Patan's Newar name is Yala, and its Sanskrit name, Lalitpur, means city of beauty. It was one of the three Malla kingdoms of the valley until 1768 and has always been the most Buddhist of them, with more than a hundred bahals, the monastery courtyards where Newar Buddhist families live, worship and hold festivals. Patan is also the valley's craft capital. Shakya and Bajracharya families still cast bronze statues here by the lost-wax method, and Patan workshops supply images to monasteries and temples across the Himalaya.
The centre is Durbar Square, a compact plaza of temples facing the old royal palace. Krishna Mandir, a stone shikhara temple completed in 1637, stands at one end, and the palace courtyards hold the Patan Museum and, in Sundari Chowk, the carved royal bath of Tusha Hiti. North of the square are the Golden Temple, or Kwa Bahal, and the five-roof Kumbheshwar temple, while to the south-east the terracotta Mahabouddha temple is covered with small images of the Buddha. All of them lie within a 15-minute walk of each other.
Patan has also become the valley's café and design quarter. Jhamsikhel and Pulchowk, on the north-west side, are full of restaurants, bakeries and craft shops, with UN offices and many NGOs nearby. Jawalakhel has the Tibetan refugee carpet workshops, where you can watch wool spun and knotted by hand. Entry to Durbar Square costs NPR 1,000 for foreigners and NPR 250 for SAARC nationals; check current status before you travel. The weather matches Kathmandu's, with the clearest days from October to December and warm, wet afternoons from June to September.
What to see and do
- Krishna Mandir
King Siddhi Narasimha Malla completed this stone temple in 1637, one of the finest shikhara-style temples in Nepal. Carved friezes on its first and second floors tell the stories of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Non-Hindus may not go inside, but the carving faces outwards, and the square is fullest at Krishna Janmashtami in August or September.
- Patan Museum
Set in Keshav Narayan Chowk, a restored palace courtyard, the Patan Museum is widely rated the best museum in Nepal for Hindu and Buddhist sacred art. Its galleries explain bronze casting, iconography and temple building in clear English, and the garden café at the back makes a good lunch stop.
- Golden Temple (Kwa Bahal)
A short walk north of Durbar Square, this Buddhist monastery founded in the 12th century has a gilded three-roof shrine, a courtyard crowded with bronze figures and a few resident turtles. A boy under 12 serves as temple priest for a month at a time. Remove shoes and leather at the door and pay a small entry fee.
- Kumbheshwar temple
One of only two free-standing five-roof pagodas in the valley, Kumbheshwar was first built in 1392 and is dedicated to Shiva. Its spring-fed pond is said to be connected to Gosaikunda lake, and on Janai Purnima in August thousands come to bathe and renew their sacred threads.
- Bronze workshops and Mahabouddha
South-east of the square, the lanes around Mahabouddha are lined with metal workshops where artisans model statues in wax, coat them in clay and pour molten bronze. The terracotta Mahabouddha temple, covered in small Buddha images, stands in a tight courtyard; climb to a neighbouring rooftop shop for the best view of its tower.
- Rato Machhindranath chariot festival
Patan's longest festival hauls a towering chariot of the rain god Bunga Dyah through the city in stages over several weeks, usually starting in April or May and ending at Jawalakhel with the showing of the sacred bhoto vest. Dates follow the lunar calendar and can stretch for a month; check current status before you travel.
Experiences in Patan (Lalitpur)
How to reach Patan (Lalitpur)
Road
Patan is about 5 km south of Thamel across the Bagmati, 20–40 minutes by car or taxi depending on traffic at the Thapathali and Kupondole bridges. Taxis and ride-hailing cars cost roughly NPR 400–700; check current rates. Our day tours usually drop you at Mangal Bazaar, at the south-east corner of Durbar Square, and collect you there or at Pulchowk.
Air
Tribhuvan International Airport is about 8 km away, a 25–45 minute drive. Guests with an afternoon departure can fit Patan Durbar Square and the museum into the morning, and Patan is a calm base for a first or last night close to the airport.
On foot
From central Kathmandu you can walk to Patan in about an hour via the Thapathali bridge and Kupondole, though traffic makes it more pleasant as a one-way walk. Inside Patan everything is on foot: Durbar Square, the Golden Temple, Kumbheshwar and Mahabouddha all lie within about 1 km of each other.
Where to stay
Most of our guests visit Patan from a Kathmandu hotel, but staying here gives a quieter base. Inside the old town, a few small guesthouses and boutique stays in restored Newar houses sit within five minutes of Durbar Square, with rooftop views of the temples and early-morning access before visitors arrive. Kupondole, on the rise above the Bagmati, has several long-running mid-range hotels looking back across Kathmandu. Jhamsikhel and Pulchowk suit longer stays and families, with quiet residential streets, cafés and supermarkets, and both are 10–20 minutes by taxi from Durbar Square.
Tips from our trip managers
- Keep your Durbar Square ticket with you, since staff check it at several approaches to the square and the palace courtyards.
- When buying a bronze statue, ask whether it was cast in one piece or several and whether it is fire-gilded or electroplated, because that explains most of the price difference.
- Remove shoes and any leather belts or bags before entering the Golden Temple and other Buddhist courtyards that ask for it.
- Rooftop cafés around Durbar Square give the best view of the temples in late-afternoon light, so order a tea and stay for sunset.
- Allow extra time on Saturdays, the weekly holiday, when Nepali families visit the square and the museum fills up.
