Bhaktapur travel guide

Medieval Newari city of temples, potters and king curd. Most people stay Day trip or 1 night. Best months: Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr.

Highlights

• Bhaktapur Durbar Square
• Nyatapola Temple
• Pottery Square
• Dattatreya Square
• Juju dhau

Things to do in Bhaktapur

• Bhaktapur Durbar Square & Pottery Square day trip · 6 h · about ₹2,000 per person. Foreigner entry about NPR 1,800 (lower SAARC rate), covering Durbar Square, Taumadhi Square with the Nyatapola Temple and Dattatreya Square. Try juju dhau before you leave.
• Pottery wheel lesson at Pottery Square · 1 h · about ₹600 per person. Potters let you try the wheel for a small fee; agree the price before sitting down.
• Juju dhau and Newari khaja in Taumadhi Square · 1 h · about ₹500 per person

What to eat

• Juju dhau (king curd): Shops around Taumadhi Square and the bus park
• Newari khaja set and yomari (winter): Rooftop cafés around Durbar and Taumadhi squares

Getting there

• ~45 min to Kathmandu
• ~45 min to Nagarkot
• ~40 min to Dhulikhel

Good to know

• Bisket Jatra around Nepali New Year (mid-April) is spectacular but very crowded.

Nepal itineraries with Bhaktapur

• Long weekend: Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Nagarkot and Dhulikhel · 5 days, Kathmandu → Nagarkot → Dhulikhel · from ₹25,750 per person, base estimate before flights. A short break that never strays far from the airport: Kathmandu's main sights, Bhaktapur, a Nagarkot sunrise and a night in Dhulikhel.
• Kathmandu Valley heritage: Bhaktapur, Patan and Nagarkot · 6 days, Kathmandu → Nagarkot · from ₹29,625 per person, base estimate before flights. All three royal cities of the valley — Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan — then two nights on the Nagarkot ridge for sunrise and a walk to Changu Narayan.
• Newari towns: Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Patan, Dhulikhel and Bandipur · 8 days, Kathmandu → Dhulikhel → Bandipur · from ₹39,225 per person, base estimate before flights. Newari architecture and food from the valley's royal cities to the hill towns of Dhulikhel, Panauti and Bandipur, with the Namobuddha hike along the way.
• Grand tour: valley, hills, jungle and Lumbini · 15 days, Kathmandu → Nagarkot → Bandipur → Pokhara → Chitwan → Lumbini · from ₹1,04,500 per person, base estimate before flights. Two weeks overland: the three royal cities of the valley, a Nagarkot sunrise, Bandipur, Pokhara, a Chitwan safari and the Buddha's birthplace, flying home from Bhairahawa via Kathmandu.