Three days in Kathmandu: a route that actually works
Kathmandu's sights are spread across a valley with genuinely difficult traffic. The usual three-day itinerary ignores that and has you crossing the city twice a day. Group them by geography instead and the same three days feel twice as long.
Day one — the east: Pashupatinath and Boudhanath
Start at Pashupatinath early, while the morning rituals are underway and before the tour buses. It is an active cremation site as well as a temple complex, so go with a guide who can explain what you are looking at and where it is appropriate to stand.
Boudhanath is fifteen minutes away, which is the whole point of pairing them. Arrive in the late afternoon, walk the kora clockwise with everyone else, and stay for the butter lamps at dusk. Have dinner on a rooftop overlooking the stupa.
Day two — the south: Patan
Patan Durbar Square is the most rewarding of the three royal squares and the easiest to spend a slow day in. Go early — the metalworkers' courtyards open before the square fills up, and for an hour it belongs to the people who live there.
Day three — the west and the rim: Swayambhunath and Bhaktapur
Swayambhunath first, up the long stair, for the view back over the whole valley. Then out to Bhaktapur for the afternoon — it is the best preserved of the three squares and worth the drive precisely because you are not coming back into the centre afterwards.
What we would cut
- Kathmandu Durbar Square, if you are short on time — Patan and Bhaktapur are both better.
- The Monkey Temple at midday. Go early or skip it.
- Any plan that puts Bhaktapur and Boudhanath on the same day. They are on opposite sides of the traffic.
The valley rewards depth over coverage. Three squares seen properly beats six seen from a car window.
— Trip Nepal