Find places in Nepal

Must-Haves

• Boudhanath Stupa (Boudha)
  One of the largest stupas in the world, best at dusk when pilgrims circle with prayer wheels.
• Swayambhunath (Swayambhu)
  The hilltop Monkey Temple with sweeping views across the whole valley.
• Pashupatinath Temple (Gaushala)
  Nepal's holiest Hindu temple on the Bagmati, with cremation ghats and an evening aarti.
• Kathmandu Durbar Square (Basantapur)
  The old royal square with palaces, pagodas and the home of the living goddess Kumari.
• Patan Durbar Square (Lalitpur)
  The finest temple square in the valley, packed with Newar carving and metalwork.

Must-Haves

• Krishnarpan (Dwarika's Hotel, Battisputali)
  A long multi course Nepali tasting menu in one of Kathmandu's most beautiful hotels.

Great for Date Night

• Bhojan Griha (Dillibazar)
  Traditional Nepali dinners with folk dances in a restored old mansion.
• Thamel House Restaurant (Thamel)
  Nepali and Newari dishes served in an old Newar house with carved windows.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Honacha (Patan)
  A tiny, smoky Newari eatery famous for bara, choila and local rice wine.

Fun for Everyone

• OR2K (Thamel)
  A lively vegetarian Middle Eastern spot with floor cushions and big portions.

Must-Haves

• Himalayan Java Coffee (Thamel)
  Nepal's homegrown coffee chain, roasting beans from local hills.

Fun for Everyone

• Pumpernickel Bakery (Thamel)
  A classic Thamel bakery for breakfast, bagels and a garden courtyard.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Roadhouse Café (Thamel)
  A buzzy wood fired pizza and coffee spot popular with locals and travellers.

Must-Haves

• Purple Haze Rock Bar (Thamel)
  Kathmandu's best known live rock bar, loud and lively most nights.

Great for Date Night

• Sam's Bar (Thamel)
  A tiny rooftop reggae bar with a friendly crowd and good conversation.
• Rum Doodle (Thamel)
  The famous mountaineers' bar where Everest summiteers sign the walls.

Must-Haves

• Thamel Market Streets (Thamel)
  Trekking gear, pashmina, singing bowls and bookshops in a maze of lanes.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Indra Chowk (Kathmandu Durbar Square)
  An old bazaar for beads, fabric and everyday shopping with locals.

Off the Beaten Path

• Mahaguthi Craft with Conscience (Patan)
  A fair trade shop supporting women artisans across Nepal.
• Dhukuti (Kupondole)
  A large fair trade emporium selling handmade goods from across Nepal.

Must-Haves

• Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park (Budhanilkantha)
  Forested hills on the city's edge with day hikes to viewpoints and monasteries.

Off the Beaten Path

• Nagarkot (Bhaktapur district)
  A rim village for sunrise views of the Himalaya on clear mornings.
• Chandragiri Hills Cable Car (Thankot)
  A cable car to a hilltop temple with wide mountain views.

Fun for Everyone

• Champadevi Hike (Pharping)
  A pine forest ridge walk above the valley with Himalayan panoramas.

Fun for Everyone

• Mountain Flight with Buddha Air (Tribhuvan International Airport)
  An early morning sightseeing flight along the Himalaya to see Everest from the window.

Must-Haves

• Indra Jatra (Kathmandu Durbar Square)
  The valley's great autumn festival, with the living goddess carried through the old town.
• Dashain and Tihar (Across Kathmandu)
  Nepal's biggest festivals, with kites, swings, flowers and lamps lighting every home.

Off the Beaten Path

• Rato Machhindranath Jatra (Patan)
  A towering chariot pulled through Patan over several weeks in spring.

Great for Date Night

• Dwarika's Hotel (Battisputali)
  A heritage hotel built from salvaged Newar carvings, a museum you can sleep in.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kathmandu Guest House (Thamel)
  The original Thamel guesthouse, with a peaceful garden behind its gates.

Must-Haves

• Phewa Lake (Lakeside)
  Paddle a wooden boat across the lake with the Annapurnas reflected in the water.
• Sarangkot (Sarangkot)
  The classic viewpoint for sunrise on Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Machhapuchhre.

Fun for Everyone

• Davis Falls (Chhorepatan)
  A waterfall that plunges into an underground tunnel.
• Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave (Chhorepatan)
  A sacred cave temple leading down to the back of Davis Falls.

Off the Beaten Path

• Bat Cave (Batulechaur)
  Squeeze through a dark cave full of roosting bats, a hit with children.

Must-Haves

• World Peace Pagoda (Anadu)
  A white stupa on a ridge with views over the lake and the whole range.
• International Mountain Museum (Ratopahiro)
  Exhibits on Himalayan peoples, peaks and the history of mountaineering.

Fun for Everyone

• Tal Barahi Temple (Phewa Lake)
  A small pagoda temple on an island, reached by a short boat ride.

Must-Haves

• Paragliding from Sarangkot (Sarangkot)
  Tandem flights circling high above the lake with Himalayan peaks ahead.

Fun for Everyone

• Pokhara Zipline (Sarangkot)
  One of the longest and steepest zip lines in the world, dropping toward the valley.
• Kayaking on Phewa Lake (Lakeside)
  Rent a kayak or paddleboard for a calm morning on the water.

Must-Haves

• Moondance Restaurant (Lakeside)
  A long time Lakeside favourite with a warm atmosphere and varied menu.

Great for Date Night

• Busy Bee Café (Lakeside)
  Live music, a garden and a cheerful crowd most evenings.

Off the Beaten Path

• Himalayan Java Coffee Lakeside (Lakeside)
  Reliable coffee and wifi on the main Lakeside road.

Must-Haves

• Paddy Foley's Irish Pub (Lakeside)
  A lively pub for live sport and stories from returning trekkers.

Fun for Everyone

• Lakeside Street Shopping (Lakeside)
  Trekking gear, singing bowls, pashmina and Tibetan crafts along the main strip.

Off the Beaten Path

• Tashi Palkhel Tibetan Settlement (Hemja)
  A Tibetan refugee settlement with a monastery and carpet weavers.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Bindhyabasini Temple and Old Bazaar (Old Pokhara)
  A hilltop temple and the old bazaar streets locals actually use.

Great for Date Night

• Fish Tail Lodge (Phewa Lake)
  A lakeside lodge reached by a short raft across the water, with mountain views.

Must-Haves

• Temple Tree Resort and Spa (Lakeside)
  A stone and wood resort with a pool, close to the lake.

Off the Beaten Path

• Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge (Thulakot)
  A hilltop lodge above the valley with sweeping Annapurna views.

Must-Haves

• Chitwan National Park (Sauraha)
  Rhinos, crocodiles and birds on jeep, canoe and walking safaris.

Off the Beaten Path

• Gharial Breeding Centre (Kasara)
  Helping save the rare fish eating gharial crocodile from extinction.
• Bis Hajar Tal (Chitwan)
  A wetland of lakes and forest that is a quiet paradise for birdwatchers.

Fun for Everyone

• Sunset at the Rapti Riverbank (Sauraha)
  Watch the sun set over the jungle as rhinos sometimes wade across.

Must-Haves

• Canoe Trip on the Rapti River (Sauraha)
  Drift past crocodiles and kingfishers in a dugout canoe at dawn.

Fun for Everyone

• Elephant Breeding Centre (Khorsor)
  See elephant mothers and calves and learn about conservation.

Must-Haves

• Tharu Cultural Programme (Sauraha)
  An evening stick dance by local Tharu performers.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Tharu Village Walk (Sauraha)
  Painted mud houses and daily farm life in the villages around the park.

Must-Haves

• Barahi Jungle Lodge (Meghauli)
  A riverside lodge on the quieter western edge of the park.

Great for Date Night

• Meghauli Serai (Meghauli)
  Stylish riverside villas with views straight into the park.

Off the Beaten Path

• Amaltari Bufferzone Homestay (Amaltari)
  Community homestays with Tharu families on the park's western edge.

Must-Haves

• Namche Bazaar (Khumbu)
  The Sherpa trading town and acclimatisation stop, built in a horseshoe on the hillside.
• Everest Base Camp (Gorak Shep)
  The foot of the Khumbu Icefall and the end of the classic trek.
• Kala Patthar (Gorak Shep)
  The viewpoint at sunrise where Everest finally looks close.

Off the Beaten Path

• Gokyo Lakes (Gokyo)
  Turquoise glacial lakes beneath Cho Oyu, quieter than the Base Camp trail.

Must-Haves

• Tengboche Monastery (Tengboche)
  The great monastery of the Khumbu, with Everest and Ama Dablam behind it.

Off the Beaten Path

• Sherpa Culture Museum (Namche Bazaar)
  Learn about Sherpa life and mountaineering history above the town.
• Khumjung Monastery (Khumjung)
  A village monastery that keeps what is said to be a yeti scalp.
• Pangboche Monastery (Pangboche)
  One of the oldest monasteries in the Khumbu, in a quiet upper village.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Khumjung Hillary School (Khumjung)
  The school founded by Edmund Hillary, still at the heart of the village.

Must-Haves

• Hotel Everest View (Syangboche)
  One of the highest hotels in the world, with Everest from the terrace.

Off the Beaten Path

• Mani Rimdu Festival (Tengboche)
  Masked monastic dances at Tengboche in the autumn trekking season.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Namche Saturday Market (Namche Bazaar)
  A weekly market where porters and traders from Tibet and the lowlands meet.

Must-Haves

• Maya Devi Temple (Sacred Garden)
  The temple over the exact spot where the Buddha is believed to have been born.
• Ashoka Pillar (Sacred Garden)
  The emperor Ashoka's inscribed stone pillar marking the birthplace.
• Royal Thai Monastery (Monastic Zone)
  A gleaming white marble monastery in Thai style.

Off the Beaten Path

• Great Drigung Kagyud Lotus Stupa (Monastic Zone)
  A German built temple with a striking lotus shaped dome.

Fun for Everyone

• Lumbini World Peace Pagoda (Monastic Zone)
  A white Japanese built stupa at the northern end of the site.

Off the Beaten Path

• Lumbini Crane Sanctuary (Lumbini)
  Wetlands where sarus cranes, the tallest flying birds, feed and dance.

Fun for Everyone

• Cycling the Monastic Zone (Lumbini)
  Rent a bicycle to roll between monasteries along the long central canal.

Must-Haves

• Bhaktapur Durbar Square (Bhaktapur)
  The royal square of the best preserved city in the valley, with the Golden Gate.
• Nyatapola Temple (Taumadhi Square)
  Nepal's tallest pagoda, guarded by stone giants, elephants and lions up its stairs.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Pottery Square (Talako)
  Watch potters throw clay on hand spun wheels and dry pots in the sun.

Off the Beaten Path

• Dattatreya Square (Tachupal Tole)
  The oldest square in town, with the Peacock Window and a quiet local feel.
• National Woodworking Museum (Dattatreya Square)
  Exquisite carved windows and struts in an old priest's house.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Juju Dhau shops (Bhaktapur)
  Try the famous king curd, a rich sweet yoghurt served in clay pots.

Great for Date Night

• Café Nyatapola (Taumadhi Square)
  Eat inside an old pagoda overlooking the square at sunset.

Fun for Everyone

• Bhaktapur Thangka Workshops (Bhaktapur)
  See painters at work on detailed Buddhist thangkas in small studios.

Must-Haves

• Bisket Jatra (Bhaktapur)
  A wild New Year chariot festival in April with tug of war through the streets.

Off the Beaten Path

• Suryabinayak Temple Walk (Bhaktapur)
  A short forest climb to a Ganesh temple with views back over town.