Things to do in Kathmandu

Culture · Boudha, north-east Kathmandu

One of the largest stupas in the world, at the centre of a circular plaza ringed by monasteries and Tibetan cafés.

Local tip: Go at dusk and walk the kora clockwise with everyone else — it is a functioning devotional site rather than a monument, and the hour after sunset is when it is fullest. The rooftop cafés on the western side have the view; the ones on the north are quieter.

Landmark · Lalitpur, south of the Bagmati

The best-preserved of the valley's three royal squares, with the Patan Museum in a restored palace wing.

Local tip: The Patan Museum is the finest museum in Nepal and one of the best in South Asia — genuinely worth two hours, and almost nobody who lives here has been. Go on a weekday morning and have lunch in the museum café courtyard afterwards.

Nightlife · Central Kathmandu

The trekking district — gear shops, bars, live music and the densest concentration of visitors in the country.

Local tip: It is where you buy gear and where you go out, and it is not where most long-term residents live. Rents are high for what you get, the noise runs late, and the shops are priced for people who are leaving in a week. Come for the evening, live elsewhere.

Food · Lalitpur, near Sanepa

Nicknamed 'Jhamel' — a compact strip of restaurants, cafés and bars that has become the international community's actual local.

Local tip: This is where the development sector eats. It is calmer than Thamel, better value, and closer to where most INGO offices are. A weekday evening here tells you more about foreign life in Kathmandu than a week in Thamel would.

Nature · The northern rim of the valley, above Budhanilkantha

Protected forest rising from the valley edge, with trails to Nagi Gumba monastery and views to the Himalaya on clear days.

Local tip: The entrance above Budhanilkantha is twenty minutes from Lazimpat and puts you in genuine forest immediately. Go early on an October or November morning — the post-monsoon air is the clearest of the year and Ganesh Himal and Langtang are visible from the ridge.

Neighborhood · On a hill south-west of the city, above Tribhuvan University

A hilltop Newar town, largely intact, with brick lanes, temples and a view back over the whole valley.

Local tip: Twenty minutes from Patan and effectively undiscovered — the old town at the top is a working Newar settlement rather than a preserved one. Come for the newari khaja set at one of the small places near Bagh Bhairab temple, and walk the ridge at sunset.