Kathmandu Sight Seeing: Top 10 Places You Must Visit:
Being the most populated city in Nepal, Kathmandu locks you up into the vortex of its sprawling dimension and chaotic atmosphere. The narrow streets, honking motorbikes, hustling mob, greetings from the street hawkers and sprouting local markets would just make your senses exhausted with excitement and thrill!!
The giant city itself speaks of ancient history, culture and natural beauty, all served up on a single platter. It is the home to several top-rated and must-see attractions and once you explore this city, you’ll take back lots of wonderful memories and exciting experiences. So, if you’ve kept Kathmandu on your bucket list, check out these ten sites you must visit when you’re here for sightseeing.
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1. Boudhanath Stupa
Built in the 14th century, Boudhanath Stupa is the largest and the holiest stupa representing the ancient culture of Tibetan and Buddhist. Located on the eastern outskirts of Kathmandu, Boudhanath Stupa is on the hike as the major tourist destination with its interesting structure based on the ancient giant mandala, the diagram of Buddhist cosmos.
The place speaks of Buddhist symbolism and various interesting legends bury deep regarding its reason for construction. The best time to visit the stupa is during the festival of Lhosar, also known as Tibetan New Year that takes place in February or March and the local people host the largest celebration like parades and masked dances called “Chaam” performed by the monks along with the music of long copper horns.
2. Hanuman Dhoka
Hanuman Dhoka, the oldest royal palace of Kathmandu, originally established during the Licchavi period (4th to 8th centuries) is another ideal place for sightseeing and learning ancient history of the city. The palace stands in the heart of Kathmandu Durbar Square, the extravagant tourist destination of the town.
Despite the unfortunate 2015’s earthquake, the palace still looks impressive and it’s on its way to getting renovated. The entrance of the palace holds two monkey god’s statue that dates from 1672 and after the end of Malla Dynasty, the palace became a government property and was transformed into a museum. The palace originally had 35 courtyards but the massive 1934’s earthquake reduced the palace to today’s 10 beautiful chowks. A day trip to this Royal palace would definitely make your trip interesting yet enlighting!
3. Budhanilkantha Temple
Kathmandu City is swamped with ancient temples and holy sites and among such, Budhanilkantha Temple stands out at the major sacred site and it’s also a gateway to Shivapuri National Park. Located below the Shivapuri Hill, at the northern end of the valley, the temple is always flooded with local and international devotees.
The particular feature of the temple is the large reclining statue of Lord Vishnu, the largest stone carving in Nepal, that stands 5 meters tall with the serpentine outlook.The place certainly provides us historical and mythical tales of the gods and goddesses. Butter lamps flickering with the wind, pleasant smell of the incense sticks, crimson holy tikas and entire ambiance of the place would definitely raise your inner spirit.
4. Garden of Dreams
Also known as the Garden of Six Seasons, Garden of Dreams is a neo-classical garden, located just two minutes walk, in the close proximity of central Thamel. It has been beautifully restored since the 1920s and it remains as one of the serene and isolated territories where you can enjoy the nature and get away from all the hassles and crowd of the city.
It is originally a palace owned by the Field Marshall Kaiser Shamsher who visited England and got inspired by Edwardian estates and finally built the Gardens. Due to lack of renovation and negligence, the gardens and the pavilions were on the verge of collapse but it was restored back by the funding of Austrian team. The gorgeous details, fountains, ponds, and artistically built six pavilions truly gives you a taste of European architecture and style.
5. Narayanhiti Museum
Located at the northern end of Durbar Marg, Narayanhiti Palace Museum is the result of the political transformation that ended the King’s reign in Nepal in 2008. After two years, the palace was reopened as a public museum by former prime minister Prachanda.
The major highlights of the museum would be the large and impressively decorated banquet halls, the artistic royal thrones, modest royal bedrooms, stuffed gharial, rhino heads and several chintzy meeting rooms.The mysterious royal massacre still haunts many Nepalese and the garden where the incident took place is morbid and the building has been demolished and leveled after the crime. So, if you’re up for solving the mystery of royal murder, visit this place.
6. Kopan Monastery
Situated north of ancient Buddhist town of Boudhanath, there lies a serene hill of Kopan, which rises up the flat valley giving the picturesque view of the Kathmandu miles away. The hill harbors the beautiful Kopan Monastery, where the Tibetan monks, lamas, and teachers meditate and find the purity in their soul.
The monastery is a popular residing place among foreigners to learn meditation and other forms of spiritual teachings. The monastery is committed to helping all the beings to develop their full potential of infinite wisdom and compassion. A visit to this place is must if you want to experience the whole new dimension of spirituality and divine lessons.
7. Bhaktapur Durbar Square
“Bhaktapur is temples that mirrors the mountains.”
The popular medieval city inside the Kathmandu valley, Bhaktapur Durbar Square is another major attraction which has been best preserved and best presented. The place symbolizes the ethnic Newari culture of the local people, for instance, the pottery sites, weave cloths, narrow alleys, courtyards for common people, local patis and pauwas around the square and so on.
Also enlisted as one of the world heritage by UNESCO, the main attraction of this place includes, Nyatapol Temple (Five-Storeyed Temple) built using the most impressive pagoda style, made by clay bricks and special wood to preserve the powerful deity, Siddhi Laxmi who’s the provider of wealth and prosperity. Another major site is the Pachpanna Jhyaley Durbar (55 Windows Palace) where you can observe the artistically carved windows and doors. There are pottery squares in every nooks and corner and there you can ponder on the mystical process of pottery and buy some earthenware too. The temples you should not miss include Dattratraya temple, the most ancient temple of Bhaktapur and The Temple of Bhairavnath.
8. White(Seto) Gumba
White (Seto Gumba), also known as Amitabha Monastery/ The White Monastery is located on the southern hill of Kathmandu valley. The monastery provides a panoramic view of the city and the sunrise and sunset views are also popular in this place. Surrounded by lush green forests of the Nagarjuna forest, this cultural site expressed the Tibetan architecture and culture.
Here, the monks learn principles of Buddhism and practice meditation. The place is also better for hiking as there are many hiking trails surrounding the monastery that gratifies your thirst for adventure and majestic scenes. The prayer flags, viharas, Buddhist incense, prayer wheels, beautiful garden, serene atmosphere and the scenic beauty of the entire valley seen from the top is the highlight of this place.
9. Pulchowki Hill Station
Kathmandu has the perfect weather for hiking and there’s no place better to hike in Nepal than Pulchowki Hill Station. The highest hill situated (2782m) located in the south of Kathmandu Valley, this is the most beautiful destination in terms of hiking and sightseeing.
The magnificent view from eastern part of Annapurna range to Gaurishanker can be seen from the top of the hill station on a clear day and it’s really breathtaking! There’s gorgeous royal botanical garden, Godavari before entering the hiking trail and the wide varieties of plants and vegetation found here are eye-pleasing.
10. Nagarkot Hill Station
Nagarkot is the getaway destination for all those who’re striving for nature. Located 32km east of Kathmandu, Nagarkot Hill Station is one of the major tourist spots of the country, famous for its breathtaking sunrise/sunset view and the open-view of the entire valley. The hill station also provides the kaleidoscopic view of the Himalayan ranges like Ganesh, Langtang, Annapurna, Jugal, Rolwaling and Mahalangur range along with Shivapuri National Park.
The area has now become a perfect destination for a one-night trip as there are a number of hotels and resorts providing both budget and luxury hotels. The best season to visit the station would be during the spring (March-April) when you can see the beautiful vegetation and colorful flowers on the way.
