NP · Bagmati Province · 27.67°N 85.43°E

bhaktapur

Brick squares, carved wooden windows and thick yoghurt in an old Newar city.

Best time
October–November brings clear, mild days, and February–April is warmer, with Bisket Jatra for Nepali New Year in April. June–August is rainy, and December–January evenings are cold.
How long
1–2 days
Getting there
Fly direct from KL to Kathmandu (about 4.5 hours); Bhaktapur is 30–45 minutes from the airport by road. Nepal is 2 hours 15 minutes behind KL.
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NP · Bagmati Provincebhaktapur27.67°N 85.43°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Brick squares, carved wooden windows and thick yoghurt in an old Newar city.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingBhaktapurNP, Bagmati Province
KLbhaktapur
≈ 3,228 km from KL, as the crow flies
Nyatpola & Bhairav Temples are great examples of architectural perfection and artistic beauty of Bhaktapur.

Photo: Saroj Pandey · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Bhaktapur is the best-preserved of the Kathmandu Valley's old royal cities, a compact place of brick lanes, temple squares and carved wooden windows. Stay a night and it feels like a neighbourhood again, with grain drying in the squares and potters at work.

Makan

  1. Juju dhauBhaktapur's 'king of curds', thick, sweet yoghurt set in a clay pot.Map ↗
  2. BaraSavoury lentil pancakes, plain or topped with egg.Map ↗
  3. YomariSteamed rice-flour dumplings filled with molasses and sesame, a Newar winter treat.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Durbar SquareThe old royal square, with the Golden Gate and the Palace of 55 Windows.Map ↗
  2. Taumadhi SquareHome to Nyatapola, a five-tiered pagoda that came through the 2015 earthquake still standing.Map ↗
  3. Pottery SquareClay pots drying in rows across the square, with potters at their wheels around the edges.Map ↗
  4. Dattatreya SquareThe quieter eastern square, with the famous carved Peacock Window in a lane nearby.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Early mornings and evenings are the quiet times, before and after the Kathmandu day-trippers.
  • Halal is hard to find outside Kathmandu, and Newar meat dishes are often buffalo; vegetable momos, bara and juju dhau are the easy choices.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.