hills cable car is the smarter substitute, about an hour to the base then ten minutes up for $13 one-way or $23 round-trip, delivering mountain views without needing a full extra night. Either way, head back to Kathmandu in time to pack, exchange leftover rupees, and get to Tribhuvan International.

Practical notes

No metro exists in Kathmandu, plan around taxis and ride-hailing apps instead. Meters are required by law and ignored in practice, agree fares up front or use Pathao or InDrive for locked-in pricing. Power cuts are far less common than they used to be thanks to hydropower expansion since 2016, hotels run backup generators as standard, so don’t overstate it as a daily crisis. Nepal runs largely on cash outside major hotels, keep NPR on hand. Dress modestly at temples, remove shoes before entering, and bring a reusable water bottle, filtered refill stations are common enough to skip buying plastic bottles constantly. If you’re extending into any trekking beyond Kathmandu after this trip, verify the agency is TAAN or NTB registered before handing over a deposit, the unlicensed Thamel storefronts are everywhere and a vetted operator is worth the extra cost every time. Best months overall are October-November and March-April for the clearest skies, though monsoon season from June through September brings its own appeal if you don’t mind rain, far fewer crowds and a genuinely lush valley.