The 7 World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu (Travel Guide)

The World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu are iconic and a must-see when visiting Kathmandu. I love to walk through the ancient temples and stupas, and soak in the history and culture of Nepal. It always feels like taking a step back in time.

There are seven World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu, and they were added to the list of World Heritage Sites in 1979.

They are the Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Boudhanath Stupa, Swoyambhu Stupa, Pashupatinath Temple and the Changu Narayan Temple.

The heritage sites are spread out across the Kathmandu Valley, and it is difficult to visit all of them in one day. I would say, if you want to explore each area properly, you’ll need 3-4 days to visit all places without having to rush it.

The only way to visit all of them in one day, is if you hire a private car with a driver for a day. It will still be very rushed but possible to visit them all in a day.

The 7 World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu

1. KATHMANDU DURBAR SQUARE

The Kathmandu Durbar Square is a must visit if you are in Kathmandu. ‘Durbar’ means ‘royal palace’, and although the construction of the square began in the 3rd century, most of the temples were built during the 16th century.

The temples were heavily damaged by the earthquake in 2015, however, the reconstruction has been since mostly completed.

How to get to the Kathmandu Durbar Square: 

• Kathmandu Durbar Square location on google maps
• By walk: if you are staying in Thamel, it is a short walk away.
• By taxi: book a taxi through the Pathao taxi app for the best taxi prices.

Kathmandu Durbar Square Ticket Price:

The ticket price to the Kathmandu Durbar Square is Rs. 1,000 (foreigners).

💡Did you know? You can get a ‘Visitor’s Pass’ for the duration of your visa. Simply take 2 passport photos, and a copy of your passport and visa with you and the ticket officer will prepare you the pass.

2. BHAKTAPUR DURBAR SQUARE

The Bhaktapur Durbar Square is one of the beautiful and biggest out of the three durbar squares in the Kathmandu Valley.

You can find the Nyatapola Temple in Bhaktapur which is the tallest temple in Nepal.

Bhaktapur is a great place for a day trip and apart from exploring the durbar square, there are many other activities that you can do.

If you are in Bhaktapur, you can try Newari food, take a pottery class, learn to make a thangka painting or even sign up for a woodcarving session.

Check out my travel guide to the best things to do in Bhaktapur here!

How to get to Bhaktapur: 

• Bhaktapur Durbar Square location on google maps
• By bus: take the bus from Bhaktapur Bus Park (Kathmandu) to Bhaktapur. The bus fare is Rs 40 and it takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get from Kathmandu to Bhaktapur. 
• By taxi: the taxi fare from Thamel to Bhaktapur is around Rs 1,000 through the Pathao taxi app.

Bhaktapur Durbar Square Ticket Price: Rs 1,800 (foreigners)

💡 You can get a visitor’s pass for the duration of your visa. Simply take 2 passport photos, and a copy of your passport and visa with you and the ticket officer will prepare you the pass.

3. PATAN DURBAR SQUARE

• Patan Durbar Square Ticket Price: Rs. 1,000 (foreigners)

The Patan Durbar Square is located in Lalitpur, just south of Kathmandu.

It is smaller than the Kathmandu or Bhaktapur Durbar Squares but possibly it is the most peaceful as it is closed off from traffic.

Within the Patan Durbar Square, there are a number of beautifully built temples and the Patan Museum. The view of the Patan Durbar Square from the top floor of the Patan Museum is pretty nice.

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Apart from Patan Durbar Square, it is also great to just walk around and discover Patan. There are a lot of buildings built in the traditional Newari architecture (wood carved windows and red bricks), temples and stupas around town. Check out here the best things to do in Patan.

How to get to Patan Durbar Square: 

• Patan Durbar Square location on google maps
• By bus: Take a bus or minivan from Ratna Park towards Jawalakhel. Get off at the stop by Labim Mall and walk to the Patan Durbar Square. The ticket costs around Rs 20-25.
• By taxi: book a taxi through Pathao for the best taxi prices. It will cost maximum Rs 500 from Thamel to Patan.

4. BOUDANATH STUPA

• Boudha Stupa Ticket Price: Rs. 200 (foreigners)

The Boudha Stupa is a great place to visit for the sunset and evening. There are many rooftop restaurants built around the stupa and it’s such a nice place to relax after a long day.

The restaurants around the stupa serve many different types of dishes, both Nepali and continental dishes and also many different types of drinks.

How to get to the Boudha Stupa:

• Boudha Stupa location on google maps
• By bus: Take a minivan from Jamal Road (close to Rani Pokhari) or take a bus from the Ring Road and ask for ‘Boudha’. The bus ticket is Rs 25.
• By taxi: book a taxi through Pathao taxi app for the best prices.

5. SWOYAMBHU STUPA (Monkey Temple)

• Swoyambhu Stupa Ticket Price: Rs. 200 (foreigners)

The Swoyambhu Stupa is a short walk away from Thamel, situated on a small hill. As it is on the top of a hill, there are many stairs to climb to get up to the stupa.

Once you get to the top and the Swoyambhu Stupa, you will get a really nice view of Kathmandu. It is great to go there during sunsets and take in the views of the city and mountains.

The Swoyambhu Stupa is also referred as the Monkey Temple as there are many monkeys around. Be careful because the monkey can come up to you and grab things from you – especially if you have food with you.

How to get to the Monkey Temple/Swoyambhu Stupa:

• Swoyambhu Stupa location on google maps

The Monkey temple is a 30-minute walk from Thamel or you can take a taxi. The taxi from Thamel should be around Rs. 350 if you use taxi apps like Pathao or InDrive.

6. CHANGU NARAYAN TEMPLE

• Changu Narayan Temple Ticket Price: Rs. 300 (foreigners)

The Changu Narayan Temple, located near Bhaktapur, is the oldest Hindu temple in Nepal. Although the date of the construction is unknown, the inscriptions on entrance gate are from 464 AD.

Apart from the temple, there is also the Changu Museum and the Ethnographic Museum that can be visited.

How to get to Changu Narayan:

• Changu Narayan Temple location on google maps
• By bus: take the bus from Bagbazaar (Kathmandu) to Bhaktapur (Rs. 50). Once in Bhaktapur, walk to the Dekocha Changu Narayan bus stop and take another bus to Changu Narayan.

7. PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE

• Pashupatinath Temple Ticket Price: Rs. 1,000 (foreigners)
• Pashupatinath Temple Opening Times: 4 am – 9 pm

The Pashupatinath Temple is the largest temple complex in Nepal built in the 5th century. It is one of the most sacred Hindu temples in Nepal, and the temple complex includes smaller shrines and temples.

The Pashipatinath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Pashupatinath Temple is situated on the bank of the Bagmati River. The Bagmati River flows into the River Ganges, which is considered a holy river.

The temple complex is across a large area, that you can wander around, learn about culture and traditions.

If you visit Pashupatinath during the day, you will see people perform open air cremations. In the evenings around 6-7 pm, there is also the Aarti ceremony performed, which is a special worship ceremony. The Aarti ceremony is performed every evening.

How to get to Pashupatinath Temple:

• Pashupatinath Temple location on google maps
• By bus: take a bus/minivan from either Ratna Park or Jamal to Gaushala and walk from there.
• By taxi: download taxi apps (Pathao or InDrive) and book a taxi through the app for the best taxi prices.

Itinerary to Visit the World Heritage Sites

I would say, checking out all the seven World Heritage Sites would take at least 3 days, considering that the Changu Narayan Temple is located a bit further out from Kathmandu.

It may be possible to check them out in 1 days, if you hire a car and driver, however, it would still feel rushed.

• Day 1. Kathmandu Durbar Square, Swoyambhu and Boudha Stupa
• Day 2. Pashupatinath Temple and Patan Durbar Square
• Day 3. Bhaktapur and go to Changu Narayan

FAQs: World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu

How many World Heritage Sites are in Kathmandu?

There are seven World Heritahe Sites in the Kathmandu Valley. They are the Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Boudhanath Stupa, Swoyambhu Stupa, Pashupatinath Temple and the Changu Narayan Temple.

What are the ten World Heritage Sites in Nepal?

The ten World Heritage Sites in Nepal are the Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Boudhanath Stupa, Swoyambhu Stupa, Pashupatinath Temple, Changu Narayan Temple, Lumbini, Chitwan National Park and Sagarmatha National Park.