Kathmandu City Sightseeing Tour

Exploring Kathmandu lets you immerse into the fascinating religious and historical landmarks of Nepal. Likewise, you can witness the country’s wonderful culture and traditions. Kathmandu city sightseeing, a one-day sightseeing tour includes visit in any four places among the following places and they are Kathmandu durbar square, Swayambhunath stupa, Boudhanath stupa and Pashupatinath Temple, Bhaktapur durbar square, Budanilkantha, Patan Durbar square. As a matter of fact, these places around Kathmandu are listed in the UNESCO world heritage site. Hence, this will be your UNESCO world heritage sites excursion.

Easily reachable, plenty of cultural and architectural wonders makes Kathmandu worth a visit once in a lifetime. There are many things to admire in the valley, however Polluted air, crowded streets and traffic jams can sometimes be really disappointing around the city. Still, Many tourists face such obstacles to relish into the inner beauty of Kathmandu and they really appreciate what this beautiful city can offer.

The typical Kathmandu sightseeing tour itinerary follows:

1 Hour 30 minutes Stop at Swayambhunath:

After early morning breakfast, our guide will pick you up from your hotel at 7 am. From there you’ll go to Swayambhunath. Amidst a lake that once spread over the Kathmandu Valley, a blooming lotus conceived Swayambhu as the beliefs in the past. On the western part of Swayambhu, the biggest picture of the Sakyamuni Buddha can be seen. Chaityas, statues, and several Buddhist and Hindu holy spots lie around the stupa. Swyambhunath is at the hilltop which offers the elegant view of Kathmandu city likewise offers the panoramic view of hills and Himalayas in the North.

1 Hour Stop at Boudhanath:
After exploring around Swayambhunath, you’ll leave for Boudhanath. This is the largest Buddhist stupa in the world and considered to be one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for Buddhists. Likewise, Boudhanath represents the unique influence of Tibetan Buddhist culture in Nepal.

1 Hour stop at Pashupatinath:
After exploring around Boudhanath, you’ll drive to Pashupatinath and this will be a short 20 minutes drive. However, that depends on the traffic condition of the area. The fifth-century temple, Pashupatinath temple is devoted to Lord Shiva. Likewise, it is one of the four most vital religious sites in Asia for Hindu Pilgrims. This temple is located at the bank of holy Bagmati river and bank of the river is cremations ground for Hindus.

1 Hour stop at Kathmandu Durbar Square:
From Pashupatinath, you’ll leave for Kathmandu Durbar square. This spot is located in the heart of Kathmandu. The historical landmark with many religious temples, shrines and places makes the Durbar square a beautiful place to pay a visit. This palace used to be the centers of power for the kings during the eighteenth century and earlier. You can explore the museum in Durbar square and explore historical art and architecture. Likewise, there is the handicraft open market form where you can buy artistic handicrafts made by Nepalese.
After exploring around Kathmandu Durbar square, you’ll walk for 20 minutes and reach Thamel. Dwell around Thamel, tourism hub in Kathmandu and final transfer to the hotel in the evening.
Additionally, you can also explore the following places that included in Kathmandu city tour. And these places are Budanilkantha in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur durbar square in Bhaktapur and Patan durbar square in Lalitpur. You can customize your itinerary according to your preference and you can include the four places among these all places on your bucket list for a day.

Budanilkantha:
The holy temple of Lord Vishnu is the major attraction in Budanilkantha. Sleeping lord Vishnu sculpture believed to be craved in the 5^th century is the biggest statue craving in the history of Nepal. This 15m long and 5m tall statue is half dipped in the middle of the pool. This temple is also known as Naryanthan Temple and is located in the northern part of Kathmandu city on the foot of Shivapuri hills.

Bhaktapur Durbar Square:
Bhaktapur durbar square is a UNESCO world heritage site that lies 13 kilometres east of Kathmandu city in Bhaktapur district. This old capital of the Himalayan kingdom is really a treat to visit. The wood and brickwork are exquisite. This is a particularly impressive view of temples dedicated to Hindu goddesses and the one dedicated to Bhabani is beautiful with its own step well manned by two hooded metallic snakes. The Dattatreya and the Laxmi temples are impressive too. But what is amazing is the living city that exists in and around the square where ordinary people carry on their quotidian existence surrounded by the awesome and splendours of the past. It is a humbling experience. Besides the place is dotted with a variety of curio shops and restaurants.

Patan Durbar Square:
A bit smaller in scale than the Kathmandu Durbar square OR Bhaktapur durbar square, Patan durbar square has the most beautiful architecture and is compact enough. It is also enlisted in UNESCO world heritage sites. The Patan Durbar square is a really nice example of diverse styles and functions coming together. The proportions are just right and the buildings all work together well. It is a really beautiful place and the woodwork on the windows and balconies of the buildings is striking. If your lucky, you may even get a glimpse of a living goddess Kumari which unfortunately you are not allowed to photograph.