Plan my trek
Plan my trek
c. 1,300 m
5 km, 20-40 min
Half to full day
NPR 1,000 (c. £5)
Oct to Nov, Feb to Apr
Durbar Square, bronzes
Patan, officially Lalitpur and known in Newari as Yala, is the old royal city just south of Kathmandu, across the Bagmati River. It is one of the three former Malla kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley, alongside Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, and its Durbar Square is part of the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed in 1979. Many travellers rate it the finest of the three squares: compact, well restored and easy to enjoy on foot.
A quick note if you arrived here by search: this guide is about Patan in Nepal. It has nothing to do with Patan in Gujarat, India (home of the Rani ki Vav stepwell and Patola silk), or Prabhas Patan near Somnath. If you are planning a trip to Nepal, you are in the right place.
What sets Patan apart is that it still works as a living Newar city. Behind the palace and temples of Durbar Square, lanes lead into dozens of bahals (Buddhist monastery courtyards), sunken stone water spouts called hiti, and workshops where families have cast bronze and copper statues for generations. Patan is the valley’s great centre of metalwork, and much of the religious statuary you see across Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan was made here.
Think of Patan as a historic core with four ancient stupas at its edges. Durbar Square sits in the middle, with the royal palace on its east side and a row of temples facing it on the west. The Golden Temple and Kumbheshwar Temple lie a 5 to 10 minute walk north. Mahabouddha and Uku Bahal are a similar distance south-east, off the lanes leading to Mangal Bazar. Further south are Lagankhel (the main bus park) and Jawalakhel, where the Rato Machhindranath festival ends and the Tibetan handicraft centre stands. West of the old city, Pulchowk, Jhamsikhel and Sanepa are modern neighbourhoods full of cafés, restaurants and NGO offices, while Kupondole runs north to the bridge over the Bagmati into Kathmandu.
The old centre sits at roughly 1,300 to 1,350 m, almost the same altitude as Kathmandu, so there are no altitude concerns. For most visitors, half a day covers the highlights and a full day lets you see the museum properly and wander the back lanes. If you are building a wider trip, our Kathmandu travel guide shows how Patan fits alongside the rest of the valley.
Patan rewards slow exploration. The big sights are within a 15-minute walk of each other, and the best experiences often happen between them: a family courtyard shrine, a metal workshop doorway, a plate of bara at a tiny Newari kitchen. Below are the places and experiences worth your time, with fees and timings where we could verify them. Fees change, so treat the figures as a guide and check at the counter.
The former royal square of the Malla kings of Patan, with the palace complex along its eastern side and a dense line of stone and brick temples facing it. Most of what you see dates from the 17th and early 18th centuries, when King Siddhi Narasimha Malla and his successors rebuilt the city’s centre. The 2015 earthquake damaged several temples, including the Hari Shankar Temple, which collapsed and has since been fully rebuilt; restoration has been careful, and the square now looks better than it has for decades.
Entry: NPR 1,000 for foreign visitors (about £5), NPR 250 for SAARC nationals (about £1.25). Most current sources say the ticket includes the Patan Museum. Buy it at the ticket booths on the approach to the square. Time needed: 1.5 to 2 hours for the square alone. Best time: 7 to 9am, or late afternoon into dusk. Tip: keep your ticket; staff check it at several entrances and at the museum.
Housed in Keshav Narayan Chowk, the northern courtyard of the old palace, the Patan Museum is the single best place in Nepal to understand the religious art you see everywhere else. The building was restored with Austrian support, led by architect Götz Hagmüller, and opened as a museum in 1997. Its galleries hold a superb collection of cast bronzes and gilt-copper repoussé work, with clear English labels explaining Hindu and Buddhist iconography and how the statues are made using the lost-wax method.
Hours: generally 10:30am to 5:30pm (last entry earlier; may close on some public holidays). Entry: covered by the Durbar Square ticket according to most current sources; ask at the counter if unsure. Time needed: 1.5 to 2 hours. Tip: the museum café in the rear garden is a calm place for lunch or coffee, and the museum shop sells quality books and prints. Visit before exploring the rest of the city so you recognise what you are looking at.
The stone Krishna Mandir on the west side of the square is Patan’s signature building and the subject of most patan durbar square photos. Built by Siddhi Narasimha Malla and usually dated to 1637, it is a shikhara-style temple of carved stone, unusual in a valley of brick and timber pagodas. The friezes along the first and second floors depict scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana, with captions in old Newari script.
Entry: included in the square ticket, but only Hindus may enter the temple; everyone can admire it from outside. Best time: morning, when the sun lights the front of the temple. Festival: during Krishna Janmashtami (usually August or early September) thousands of devotees queue through the night and the square is lit with oil lamps. Tip: for the classic elevated view over the temple roofs, have a drink at one of the rooftop cafés on the west side of the square.
Beyond the museum, the palace has two other main courtyards. Mul Chowk, the central and largest, is surrounded by shrines to the goddess Taleju, the royal family’s tutelary deity, with the tall Degutale Temple rising above it. Sundari Chowk, completed in 1647, contains Tusha Hiti, a sunken royal bath lined with finely carved stone deities, one of the most beautiful pieces of stonework in the valley.
Entry: covered by the Durbar Square ticket. Access: parts of the palace may be closed for restoration or ceremonies; check at the museum entrance. Time needed: 30 to 45 minutes. Tip: look up at the carved roof struts and windows, which are as impressive as anything at ground level. Behind Sundari Chowk lies the Bhandarkhal garden and water tank, part of the royal complex.
A few minutes north of the square, through a modest doorway, the Golden Temple (also called Kwa Bahal) is a Buddhist monastery courtyard of exceptional richness. The monastery dates back at least to the early 15th century (1409 is often quoted, while some accounts trace it to the 12th century). Its three-tiered main shrine is covered in gilded copper, guarded by metal elephants and lions, with brass monkeys, bells and Bodhisattva figures throughout. It is still an active monastery and the shrine is looked after by a young boy priest from the community, who serves for about a month at a time.
Entry: a small separate fee, around NPR 50 to 100 (under £1); sources differ. Hours: roughly 6am to 6pm. Rules: remove shoes and leave leather items (belts, bags) outside; no photos inside the main shrine. Time needed: 30 minutes.
Further north, the Kumbheshwar is one of only two free-standing five-tiered pagoda temples in the Kathmandu Valley (the other is Nyatapola in Bhaktapur). It was completed in 1392 under King Jayasthiti Malla and is dedicated to Shiva, with a large Nandi bull facing the shrine. The temple’s ponds are believed to be fed by a spring flowing underground from the sacred lake of Gosainkunda in the mountains north of Kathmandu.
Entry: free; non-Hindus can enter the courtyard but not the inner sanctum. Festival: at Janai Purnima (the full moon in Shrawan, usually August), pilgrims bathe in the pond, shamans (jhankri) dance, and Brahmins renew their sacred threads. Time needed: 20 to 30 minutes. Tip: combine it with the Golden Temple on a morning loop north of the square; the lanes between them are full of small shrines.
Tucked into a narrow courtyard south-east of the square, Mahabouddha is a tall shikhara temple loosely modelled on the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in India, where the Buddha attained enlightenment. Construction is usually dated to 1585 and took several generations of one family to complete. Its terracotta bricks are each moulded with a Buddha image, which gives the temple its popular name. It was badly damaged in the 1934 earthquake and rebuilt.
Entry: some sources mention a small combined fee (around NPR 50) with Uku Bahal; others list it as free, so carry small notes. Time needed: 20 minutes. Tip: the courtyard is cramped, so for a better view climb to the rooftop of one of the surrounding metal and handicraft shops, which often allow visitors up (it is polite to look at their stock afterwards).
A few minutes south of Mahabouddha, Uku Bahal is one of Patan’s best-known Buddhist monasteries, with a courtyard crowded with metal statues of animals, dorjes, bells and guardian figures. It has strong historical links with the Malla and later royal families, and was used for ceremonies connected with the Patan court. Like the Golden Temple, it is an active place of worship, so visit quietly.
Entry: small fee may be asked (see Mahabouddha). Time needed: 20 to 30 minutes. Tip: the walk between Durbar Square, Mahabouddha and Uku Bahal takes you through some of Patan’s main metalworking lanes, so leave time to look into the workshops on the way.
Patan’s Newar craftspeople, especially from the Shakya and Bajracharya communities, have been casting statues for centuries using the lost-wax technique: a wax model is coated in clay, the wax melted out, and molten metal poured in, after which the piece is chased, polished and often gilded. Workshops and showrooms line the lanes around Durbar Square, Mahabouddha and Uku Bahal, and some allow visitors to watch the work.
Cost: free to browse; small statues start at a few thousand rupees, while large gilded pieces can cost hundreds of pounds or more. Tip: genuine hand-cast pieces are heavier and more finely finished than machine-made copies. Ask how a piece was made, and get a receipt; antiques more than 100 years old cannot legally be exported, so buy new work. The Patan Museum’s bronze gallery is the best introduction before you shop.
About 20 minutes’ walk south-west of Durbar Square, Jawalakhel is home to a long-established Tibetan refugee community, settled here from the early 1960s with international help. The handicraft centre is known for hand-knotted Tibetan carpets: you can usually watch wool being carded, spun, dyed and woven on upright looms, and buy rugs that can be shipped home.
Entry: free. Time needed: 45 minutes to an hour. Tip: mornings on weekdays are best for seeing weavers at work. Combine it with the Jawalakhel ground, where the Rato Machhindranath festival ends, and a meal in nearby Jhamsikhel or Pulchowk.
Patan is one of the best places in the valley to eat Newari food, the rich cuisine of the valley’s original inhabitants. Look for samay baji (a ritual platter of beaten rice, buffalo meat, black soybeans, egg, ginger and spiced potato), bara or wo (lentil pancakes, often topped with egg), chatamari (rice-flour crepes sometimes called Newari pizza), choila (spiced grilled meat), yomari (sweet steamed dumplings) and lakhamari, a crisp sweet bread used in weddings. Local rice wine (aila) and beer (thwon) are served in small clay cups.
Cost: a filling Newari set typically costs around NPR 300 to 700 (£1.50 to £3.50) in local eateries. Where: small family kitchens around Mangal Bazar and the lanes off Durbar Square; Honacha, a long-running Newari eatery near the square, is a well-known local favourite. Tip: much Newari food uses buffalo; ask for vegetarian options such as bara, chatamari and potato dishes.
Tradition holds that four stupas mark the edges of Patan’s old city, often called the Ashoka stupas after the Indian emperor, though their actual date is debated. They are simple grassy mounds rather than grand monuments, but they give a reason to explore beyond the centre. Closer in, Manga Hiti, just north of the square, is a sunken water spout still used by locals for washing and collecting water, and one of the oldest of its kind in the valley.
Entry: free. Time needed: an hour or two, at your own pace. Tip: step through small doorways into the bahals; most are public spaces with chaityas, shrines and children playing. Respect people’s homes, and ask before photographing people.
Patan Durbar Square in the evening is one of the valley’s great simple pleasures. As the day-trippers leave, locals gather on temple steps, devotional music starts at the shrines, and the temples are lit against the darkening sky. This is when the square feels most like a community space rather than a monument.
Cost: free if you already hold a ticket from earlier in the day; otherwise staff may ask to see one until the booths close. Time needed: an hour. Tip: a rooftop café on the square’s west side is the best seat for sunset. If you are staying in Thamel, book a taxi back or use a ride-hailing app; traffic eases after 7pm.
Two traditional Newar villages around 6 to 8 km south of Patan make an easy half-day extension. Bungamati is the second home of Rato Machhindranath, whose image spends part of each year in its temple, and is known for woodcarving. Neighbouring Khokana is famous for mustard-oil pressing. Both were damaged in the 2015 earthquake and are being rebuilt, so expect building work alongside old houses.
Getting there: taxi or ride-hailing from Patan in 25 to 40 minutes, or a guided cycle tour. Time needed: 3 to 4 hours including the walk between the villages. Tip: go in the morning, have lunch locally and be back in Patan for the evening square.
Patan Durbar Square is Patan’s biggest draw and the reason most people come. It is small enough to see in a couple of hours, but packed with detail. Use this table as a self-guided walk, starting at the south end by the octagonal Chyasin Dewal and finishing at the museum entrance in the north. Dates are those generally given by historians; some sources differ by a few years.
| Monument | What it is | Look for |
|---|---|---|
| Chyasin Dewal (octagonal Krishna temple) | Stone octagonal temple at the southern end, 18th century | Its eight-sided form, rare in the valley |
| Bhai Dega and Taleju Bell | Shiva temple and a large bronze bell hung between two pillars (1737) | The bell was rung to call people and in emergencies |
| Krishna Mandir | Stone shikhara temple, usually dated 1637 | Mahabharata and Ramayana friezes; Garuda statue on a pillar facing it |
| Jagannarayan (Char Narayan) Temple | Brick pagoda to Vishnu, 1565, one of the square’s oldest | Carved roof struts and guardian lions |
| Hari Shankar Temple | Three-tiered pagoda, early 18th century; collapsed in 2015, rebuilt | Restored carvings, a good example of post-quake rebuilding |
| King Yoganarendra Malla’s pillar | Statue of the king kneeling on a lotus atop a column (c. 1700) | The small bird on the cobra’s head above him; legend says the king will return while it remains |
| Vishwanath Temple | Two-tiered Shiva temple (1627) | Two stone elephants guarding the stairs; erotic carvings on the roof struts |
| Bhimsen Temple | Three-tiered temple to the god of traders (1680) | Gilded façade; non-Hindus cannot enter |
| Royal palace (east side) | Three main courtyards: Sundari Chowk, Mul Chowk, Keshav Narayan Chowk | Golden Gate and window of Keshav Narayan Chowk, now the museum entrance |
| Manga Hiti | Sunken stone water spout just north of the square | Crocodile-shaped spouts, still in daily use |
For the classic shot of Krishna Mandir with the line of temples behind it, stand at the north-west corner of the square or take a rooftop table on the west side. Early morning gives soft light on the palace façade and few people; late afternoon light warms the brick, and the hour after sunset, with temples lit, is the most atmospheric. Tripods are generally fine in the open square, but do not climb restricted temple plinths, and ask before photographing people at prayer. Inside the Patan Museum, photography rules can change, so ask at the entrance.
Licensed guides wait near the ticket booths and typically charge around NPR 2,000 to 3,000 (£10 to £15) for 1 to 2 hours. A good guide brings the carvings and legends to life and can take you into courtyards you would walk past. Agree the price and duration before you start. If you prefer to go alone, visit the museum first; its displays explain much of what you will see outside. For deeper background on the Newar festivals and religious life you will encounter here, read our guide to culture in Nepal.
The Rato Machhindranath Jatra is Nepal’s longest-running chariot festival and the defining event of Patan’s year. The red-faced image of Machhindranath, a deity revered by both Hindus and Buddhists as a god of rain and compassion, is placed in a towering chariot built at Pulchowk, often quoted at around 60 feet including its spire. Over several weeks, teams of locals haul it through the streets of Patan in stages, via Gabahal, Mangal Bazar, Sundhara and Lagankhel, to Jawalakhel.
The festival begins in the Nepali month of Baisakh (usually late April or May) and ends with Bhoto Jatra at Jawalakhel, when a jewelled vest is shown to the crowds from all sides of the chariot in the presence of the head of state. In 2026 Bhoto Jatra fell on 20 June. Dates follow the lunar calendar and astrologers’ decisions, so they shift every year and the timetable can stretch if the chariot is damaged. Every 12 years a larger version of the festival begins in Bungamati. If you are in the valley in May or June, check local news for the chariot’s current location; watching it lurch through a narrow street is unforgettable, but keep a safe distance from the wheels and ropes.
Most visitors see Patan as a day trip from Thamel, but staying a night or two is worth it. You get the square at dawn and dusk without the crowds, a quieter base than Thamel, and easy access to good restaurants. Prices below are typical ranges for a double room at the time of writing and vary by season; October, November, March and April are busiest.
The heritage choice. Several restored Newar townhouses near the square operate as guesthouses and boutique hotels, with carved windows, courtyards and rooftop terraces. Newa Chén, a restored traditional house in the old city, is one of the longest-running examples. Rooms can be small and stairs steep, which is part of the charm.
Suits: culture lovers, photographers and couples. Price guide: roughly NPR 3,000 to 12,000 (£15 to £60) a night. Tip: ask whether vehicles can reach the door; many lanes are pedestrian only, so you may need to walk the last few minutes with luggage.
The northern edge of Patan, on the main road to the Bagmati bridge and Kathmandu. Home to some of Patan’s long-established mid-range and upmarket hotels, including the Summit Hotel and Hotel Himalaya, both with gardens and valley views. Kupondole is handy for reaching both Patan’s old city (around 20 minutes on foot) and central Kathmandu.
Suits: travellers wanting garden hotels and easy taxi access, families. Price guide: roughly NPR 6,000 to 20,000 (£30 to £100). Tip: rooms facing the main road can be noisy; ask for a garden-side room.
Patan’s modern dining district, often nicknamed Jhamel. Leafy streets with cafés, bakeries, international restaurants and apartment-style guesthouses, popular with expats and aid workers. It is 15 to 25 minutes on foot from Durbar Square.
Suits: longer stays, digital nomads, travellers who want good food and a residential feel. Price guide: roughly NPR 4,000 to 12,000 (£20 to £60), with serviced apartments offering weekly rates. Tip: this is the best area for coffee and Western comfort food after a trek.
A quiet residential hill on Patan’s north-west edge, close to the Ring Road and many embassies and NGOs. Accommodation is mostly small guesthouses and serviced apartments with gardens.
Suits: people who want calm and space rather than sights on the doorstep. Price guide: roughly NPR 4,000 to 10,000 (£20 to £50). Tip: the UK FCDO notes bag-snatching and assaults after dark in some areas including Sanepa and Kupondole, so use a taxi at night rather than walking alone on unlit roads.
Simple guesthouses in the lanes around Durbar Square and Mangal Bazar, plus community homestays with Newar families. Expect basic rooms, shared or simple private bathrooms and sometimes breakfast included.
Suits: backpackers and travellers on a tight budget. Price guide: roughly NPR 1,500 to 3,500 (£7.50 to £17.50). Tip: check recent reviews for hot water reliability and noise; temple bells and early-morning worship are part of life here.
If you are only in the valley for a couple of nights before or after a trek, staying in Thamel or elsewhere in Kathmandu and visiting Patan for a day works well. Thamel has the widest choice of rooms, trekking shops and agencies.
Suits: trekkers with tight schedules. Price guide: Thamel rooms from roughly NPR 1,500 to 20,000+ (£7.50 to £100+). Tip: leave early, around 7am, to beat traffic and reach the square in good light.
Patan is about 5 km south of Thamel, across the Bagmati River via the Thapathali bridge. The whole Kathmandu Valley is effectively one sprawling city, so getting there is quick and cheap; traffic is the main variable. Durbar Square is about 8 km from Tribhuvan International Airport.
| Option | Time from Thamel | Approx. cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxi | 20 to 40 min | NPR 400 to 600 (£2 to £3) | Agree the fare first; meters are rarely used |
| Ride-hailing (Pathao, InDrive) | 20 to 40 min | Often a little cheaper than a taxi | Car or motorbike options; prices shown in the app |
| Local bus or microbus | 30 to 60 min | Around NPR 20 to 35 (about 10 to 20p) | From Ratna Park to Patan Dhoka or Lagankhel; crowded at peak times |
| Walking | About 1.5 hours | Free | Busy roads and dust; better to walk back via Kupondole in the evening |
| From the airport | 30 to 45 min | Airport taxi roughly NPR 800 to 1,200 (£4 to £6) | Use the prepaid taxi counter or a ride-hailing app outside arrivals |
| From Bhaktapur | 40 to 60 min | Taxi roughly NPR 1,200 to 1,800 (£6 to £9) | Combine the two cities in one day by taxi |
Once you arrive, walk. The old city is compact and many lanes are too narrow for cars. Durbar Square to the Golden Temple and Kumbheshwar takes 5 to 10 minutes; to Mahabouddha and Uku Bahal about 10 minutes; to Jawalakhel about 20 minutes; to Jhamsikhel around 20 to 25 minutes. Taxis wait at Patan Dhoka (the old city gate to the north) and near Mangal Bazar.
Most nationalities can get a visa on arrival at Tribhuvan Airport. Check the latest rules and fees in our Nepal visa guide, and read our list of things to know before travelling to Nepal before you go.
Patan is a year-round destination: it is a city at about 1,300 m, so you are not dependent on mountain views or trekking conditions. The main trade-offs are rain, dust and crowds. For the whole country picture, see our guide to the best season to travel in Nepal.
| Season | Weather | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn (Oct to Nov) | Dry, clear, warm days around 20 to 25°C, cool evenings | Best overall; Dashain and Tihar festivals | Busiest season; book stays ahead |
| Winter (Dec to Feb) | Sunny days around 15 to 20°C, cold nights near freezing | Quiet, good light, low prices | Chilly unheated rooms; morning haze |
| Spring (Mar to May) | Warm to hot, up to around 30°C in May; haze builds | Rato Machhindranath begins; flowering trees | Dust and haze; occasional storms |
| Monsoon (Jun to Sep) | Warm, humid, heavy afternoon rain | Green, fewer tourists; Bhoto Jatra, Janai Purnima, Krishna Janmashtami | Wet lanes, some flooded roads, cloud hides the mountains |
Arrive by 7 or 8am to see worship at the temples and the square at its quietest, visit the museum when it opens at 10:30am, and come back to the square for late afternoon and dusk. Midday light is flat and the square fills with school groups and tour buses.
Nepal follows lunar calendars, so festival dates change every year. Check dates for your travel year before planning around them.
These plans assume you start from Thamel. Adjust timings for traffic, and allow time to wander, which is the best part of Patan.
Good for the day after arriving in Nepal or the day before a flight to Lukla or Pokhara.
Day 1: follow the full-day plan above and stay overnight in a heritage guesthouse near the square.
Day 2: dawn in the square, breakfast, then a taxi or guided cycle ride south to Bungamati (woodcarving, the Machhindranath temple) and Khokana (mustard-oil presses). Walk between the two villages, have lunch locally and return to Patan or Kathmandu by mid-afternoon.
A good choice for slower travellers and photographers.
Seeing all three Durbar Squares on separate days avoids temple fatigue; each has its own ticket.
Patan is easy and relaxed to visit, but a few practical points make the day smoother.
| Site | Foreign visitors | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Patan Durbar Square | NPR 1,000 (about £5) | SAARC NPR 250; museum included per most sources |
| Patan Museum | Included in square ticket | Open about 10:30am to 5:30pm |
| Golden Temple | Around NPR 50 to 100 | Separate fee; no leather inside |
| Mahabouddha and Uku Bahal | Free or a small donation/fee | Sources differ |
| Kumbheshwar | Free | Non-Hindus not allowed in the sanctum |
Fees are collected in cash in rupees. They change from time to time, so check at the booth.
The Durbar Square ticket is normally valid for one day. If you want to come back on another day, ask at the ticket office or museum counter whether you can extend it with your passport; this has been possible in the past, but the rules are not always consistently applied. Kathmandu Durbar Square and Bhaktapur charge their own separate fees.
ATMs are plentiful in Patan, especially on the Kupondole and Pulchowk roads and around Lagankhel and Mangal Bazar. Small eateries, temple fees and taxis need cash, so carry small notes. Cards work in many hotels, upmarket restaurants and craft showrooms, sometimes with a surcharge. Buy a local SIM (Ncell or Nepal Telecom) at the airport with your passport; mobile data is good across the valley, and most cafés and hotels have wi-fi.
Patan is generally safe and relaxed for visitors, and serious crime against tourists is rare. In September 2025 youth-led protests in Kathmandu turned deadly and led to curfews and a change of government; a general election followed in March 2026, and daily life and tourism have resumed.
The UK FCDO still advises that protests and strikes can start at short notice and may turn violent, so avoid demonstrations and follow local news. It specifically mentions pickpockets and bag-snatching in Thamel, Sanepa and Kupondole, and assaults after dark in poorly lit areas, so take normal city precautions at night and use taxis late in the evening. Check the FCDO travel advice for Nepal before you travel. Earthquakes are a real risk in the valley; note emergency exits in older buildings.
Patan is at around 1,300 m, so altitude is not a concern. Air pollution and dust can be heavy in the dry season, especially in spring; a mask helps if you are sensitive. Drink filtered or boiled water, eat freshly cooked food, and carry hand sanitiser. Lanes can be uneven and steps steep, so wear comfortable shoes. Patan has some of the valley’s best-known hospitals if you need medical help, but make sure your travel insurance covers medical treatment.
Durbar Square itself is flat and paved, but temple plinths, the museum’s upper floors and many lanes involve steps, uneven stones and high thresholds. Wheelchair users will find the square accessible with help but most interiors difficult. A private car with driver and a local guide make the day much easier for visitors with limited mobility.
Buy crafts directly from workshops and fair-trade shops, and pay guides fairly. Do not buy antiques or religious objects that appear to have been removed from shrines; the theft of Nepal’s sacred art is a long-standing problem. Refill water bottles where you can, avoid single-use plastic, and give donations at temples rather than to children asking for money.
Patan fits naturally into any Kathmandu Valley stay, and the valley is the starting point for nearly every trip in Nepal. Here is how to build on it.
Looking for more ideas? Browse our list of things to do in Nepal. If you would like Patan, the valley and a trek or other experiences built into one trip, plan your trip with Get Lost Forever and we will put together a tailor-made itinerary with our licensed ground partners in Nepal.
Foreign visitors pay NPR 1,000 (about £5) and SAARC nationals NPR 250 (about £1.25). Most current sources say this ticket includes the Patan Museum. The Golden Temple charges a small separate fee of around NPR 50 to 100. Fees can change, so check at the ticket booth.
Yes. Lalitpur is the official name of the city and its metropolitan municipality, while Patan is the name most visitors use, and Yala is its Newari name. Lalitpur is also the name of the wider district. The historic centre around Durbar Square is what most people mean by Patan.
No. Patan in Nepal (Lalitpur) is part of the Kathmandu Valley, about 5 km from central Kathmandu. Patan in Gujarat, India, is a different historic town known for the Rani ki Vav stepwell and Patola silk weaving. Prabhas Patan, near Somnath in Gujarat, is different again.
Patan Durbar Square is about 5 km from Thamel. A taxi takes 20 to 40 minutes depending on traffic and costs roughly NPR 400 to 600 (£2 to £3). Ride-hailing apps such as Pathao and InDrive are often a little cheaper, and local buses run from Ratna Park to Patan Dhoka and Lagankhel for a few tens of rupees.
Half a day (4 to 5 hours) covers Durbar Square, the Patan Museum and the Golden Temple. A full day lets you add Kumbheshwar, Mahabouddha, Uku Bahal and the craft workshops at a relaxed pace. Stay overnight if you want the square at dawn and dusk.
Both are worth seeing. Patan is closer to Kathmandu, has the valley’s best museum and a living craft culture, and has a cheaper entry ticket. Bhaktapur is more intact, more traffic-free and feels more medieval, but its entry fee is higher. If you only have time for one, Patan is easier to fit in; with two days, do both.
The Patan Museum is generally open from 10:30am to 5:30pm, with last entry a little earlier. It may close on some major public holidays. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours, and leave time for the museum café in the garden behind the galleries.
Patan is famous for its Durbar Square and the stone Krishna Mandir, the Patan Museum, the Golden Temple, and centuries-old traditions of metalwork, especially hand-cast bronze and copper statues made by the lost-wax method. It is also known for the Rato Machhindranath chariot festival, Nepal’s longest-running chariot procession.
The festival follows the lunar calendar. It usually begins in the Nepali month of Baisakh (around late April or May), when the chariot is built at Pulchowk, and ends weeks later with Bhoto Jatra at Jawalakhel. In 2026 Bhoto Jatra was held on 20 June. Check local news for the dates in your travel year.
Yes, Patan is generally safe and relaxed. Take normal city precautions: watch your bag in crowds, use taxis after dark rather than walking on unlit roads, and avoid any demonstrations. Check the current UK FCDO travel advice for Nepal before you travel.
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