Shoot the old city from Dharahara's 8th-floor balcony

Thamel is convenient but loud and crowded, with persistent touts, so light sleepers often do better in Lazimpat, just outside it. The area has boutique and upscale hotels on quieter streets and a more polished dining scene, and you can still walk to Thamel. Book by the hotel's location rather than its name, and keep a…

The Dwarika's in Battisputali grew from founder Dwarika Das Shrestha's effort to save carved wood from old Kathmandu buildings, and its courtyards are built around salvaged sal beams and lattice windows. A restoration workshop set up in the 1960s still repairs carved pieces. Treat it as an experience in itself, and…

In the lunar month of Chaitra, usually March or April, a tall wooden chariot carries the white Machhindranath, a rain deity, from Jamal through Asan and Hanuman Dhoka to Lagan, then back to his shrine at Jana Bahal between Asan and Indra Chowk. Locals crowd the route over several days, so stand at a corner and let the…

Kathmandu's international jazz festival has run for about a week each October, with venue nights at Jazz Upstairs in Lazimpat, Electric Pagoda in Thamel and other rooms, plus a daytime Jazz Bazaar at Gokarna Forest Resort. It started in 2002 and is organised by Upstairs Ideas. The exact dates and lineup change every…

Jazz Upstairs in Lazimpat is one of Kathmandu's oldest and best-known jazz bars, reached by a staircase into a dim, intimate room. Local bands such as Cadenza Collective play jam sessions there, and its co-founder helped start the Jazzmandu festival, which opens at the bar. Check the bar's own announcements for the…

Nepal treats objects more than about 100 years old as antiques, and exporting them without special permission from the Department of Archaeology is illegal. New statues, carvings or paintings aged to look old can also draw questions, so ask the shop for a written certificate that the piece is not an antique. If you…

A cable car from Thankot climbs about 2.5 km to a ridge at roughly 2,551 m, southwest of the valley, where a viewing tower and the Bhaleshwor Mahadev temple sit. On clear days the view reaches toward the Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal and Langtang ranges. Go early in the day, when it is cooler and clearer, and in…

The Narayanhiti Palace, once the home and workplace of Nepal's kings, is now a museum. Highlights include the Gorkha Baithak throne room under a pagoda-style ceiling and the Kaski Sadan reception hall with its royal portraits. Cameras and phones are normally stored at the entrance and photography inside is not…