The 15 Best Things to Do in Thamel (Kathmandu), Nepal

Looking for the best things to do in Thamel Kathmandu? Here are the 15 best things to do in Thamel, the tourist hub of Kathmandu.

I have been visiting and periodically living in Nepal since 2015 and in my early days as a tourist in Nepal, I spent a lot of time in Thamel. Since moving to Nepal, I have spent less time in Thamel, nevertheless, I still go back from time to time, so here are the best things to do in Thamel.

Thamel is located in central Kathmandu and has many hotels, restaurants, bars, souvenir and trekking shops. Thamel is where most travellers stay and although there are many things to do in Thamel, there are also some great things to do in Kathmandu as a whole.

Some of the best things to do in Thamel Nepal include visiting the Kathmandu Durbar Square, Narayanhiti Palace Museum, Garden of Dreams, taking a Thangka painting and cooking class, or visiting the Asan Market.

How to Get from the Kathmandu Airport to Thamel

The Kathmandu Airport is about 5.5 km from Thamel and takes about 15-20 minutes to get to Thamel. There are many taxis at the Kathmandu Airport and you can easily book one after arriving at the airport.

To get a taxi at the Kathmandu airport, you can either book one at the ‘pre-paid taxi booth’, get one at the parking lot of the airport, or walk outside of the airport to the Ring Road and get a taxi there.

The taxis booked through Nepali taxi apps like Pathao are the cheapest at Rs. 500-600. 

15 Best Things to Do in Thamel, Kathmandu

1. Relax and Explore Thamel

If you are not in rush, taking some time to chill in Thamel is perfect for a first day in Nepal if you have jetleg. Thamel is full of nice cafes and restaurants, so if you are looking for a chill, relaxing day, it is a great place to just have a nice meal and drinks.

If you want to do some shopping in Kathmandu, Thamel is also a great place to buy souvenirs and trekking gear. Thamel has many souvenir shops, which are great to take home as memories or to buy gifts for friends and family.

Most of the trekking shops in Thamel don’t have the original brands so if you want to buy high quality trekking items, it is better to buy it before coming to Nepal. If you don’t plan to do much trekking after Nepal, the items you can buy in Thamel will do just fine.

2. Visit the Kathmandu Durbar Square

• Kathmandu Durbar Square Ticket Price: Rs. 1,000 (foreigners), Rs. 500 (SAARC), Nepali: free
• Kathmandu Durbar Square Opening Times: The Durbar Square is open all day long, however, the Tribhuvan Museum inside is only open from 10 am-5 pm
• Kathmandu Durbar Square Location: on google maps here

One of the best things to do in Thamel is to walk to the Kathmandu Durbar Square.

The Kathmandu Durbar Square is one of the 7 World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley and it is a short walk away from Thamel. ‘Durbar’ means ‘palace’ in Nepali and the durbar square used to be the palace buildings of former kings.

Most of the buildings were badly damaged during the 2015 earthquake in Nepal but it has been rebuilt since then.

3. Try Nepali Food

Once you arrive in Nepal, you must try the local cuisine.

Firstly, you have to try Nepali dishes and the two most popular Nepali dishes are dal bhat and momo. Dal bhat is the main dish in Nepal and it is made with rice, lentil soup, various vegetables side dishes and meat (if you go for non-veg option). The momo is like a dumpling and comes in veg or non-veg options.

Apart from the Nepali dishes, Nepal has other popular dishes too. There are 125 ethnic groups in Nepal and many of them have their own unique dishes. The Newari food that belongs to the Newari group in Nepal has one of the most popular dishes in Nepal.

Newari food is typically very spicy (even spicier than Nepali food) and includes a lot of meat. If you are vegetarian, there are also vegetarian options. Some of the most popular Newari dishes include samay baji, bara, yomari and choila.

4. Go on a Free Walking Tour

There is a free walking tour organized by a tour guide that takes you to some of the historic places near Thamel. The starting point is in Thamel and the walking tour is organized twice a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

The Walking Tour is free but at the end of the tour, the guide accepts donations of any amount you feel comfortable to pay. To sign up, contact them on their Facebook Free Walking Tour Kathmandu.

5. Enjoy the Thamel Nightlife

Thamel is full of restaurants and bars and it usually gets the busiest on the weekends. Some of the bars also have live music, such as Purple Haze or Supper Club.

If you want to go to a place which is more like a pub, check out Tom and Jerry Pub, Everest Irish Pub or Sam’s Bar.

If you visit Nepal during low season, monsoon or winter, Thamel can be pretty quiet with not many people around, but the pubs are still open as usual.

6. See a Museum Exhibition

There are two museum in and around Thamel that are nice to check out. They are the Museum of Nepali Art and the Narayanhiti Palace Museum.

Museum of Nepali Art (MONA)

• Museum of Nepali Art Ticket Price: Rs. 700 (foreigners), Rs. 500 (Nepali), Rs. 250 (Nepali students with valid ID)
• Museum of Nepali Art Opening Times: Everyday 10 am – 6 pm
• Museum of Nepali Art Location: on google maps here

The Museum of Nepali Art (MONA) is located within the premises of the Kathmandu Guesthouse in Thamel. The museum showcases traditional and contemporary art.

The museum itself is not very big, but the exhibition changes periodically so the museum can be revisited to see new works of art on display.

Narayanhiti Palace Museum

• Narayanhiti Palace Museum Ticket Price: Rs. 1,000 (foreigners), Rs. 500 (SAARC), Rs. 200 (Nepali), Rs. 50 (Nepali students with valid ID)
• Narayanhiti Palace Museum Opening Times: Thursday to Monday: 10:30 am – 3:30 pm, Tuesdays: 10:30 am -1:30 pm, closed on Wednesdays
• Narayanhiti Palace Museum Location: near Thamel (on google maps here)

The Narayanhiti Palace was built in the 1960s and was later converted into a museum in 2008. The museum is worth a visit if you would like to see the inside of a palace in Nepal, old photos of Nepali kings and queens, antique furniture, coronation jewellery, sculptures and paintings.

Many of the royal family members were murdered in 2001 inside the palace and as you go through the exhibition, there are specific spots that mark where the royal massacre took place. If you don’t know much about the history of Nepal’s royal family, the Narayanhiti Palace Museum is a good place to start.

7. Go for a Singing Bowl Session

• Nepal Singing Bowls and Healing Centre: Free. Everyday: 9:45 am, 4:30 pm
• Nirvana Singing Bowl: Donation-based. Everyday: 10 am, 5 pm

Nepal is a great place for meditation and learning about Buddhism. The Tibetan Singing Bowls are used for meditation and there are many places in Thamel where you can buy singing bowls or sign up for a singing bowl session.

You can both learn sign up to be trained to use singing bowls or just attend a session for a singing bowl experience.

There are two places in Thamel where you can join for free or for just a small donation for a singing bowl session. They are the Nepal Singing Bowls and Healing Centre and the Nirvana Singing Bowl.

The one where they accept donations, you can donate at the end as much as it is comfortable for you – there is no pressure to donate at all.

8. Learn to Make a Thangka Painting

• Tibetan Lama Thangka Painting School (Thamel)

You might wonder, “What is a Thangka painting?” Thangka paintings are Tibetan Buddhist paintings originating from 2,500 years ago.

They are very popular in Nepal and you will find many shops in Thamel selling Thangkas and even some school where you can take a class to learn how to make a Thangka painting.

A Thangka painting usually depicts a Buddhist deity, an excerpt from the life of Buddha, the wheel of life or a mandala. Ultimately, the thangka paintings serve as a teaching tool to depict Buddha’s life or also as a tool for meditation.

I took a Thangka Painting class at the Lama Thanka Center in Bhaktapur, which was great and I really recommend it.

9. Take a Cooking class

Want to learn how to make traditional Nepali dishes? Taking a Nepali cooking class is so much more than just learning a recipe!

During a Nepali cooking class, you get to learn so much about the culture, traditions and cooking in Nepal.

There are many places where you can take a cooking class in bigger cities in Nepal, such as Kathmandu or Pokhara. In Kathmandu, you will find most of the cooking schools in Thamel.

The cooking classes usually last between 2-3 hours and you can pick a recipe from the most popular Nepali dishes, such as dal bhat or momo. The cooking classes cost around USD 20-40.

10. Chill in the Garden of Dreams

• Garden of Dreams Ticket Price: Rs. 400 (foreigners, SAARC, Chinese), Rs. 150 (Nepali)
• Garden of Dreams Opening Times: Everyday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
• Garden of Dreams Location: Thamel (on google maps here)

The Garden of Dreams is a little oasis among the crowded and busy streets of Kathmandu. It is located just at the edge of Thamel so it can be reached easily for those staying in Thamel.

It has a small garden which is a great place to relax with a book or hang out with friends on a sunny day. It also has some places that are covered in case of rain, although it is more enjoyable on a sunny day.

11. Go Wall Climbing

• Astrek Climbing Wall: 9 am- 8 pm everyday, Rs. 700/session
• Kathmandu Sport Climbing Center: Monday to Friday: 11 am –  9 pm, Saturday-Sunday: 10 am – 9 pm, Rs. 700/session

There are two great places where you can go wall climbing in Thamel: one is the Astrek Climbing Wall and the other one is the Kathmandu Sport Climbing Center.

The Astrek Climbing Wall has restaurants around it so it is a nice place to go wall climbing and chill for a couple of hours. 1 session is Rs. 700 and it includes 7 climbs that is valid for all day.

At the Kathmandu Sport Climbing Center you can decide if you just want to do climbing or bouldering. It’s Rs. 500 for climbing or bouldering, or Rs. 700 for both. For an extra Rs. 100, you can rent extras like shoes. There is also café inside the premises so you can get some snacks and coffee.

12. Go Swimming

There are some hotels in Thamel that have a swimming pool and you can get a day ticket to the swimming pool even if you don’t stay at the hotel.

A day ticket to swimming pool at most of the hotels is around Rs. 2,000  and you can use the swimming pool for as long as you want.

There are hotels in Thamel that have outdoor, indoor or rooftop swimming pools. Some of the best hotels with a swimming pool around Thamel are the Hotel Mulberry, Aloft Hotel, Hotel Shanker and Marriott Hotel.

13. Shop at the Asan Market

The Asan Market is one of the oldest markets in Kathmandu and it is only a few minutes walk from Thamel!

They sell a lot of different spices, grains, tea, household items and souvenirs here. If you want to check out a Nepali market, head to Asan. The items are also considered cheap if you decide to shop.

14. Watch a Movie

If you are looking for some fun things to do in Thamel, you can watch a movie in Nepali. There is a cinema in the Chhaya Center in Thamel that play Nepali, Hindi and English language movies. The Chhaya Center is a shopping mall but to be honest it does not have that many shops.

The cinema (QFX Cinema) is on the top floor of the Chhaya Center. In cinemas in Nepal, they usually play a lot of Nepali and Hindi movies but there is usually 1 English language movie showing at any given time.

It can be fun to see a Nepali or Hindi movie when you are in Nepal even if you don’t understand the language.

15. See the Dharahara Tower

The Dharahara Tower is about 20 minutes walk from Thamel, past the Kathmandu Durbar Square. It was destroyed during the 2015 Earthquakes in Nepal and its reconstruction hasn’t been completed yet.

Although, it has been mostly been rebuilt but it is not yet open to the public. The Dharahara Tower used to be an iconic part of Kathmandu, so if you are interested you can still check it out from the outside.

Hotels in Thamel

Are you looking for a place to stay in Thamel? Here are our top picks for every budget:

Best Things to Do in Kathmandu

Thamel may be the place where most travellers stay but there is so much else to see and explore in Kathmandu. Here are some of the best things to do in Kathmandu:

• Pashupati Temple
• Boudha Stupa
• Day Trip to Bhaktapur
• Day Trip to Patan
• Swoyambhu Stupa (Monkey Temple)

FAQs: Best Things to Do in Thamel, Kathmandu

What is Thamel famous for?

Thamel is famous for being the tourist hub of Kathmandu. Thamel is where most travellers stay and it is full of hotels, restaurants, bars, souvenir shops and trekking gear shops.

What to do in Thamel as a solo traveller?

There are many things that you can do in Thamel as a solo traveller. Thamel and Nepal in general is a safe place for solo travellers and you can do many activities whether you are travelling solo or in a group.

Some of the best things to do in Thamel include visiting the Kathmandu Durbar Square, Narayanhiti Palace Museum, Garden of Dreams, taking a Thangka painting and cooking class, or visiting the Asan Market.

Which is the most visited place in Nepal?

The most visited places in Nepal are Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan and trekking routes in the Annapurna and Everest Region.

What are the best things to do in Thamel Kathmandu?

The best things to do in Thamel, Kathmandu is to visit the Kathmandu Durbar Square, Asan Market, Garden of Dreams, Narayanhiti Palace Museum, singing bowl sessions, and taking a Nepali cooking class.

Conclusion

Thamel is located in central Kathmandu and has many hotels, restaurants, bars, souvenir and trekking shops. Thamel is where most travellers stay and although there are many things to do in Thamel, there are also some great things to do in Kathmandu as a whole.

Some of the best things to do in Thamel include visiting the Kathmandu Durbar Square, Narayanhiti Palace Museum, Garden of Dreams, taking a Thangka painting and cooking class, or visiting the Asan Market.