Kathmandu Nightlife Guide – Thamel Bars & Solo Travel Tips
Not everybody goes to Nepal with a crew. But it’s no big deal because there are so many things to do in Kathmandu as a solo traveler. It could be a very spiritual trip, so you may want to take the edge off a bit…This is how you can experience Kathmandu nightlife while solo traveling.
After watching live human cremations at Pashupatinath Temple it felt pretty appropriate go do something more “fun” and less serious on my trip to Kathmandu.
The biggest area for nightlife in Nepal would be the “Thamel” district. This is the most lively place in Kathmandu, and an easy place to meet other people while solo traveling.
There are countless resaurants, bars, and clubs to chose from in Thamel. For the sake of this post, I will discuss what I did.
Firstly, I had some beers at my hotel, the Hyatt Regency Kathmandu. (It is current under renovations, but hopefully it is back up and running before your trip). It was bright and sunny at the pool, which was awesome.
Getting to Thamel from Boudda is probably a 1 hour walk, so I ubered. Earlier in the day I spotted a place while walking called House of Beers, and that’s where I decided to go.
House Of Beers - Thamel
House of Beers is the perfect type of place to drink in Kathmandu, I had a great time. There were maybe 2 other people in the entire place, but per what I’ve seen online…it can get packed. The waitress said it was the off season, but during peak, I can imagine it stays lively until they close at 1am.
From inside, you could look down on the busy Thamel streets. It “felt” like you were in Asia. If you have been in any bars in Thailand or Thailand, you will understand what I am talking about.
I got a Gorkha beer and just caught up in some group chats while sitting peacefully. It was nice to just chill and listen to music, considering Kathmandu can be a noisy city. You don’t need to always be interacting with people while solo traveling.
When that beer was gone I ordered a Barahsinghe, which was another local lager. It was really good. After chatting with the waitress, the Weeknd came on and I just sat and listened while looking at my phone. It was a much needed cool down after being in the chaos of Nepal.
It was finally time to leave so I used the bathroom and headed out. Luckily the next place was RIGHT NEXT DOOR.
Purple Haze Rock Bar
Purple Haze Rock Bar might be the best place to visit when solo traveling in Nepal. If you are from the USA, it is somewhat a House of Blues, except more like a bar. You just walk right in.
They open at 7pm and stay open all the way until 1:30, at the time of writing this post.
This night was “cover band night”, so I didn’t really know what I was in for. When you walk in, it is quite intimidating because the ramp is in front of the stage. So you basically get your own WWE entrance.
There are beer hall type tables on the floor but then multiple levels of seating with bars at each level. It was extremely cool.
I climbed the stairs and got a gigantic Tuborg beer. Giant Tuborgs are everywhere in Nepal, I have no idea why. I found a seat and almost immediately had discussions with the people around me. If you are shy, just ask somebody a question…they will probably ask you where you are from. Nepalese people are very nice and sociable.
I first song to come on was Smells Like Teen Spirit performed by local band EARHEAD. They were great. It set the vibe and I knew Purple Haze Rock Bar one of the top places to be in Thamel. It’s a perfect place to sit and watch live music and interact with locals. People in Nepal go crazy, something I didn’t realize this prior to visting Kathmandu.
If you want to drink and have fun, you will not struggle here. I stayed there until my buzz was good enough that I would not puke in the Uber back to the hotel. Well, an InDrive, due to the Uber scenario in Nepal.
Is Kathmandu Safe At Night?
I felt 0% of danger in Kathmandu as a solo male traveler. I just wandered down random alleys at midnight without thinking twice…Asia is probably the only region of the world where I do that.
Of course women should take a little extra cautious, but everybody is extremely friendly in Nepal. The biggest concern should be crossing the street in my opinion.
I don’t think you understand, the roads in Kathmandu are absolutely nuts. They are windy and have no rules. Crossing the street in Nepal in like Vietnam…intense. But you should be fine, even if intoxicated.
For your kathmandu solo travel journey, you don’t have to do a million things. To experience the nightlife here just pick 2-3 spots and really soak them in.
Thamel is going to be the best spot to go, but you will find places to go all over the place. Don’t take the planning too seriously, just go to Thamel and walk around.
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