3 days in Kathmandu itineraryEast of Kathmandu: Brick, Clay & High Horizons

4 stops · 14:00 to 19:00 · about 750 m between stops, in a straight line

Highlights: First Look: Basantapur Durbar Square and Wander Indra Chowk.

1. 1

   14:00about 60 min

   Arrive & Settle In

   Touch down at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport and make your way to your hotel in Thamel or the old city — close enough to walk to dinner without fighting traffic.

2. 2

   15:30about 75 minSight

   First Look: Basantapur Durbar Square

   Shake off the journey with an hour in Kathmandu's ancient royal square. The layered pagoda rooftops, carved wood struts, and open courtyards give you an immediate grammar for reading the Newar architecture you'll spend the next two days immersed in.

   

   About 300 m to the next stop

3. 3

   16:45about 40 minSight

   Wander Indra Chowk

   A short walk north from the durbar drops you into Indra Chowk, a lively crossroads shrine where bead sellers and cloth merchants cluster around a small deity pavilion. Good for people-watching as the late-afternoon light turns golden.

   

   About 400 m to the next stop

4. 4

   19:00about 75 minDinner

   Dinner at Kasthamandap Restaurant

   Named after the great timber pavilion that gave Kathmandu its name, this restaurant sits on Yogbir Singh Marg, a short walk from Durbar Square — an easy first dinner close to the old city after a day of travel.

9 stops · 07:15 to 20:30 · about 250 m between stops, in a straight line

Highlights: Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nyatapola Temple and Changu Narayan Temple.

1. 1

   07:15about 45 min

   Morning Transit to Bhaktapur

   Hire a taxi or join a local microbus east along the highway — roughly 45 minutes from Thamel depending on traffic. Aim to arrive by 8 am before tour groups fill the squares.

2. 2

   08:00about 90 minSight

   Bhaktapur Durbar Square

   Bhaktapur's royal square is the most intact medieval city core in the Kathmandu Valley — a dense arrangement of palaces, courtyards, and pagodas in warm ochre brick. The 55-window palace facade and the Golden Gate reward slow attention; linger in Taumadhi Tole to feel the scale of the place before the crowds arrive.

   

   About 100 m to the next stop

3. 3

   09:45about 60 minSight

   Nyatapola Temple

   Rising five storeys above Taumadhi Square, Nepal's tallest pagoda temple is a feat of Newar engineering built in 1702. Pairs of monumental guardian figures — wrestlers, elephants, griffins, goddesses — line the steep staircase on each tier. You don't enter the sanctum, but the climb of the steps and the view back across the brick rooftops is the point.

   
4. 4

   10:50about 45 min

   Pottery Square & Free Wander

   Follow the lanes south-west of the main square to Bhaktapur's renowned pottery yard, where local potters still throw and sun-dry their work in the open air. No entry fee, no itinerary — just watch, photograph if welcomed, and pick up a hand-thrown piece to carry home.

5. 5

   12:00about 60 min

   Lunch around Bhaktapur's squares

   Tourist restaurants fill almost every building around Bhaktapur's main squares, and some have rooftop seating that looks over Durbar Square or towards Nyatapola. Stop for dal bhat or momos, and try juju dhau, Bhaktapur's 'king of yogurt', set in clay pots.

6. 6

   13:30about 90 minSight

   Changu Narayan Temple

   A short taxi ride of about 6 km north from Bhaktapur brings you to Changu Narayan, one of the oldest Hindu temples in Nepal, on the hilltop of Changu. The Vishnu temple is part of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site and keeps one of the oldest pillar inscriptions in Nepal, made under the Licchavi king Manadeva. Take your time with the carved sculpture around the courtyard.

   
7. 7

   15:30about 60 min

   Return to Kathmandu & Rest

   Taxi or bus back to your hotel. The day has been long on feet and stairs — an hour off them before dinner is well spent.

8. 8

   19:00about 75 minDinner

   Dinner at Everest Steak House

   A well-earned carnivore's reward after a day of temple climbing. Everest Steak House is an old-fashioned Thamel steakhouse known for thick grilled steaks.

   About 100 m to the next stop

9. 9

   20:30about 45 minDrinks

   Evening Drink at Shamrock Rooftop Bar

   Cap the evening with a drink at this rooftop bar in Paknajol, at the northern edge of Thamel. Order something simple, talk through tomorrow's very early alarm, and turn in early — the Nagarkot taxi leaves at 3:30 am.

7 stops · 03:30 to 16:00 · about 6.8 km between stops, in a straight line

Highlights: Boudhanath Stupa and Pashupatinath Temple.

1. 1

   03:30about 120 min

   Pre-Dawn Transit to Nagarkot

   A taxi from Kathmandu to Nagarkot (32 km on a winding road) takes about 1.5 to 2 hours, and the Lookout Tower is about 4 km beyond the village. Leaving at 3:30 am gets you to the tower before sunrise from October to March, when the sun rises between about 05:55 and 06:55. From April to September it rises earlier, around 05:10 in June, so check the sunrise time for your dates and leave about two and a half hours before it. Book the taxi the night before.

2. 2

   05:30about 120 min

   Sunrise Over the Himalayan Range

   At over 2,100 m, Nagarkot's ridge looks north across the Himalaya. Eight of Nepal's Himalayan ranges are visible from here, from the Annapurnas east to the Everest range, with Everest itself showing only on clear days. Cloud can hide the view even in autumn. Watch the snows change colour as the sun comes up, and bring layers; it is cold up here before sunrise.

3. 3

   07:30about 240 min

   Walk Down Through Changu Narayan Village

   The classic descent from Nagarkot heads down through terraced farmland and small villages to Changu Narayan village. Allow about 4 hours, and up to 5 at a slower pace. You saw the temple yesterday, so this morning is about the walk itself; pack water and take your time.

4. 4

   11:30about 60 min

   Taxi back to Kathmandu

   From Changu Narayan village, take a taxi back to Kathmandu, about 12 km to the west; allow around an hour. The local minibus to Bhaktapur (about 30 minutes) and a bus on from there is cheaper but slower.

5. 5

   12:45about 60 minBreakfast

   Late Breakfast / Early Lunch at OR2K

   Back in Kathmandu around midday, OR2K's generous vegetarian and Middle Eastern-influenced menu is perfect after a long walk — think big plates of hummus, fresh juices, and proper coffee eaten at floor cushion tables.

   About 5.1 km to the next stop

6. 6

   14:15about 90 minSight

   Boudhanath Stupa

   One of the great Buddhist monuments of Asia, Boudhanath's white dome and all-seeing eyes rise at the centre of a broad mandala of monastery balconies and prayer-wheel corridors. Walk the kora (circumambulation path) clockwise with monks and pigeons, buy butter lamps at a small shop if you like, and sit a while on the steps as the afternoon light fills the stupa's golden spire.

   

   About 1.8 km to the next stop

7. 7

   16:00about 75 minSight

   Pashupatinath Temple

   A short taxi ride from Boudhanath, Pashupatinath is Nepal's most sacred Hindu site — a complex of gilded pagodas, riverside ghats, and ash-dusted sadhus strung along the Bagmati River. Foreign visitors pay an entry fee (NPR 1,000) and can walk the ghats, gardens and surrounding shrines; the main temple is for Hindus only, and non-Hindus view it from across the river. The late afternoon is a good time to witness river rituals and the quiet of devotion.