5 Of The Best Things To Do In Kathmandu

Nepal is much more than just hiking and Mount Everest. Quite frankly…I went to Nepal and did neither of those things. I didn’t go to Pokhara either, so if anyone knows how to stay occupied in this “bowl city”, it’s me. Here are 5 things you have to do in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Visit Pashupatinath Temple

Pashupatinath is the oldest Hindu Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site located on the Bagmati River. It’s reachable from basically wherever you stay in Kathmandu. I highly recommend you book a tour. Why?

This is not your average religious temple that you would see while traveling to South East Asia. You will see real life human cremations at Pashupatinath. Yes, that is not a joke. As you walk in, you will see a dozen ceremonies going on at once with family members putting their loved ones to rest. A very powerful sight.

It sounds intense, but it is actually a very spiritual experience. (I had to have a few beers before going). This is listed as the first thing, because you’re really never going to see something as unique as this. Don’t be scared.

I say book a tour because the other main reason to go is to attend Aarti. Aarti is essentially a dance and light ritual with fire to express love and gratitude. This gets PACKED, you really need to go with somebody experience so you can see where to stand and be ready to get the proper view. You can read my full Pashupatinath post here.

Go To The Monkey Temple

The Kathmandu Monkey Temple, other known as Swayambhunath, is a MUST Visit on your trip to Nepal.

It is called the Monkey Temple because there are Monkeys EVERYWHERE. When you climb the 365 steps, you will reach the Stupa…to in which you will have incredible views of Kathmandu. You will be exhausted at the top, but it’s worth it.

There is no need to book a tour for this because you will have plenty of people approaching you if you look like a tourist. People in Nepal are quite friendly, so if you say no, they will most likely leave you alone. But I have a guide for how to visit the Monkey Temple here.

Swayambhunath is obviously a UNESCO site as well, since it’s one of the most ancient and important stupas in the world. Visiting the Monkey Temple is a no brainer.

Experience Nightlife In Thamel

Ya so apparently, nightlife in Kathmandu is pretty crazy. I honestly didn’t know Nepal was like this until I experienced it.

You’ll find bars, clubs, live music, etc in Thamel. Many people stay in this district, but personally I liked the peacefulness of staying in the Boudda District.

There will be countless bars and restaurants to choose from when you go to Thamel. As somebody who did solo travel in Nepal, my nightlife itinerary might be different than yours.

I ubere d over to Thamel and immediately found House of Beers, a great pub. I drank a few beers while listening to their playlist of The Weeknd. It was technically the “off season”, so there were only a few patrons inside…but I had a great time.

After that, I entered Purple Haze Rock Bar which was “a movie” as the young kids would say. It was cover band night so I drank some beers, talked to some locals, and listened to Nirvana until it was time to drunkenly uber back.

Support Tibetan & Nepalese Restaurants

Nepalese food is incredible, and you don’t need my help to do this activity. I recently wrote about the best momos in Kathmandu, but definitely just wander and do some exploring. The food you find while traveling so be YOUR finds. Don’t just pick random 4 star spots.

After visiting Swayambhunath, I literally just walked into a random place with a roof deck and had awesome pizza. You never know what you will find.

But since this is a Kathmandu travel guide, I’ll TELL you to go and support a Tibetan restaurant. Many Tibetan refugees settled in Nepal in the 1950s and they brought some great food with them. Helping out a restaurant that is looking quiet could make their week. Not everything you eat needs to have “aesthetic” for social media.

The best I experienced were keema noodles near the Boudha Stupa. I’m not sure if keema noodles belong to Tibet, Nepal, or China…but they are amazing.

Circle Boudhanath Stupa

The Boudda Stupa is the most Instagram friendly spots in Kathmandu, Nepal. It’s usually the top thing on things to do in Kathmandu lists.

The first thing I did when I landed was check this out. You will find countless restaurants, cafes, and gift shops amongst the buddhists walking in circles.

Join them in “walking the kora” around the structure and prayer wheels. The massive white dome represents the universe, and the all seeing eyes represent wisdom and compassion.

Make sure you walk clockwise like everybody else, or you will hate yourself.

There will be a main road, and a bunch of back alleys that lead here. Kathmandu is extremely safe, so just get lost. The picture for this is the most famous one in Kathmandu and even on Google Flights for Nepal…I’m not putting it.

Those are the 5 best things to do in Kathmandu, Nepal. You could literally do them all in one day if you wanted to. The city is super easy to get around, despite the chaos.

Of course everybody has their own personality and interests, but all 5 of these things are “must-do’s” in my opinion. Enjoy your trip to Nepal.

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