Districts
Bagmati Province
Kathmandu काठमाडौँ
Capital — Pashupatinath, Boudhanath, Swayambhunath, Durbar Square
Kathmandu is Nepal's capital district and the dense heart of the country — government, business and the old royal city all packed into the Kathmandu Valley. It holds three of the valley's UNESCO monument zones, from Durbar Square to Pashupatinath, Boudhanath and Swayambhunath. For most travelers it is where a trip to Nepal begins and ends.
About Kathmandu
Kathmandu district fills the bowl of the Kathmandu Valley, ringed by green hills and crowded with the temples, palaces and bazaars of a thousand-year-old urban culture. At its core sit the medieval Durbar Square, the lantern-lit warren of Thamel, and the riverside cremation ghats of Pashupatinath — Nepal's holiest Hindu site — while the great stupas of Boudhanath and Swayambhunath rise above the rooftops as the centres of valley Buddhism.
Beyond the monuments it is the country's engine: the seat of government, the hub of business, and the arrival point for almost every visitor, who lands at Tribhuvan International Airport on the city's eastern edge. The streets braid Newar shrines and hidden courtyards with traffic, festivals and a deep café-and-trekking-shop culture built up over decades of travel.
Most trips begin and end here — a few days of temples and old-city wandering before and after a trek or a tour. It rewards slow exploration on foot: the further you step off the main roads, the more water-spouts, bahals and shrines you find.
At a glance
- Headquarters
- Kathmandu
- Known for
- Capital — Pashupatinath, Boudhanath, Swayambhunath, Durbar Square
Getting there
Kathmandu is the country's main gateway: Tribhuvan International Airport receives almost all international flights and is the domestic hub for mountain airstrips. By road it sits on the Prithvi Highway (to Pokhara, ~6–7 hours) and the Araniko and BP highways toward the Terai and the Tibet border. Within the valley, taxis, ride-hailing apps and local buses reach every site.