WELCOME TO KATHMANDU

Welcome to Kathmandu, the ancient gateway to the Himalayas. You can use this quick guide to helpful information regarding:

  • Taxis & Getting Around

  • Local attractions

  • Great Restaurants

TAXIS & GETTING AROUND

Kathmandu is not a great walking city, so your best bet it to take taxis, which are very inexpensive. No ride should cost more than 1200 rupees, or $8 USD. There are always taxis right outside the Nomad Hotel. Be sure to set your price before you get in the car!

To return to the Nomad Hotel from anywhere in the city, tell the taxi driver to take you to the Radisson Hotel as it’s a more well-known landmark.

Hotel Nomad +977 1-4529392

Before You Head Out on the Town

  • If you need assistance, you can reach your lead guide and Kathmandu host, Christophe, via Whatsapp. +1 970 501 8651

  • Please remember to assign all drinks and food to your hotel room, and sign for those items. You will need to pay your room bill at checkout.

  • Laundry typically requires a 24-hour turn around, so you may not have time to have it done in Pokhara. Please keep that in mind.

RESTAURANT GUIDE

RESTAURANT GUIDE

These are a few of our favorite places to eat in Kathmandu.

PIANO - PIANO

This is the Nomad Hotel’s in-house bar an restaurant and the food is excellent with a great selection of pastas, western dishes, and great pizza. You can’t go wrong at Piano Piano.

IZAKAYA HOKKAIDO

Located just 50 feet from the Nomad Hotel, this is Northern Japanese food executed extremely well. Since this is in the embassy district, you may find many Japanese expats here.

ALEV KABAB

One of our all time favorites, this authentic Turkish restaurant has amazing vegetarian dishes as well as the best grilled meats in the city. Only 5 minutes away by car, it’s a great place to feast. The complementary soup is insanely good, as are the desserts.

YIN YANG THAI

This famous eatery in the popular tourist district of Thamel has fed hungry travelers for more than 50 years. It’s that good. We never visit Kathmandu without a stop at Yin Yang.

ROADHOUSE CAFE

Only a few feet away from Yin Yang Thai in the Thamel District, Roadhouse is known throughout the city for awesome pizzas, pasta, and a few superb Nepali dishes like their famous “Nepali Platter.” This is a safe bet every time if you’re hungry for great food.

THE CULTURAL SITES OF KATHMANDU

THE CULTURAL SITES OF KATHMANDU

There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley. These are some of our favorites, and all of them are must-see destinations. Listed here in the order in which we recommend you arrange your visits.

BOUDHANATH STUPA

It takes about 30 minutes (1200 rupees by taxi) to get there, but it’s a very exotic and relaxing place to visit. Give yourself 2-3 hours to enjoy it, with a visit to the Roadhouse Cafe rooftop for a drink or snack. The view from there is the best.

PATAN DURBAR SQUARE

One of three ancient royal palaces in the Kathmandu Valley, Patan Durbar Square has a great art museum and the nearby Golden Temple is always worth a visit. It’s easy to spend 3-4 hours here, particularly if you shop for healing bowls, or other crafts made and sold in the center of the city. Entry is 1200 rupees. Taxi is 1000 and takes 25 minutes.

MONKEY TEMPLE

Officially the temple of the monkeys is called Swayambhunath Temple. Perched on a hilltop within the city, it is one of the more dramatic sites in the city. Worthy of 1-2 hours entry is only 400 rupees and a short 15 minute taxi ride away. And yes, there will be monkeys.

PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE

Pashupatinath is a very intense place to visit, and well worth it. The most sacred Hindu site in Nepal it is also the countries most auspicious cremation site. That may dissuade some visitors, but it truly is worth seeing. The best time to go is between 8-10am. This is without question one of the most profound places in the country and should not be missed.

SHOPPING & SOUVENIRS

SHOPPING & SOUVENIRS

There are endless shops in Kathmandu, but we have our favorites for the high quality crafts like hand painted thangkas, singing bowls, kukuri knives and much more.

SINGING BOWLS

If you want the best of the best, made by a legendary maker, you need to go to this shop in Patan Durbar Square. The owner is Suman and his bowls are without comparison. Use Google Maps to find this hidden shop deep in the narrow streets of Patan.

THANGKA PAINTINGS

Our friend Tashi Lama is a 3rd generation grand master thangka painter with an incredible gallery inside the grounds of Boudhanath Stupa. This is a great place to learn about tangkas and buy they absolute best quality in Nepal.

KUKURI KNIVES

The famous knife used by the legendary Royal Gurkha soldiers, these knives are an iconic part of Nepali culture and can be found made to a high quality with beautiful craftmanship. We like a little shop in the Thamel district as it has great knives and fair prices. There are actually three shops in this exact area we recommend.

ENJOY KATHMANDU!

Be sure to contact your expedition leader if you need anything while exploring the city. The Nomad Hotel front desk is also great and can help arrange cars and things to do.

Team contact:

Christophe Noel, Whatsapp +1 970 501 8651