In 2018, close to 1.2 million tourists visited the country of Nepal. About 800 of those tourists were ready to climb Mount Everest. If you’re not up for the challenge, there are still plenty of things to do here. 
When visiting Nepal, the capital must be your first stop. Discover all of the amazing places to see, things to do, and dishes to eat on your Kathmandu travel.

The Garden of Dreams

The Garden of Dreams is a place to find peace in the midst of a busy city. This garden is right across an old royal palace that was converted to a museum.

The garden used to belong to the palace, but now it’s the perfect place to stop and take in all of nature’s beauty here. 

If you’re too tired from all of your other adventures, you can also take a nap here on one of their lawn mats. 

Tukche Thakali Kitchen

Tukche Thakali Kitchen is a great place to grab some food if you’re hungry. This family-run restaurant serves thali, which is a set meal on a metal plate.

The meal includes daal bhat, which is famous in Nepal. This is rice and lentils. Served alongside it are masu, meat, achar, pickles, tarkari, vegetable curry, and saag, leafy greens. 

To season this food, pepper is used along with a native Himalayan aromatic herb. 

In addition to great food, this restaurant also has a great atmosphere. There is a traditional stove decorating the restaurant, along with other brassware and copper pots. 

Jatra Cafe and Bar

If you wanted something a little bit different to try, you can head to Jatra Cafe and Bar. 

This is one of the best places to get momos, which is steamed meat and vegetable dumplings. Momos are actually one of the staples of Kathmandu’s culture and diversity. It is one of the meals you have to try while you’re there. 

Jatra Cafe and Bar is a great place to try this, and they also have vegetarian momos as well. 

Swayambhunath

One of Nepal’s most famous Buddhist temple is Swayambhunath. This temple is located on top of a hill a little bit west of Kathmandu. 

If you are up for the challenge, there are 365 stone steps that you can walk up. While you’re climbing though, you may notice some monkeys roaming around. So many of them live on or near the temple grounds. 

The locals believe that the monkeys are holy and were created by the Buddhist deity Manjushri. Manjushri was actually even raised there.

This temple was founded in the fifth century and is also the oldest Nepal temple. 

This temple, fortunately, survived the earthquake that happened in 2015. 

There is a fee to enter the temple if you’re a foreigner, but you can also sign up for a tour guided by a resident monk. This will allow you to have an authentic experience and also be allowed to participate in some of the ceremonies.  

Durbar Square

One of the most important stops on your Kathmandu travel has to be Durbar Square.

In Nepalese, Durbar actually means palace. This part of the city has some nobility and royalty attached to it. It was actually where the old kings of the city were crowned. Because of this, it also has some great architecture as well. 

In 1979, this part of the city actually became a Unesco World Heritage Site. In 2015, this area was affected by an earthquake that had hit in 2015. 

A lot of the temples and architecture was damaged, but restorations have slowly started happening. For example, Regardless, it is still a beautiful place to visit. Your tourism will also help rebuild the city. 

While you’re at this square, you should look for the Taleju Temple. This is actually a really beautiful place, even from a distance.  

Shopping Markets

If you want to find some souvenirs to take back home with you, then there are some shopping markets that you should definitely check out.

The first place is Pokhara Lakeside. The second place is Thamel. 

Thamel has all kinds of markets filling the streets. There are also many other shops where you can find all kinds of things from soaps to clothes to bags to coffee and even the famous singing bowls.

There are also some super cool gifts that you will be able to find as well. For example, you can find papers and cards that are made out of elephant poo. So when your family asks you what you brought back, you can surprise them with that. 

If you’re looking for something for your hikes, you can also find those as well. There is all kind of hiking gear, and most of the time it’s even cheaper here than in the United States. You can find things like backpacks, shoes, and even hiking poles.  

Pashupatinath Temple

The Pashupatinath Temple is a very famous temple that is actually not too far away from the airport. It is right on the river, and there are all kinds of ceremonies held here.

If you can go in the early afternoon or morning, you could witness one of the cremation ceremonies.

If you’re not Buddhist and want to have a view of the temple without getting too close to it, then you can also view it from the other side of the river. 

This temple is open from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m., and most people normally spend about an hour here. There is a fee to get in.

Plan Your Kathmandu Travel Today

If you’re heading to Nepal, make sure you make time for Kathmandu travel as well.

These are only a few things to see and do in the city; there are so many other things to explore. 

Book your travel adventure to Nepal today!