Well, Kathmandu City Tour is a fun-packed trip designed for those who have a brief time in Kathmandu and wondering about Kathmandu excursions. If you are in a dilemma about how can you spend a day in Kathmandu, you are at the right place. It is an informative one-day tour in Kathmandu of around six hours from which you will derive maximum satisfaction and information about Kathmandu Nepal. The Kathmandu city tour package is designed to introduce you to the cultural, religious, art, and architecture of this beautiful Kathmandu city. The total area of Kathmandu city is 49.45 km².
Kathmandu city tour begins in the early morning. We will pick you up from your place of stay or where you call us. We will drive you to four main destinations of Kathmandu namely, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Pashupatinath Temple, Boudhanath stupa, and Swoyambunath stupa. It is a kind of brief visit to the major UNESCO-listed World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu valley.
Highlights
- Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu
- Explore the local foods, lifestyle & cultures
- Explore the unique arts, tradition, and cultural heritage of the places.
4 Major Places To Visit in Kathmandu City Tour
Kathmandu Durbar Square: It is a historical site in the country which covers five acres of land at the center of Kathmandu. The entire site is divided into two parts—inner and outer. The inner part consists of Hanuman Dhoka Palace which is one of the prime sites to visit. The statue of Hanuman (monkey god) is placed in front of the main entrance of the Palace. King Pratap Malla erected a statue of Hanuman here in the 17th century with the belief that the god will keep all evils outside the palace. He also built Sundari and Mohan Chowk on the north of the palace. According to stone scriptures, Kathmandu Durbar Square was the administration center for Lichhavi Kings. They built palaces and temples here in the 3rd century but no remains of it are found yet. The major developments of the site took place in the time of Ratna Malla in 1484. He turned the existing palaces into Royal Palace. Since then many temples and palaces were built here by different Malla and Shah Kings.
There are many things to observe in the outer part of the area such as Kasthamandap, Shiva-Parvati temple, Kumari Ghar, and many more. Kasthamandap enshrines Gorakhnath (Lord Shiva in the form of cow protecting god). King Laxmi Narasingha Malla built it in the 16th century by using the woods of a single tree. It was built in Pagoda style. This temple was completely destroyed by the quake of 25th April 2015. The name Kathmandu was derived from this very temple—Kasthamandap. Kumari Ghar (house) is another major attraction of this place as the living goddess—Kumari lives here. This house is also severely damaged by the quake and is in the reconstruction process. Kumari is regarded as a living form of Taleju Bhawani (Durga). There are many other things to see here. It is truly a historical site with the cultural outlook of Nepal. It is the center of Newar culture as well.
Pashupatinath Temple (The Hindu Temple):Pashupatinath temple is located east of Kathmandu Durbar Square. It is a sacred site for Hindus where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Linga. The Linga is a stone of around three and a half feet cylindrical black colored stone where the face of Lord Shiva is carved on four sides. There are temples of many other gods and goddesses in this area.
Bouddhanath Stupa:Bouddhanath stupa is one of the largest stupas in South Asia. It is built in an octagonal mandala structure. The entire stupa is surrounded by a brick wall. The color of the stupa is completely white. A dome-like structure is made on the octagonal base where people walk in a clockwise direction reciting matras. The prayer wheels, butter lamps, and prayer flags on the site are really pleasant. There are more than 50 monasteries in the Bouddhanath area dedicated to Lord Buddha. The site gives a glimpse of Tibet so it is also regarded as mini Tibet. It is said that the stupa was built by Lichhavi King called Shiva Dev in 590 AD but it is not proven.
Swoyambhunath Stupa (The Monkey Temple): On our one-day tour in Kathmandu we will also visit Swoyambhunath stupa. Like Bouddhanath, Swoyambhunath is also regarded as a prime site for Buddhists. Swaymbhunath is also a Hindu religious site with Hindu beliefs. It is a place that a hundred thousand people around the world visit every year. The site is located in the west of Kathmandu. Swoyambhunath is situated on a hillock. It is a dome-shaped structure with the eyes of Buddha in all four directions at top of the dome. Swoyambhunath is also known as Monkey Temple because a lot of monkeys live here.
‘Self-Existing’ is the meaning of Swoyambhu. It is said that this stupa used to be here even then when this entire valley was logged with water forming a huge lake. Later Manjushree arrived here and saw a beautiful lotus with many petals. Manjushree was moved by the lotus and he determined to settle village in this place. He cut the gorge at Chovar making passage for water flow. Since then people started living here.
Unique Things To Do In Kathmandu
Kathmandu is not only a sightseeing place but also a center funfilled with many things. One can enjoy a day in Kathmandu adding some uniqueness to it. Go for a munch on morning pastries for breakfast, and spend the morning temple-hopping, have an afternoon snack of momos, and discover 3 Durbar Square in one city, go & find peace in the Garden of Dreams, and take a refreshing walk through Thamel, the main tourist hub of Nepal.
10 Nearby Places to Visit From Kathmandu
Nagarkot, Dhulikhel, Namobuddha, Chisapani, Kakani, Kulekhani, Laakuri Bhanjyang; Phulchoki; Godawari, and Chitlang are the best places to visit nearby Kathmandu either for day trips or for a night's stay.
After completing our one-day Kathmandu sightseeing tour we will drop you at the mentioned place. Here ends our Kathmandu city tour. We are sure that you are satisfied with this day trip to Kathmandu. We can also customize the Kathmandu one-day tour itinerary as per your preference.
You can find some more best day trips from Kathmandu on our one-day tour in Nepal page.