Meandering the ancient lanes and stone-paved squares of Bhaktapur, a medieval city-state in the Kathmandu Valley, is a must-do on a trip to Nepal. The incredibly preserved buildings and temples in this car-free city centre transport you to a world gone by. Temples and shrines occupy almost every corner, bustling stalls sell colourful arts and crafts and the traditional culture and heritage is still evident at every turn.
Although the city suffered tragic damage in the 2015 earthquake, great efforts have been made to restore the magnificent temples and people’s homes that were destroyed.
Kathmandu and Patan are also medieval Newari cities and we visited all three, but Bhaktapur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was by far the most interesting and captured us from the moment we arrived. The eye-catching red-bricked buildings, intricate wooden carvings and cobbled streets are a pleasure to explore.
Best Things To Do In Bhaktapur
The whole ancient city centre of Bhaktapur is a joy to explore, but below is a list of the main sights you won’t want to miss while you’re there.
Bhaktapur Dubar Square
Bhaktapur’s Dubar Square is one of its main attractions and it’s easy to see why. Everywhere you look in this wide-open square there are beautiful buildings, impressive temples and fascinating sculptures. Some of Bhaktapur’s most impressive sights are situated in Durbar Square, such as the 55 Window Palace and the Golden Gate. This is the largest of the 4 main squares in Bhaktapur’s old city and is completely free of any traffic, including mopeds. It’s a great place to take in your surroundings and feel as though you’ve been transported to a bygone era.
This is also where you will find 2 statues, one of Ugrachandi and one of Bhairab, next to 2 mighty stone lions. The story goes that they were built for King Bhupatindra Malla in the early 1700’s and the king was so delighted with them he cut of the sculptures hands so that they could never be replicated.
Pashupathinath Temple
The oldest temple in Durbar Square, dates back to the 1400’s. It was built by King Yaksha Malla as a replica of the more well-known and much revered main Pashupathinath Temple in Kathmandu. Although they share the same name, the two temples do not look alike. At first glance all you may notice is a temple with a two-tied wooden roof, but on closer inspection of the roof struts you will see many, rather detailed erotic wooden carvings.
55 Window Palace
A stand out building in Bhaktapur’s main Dubar Sqaure is the impressive 55 Windows Palace or Palace of Fifty-Five Windows. This Royal Palace was built by King Bhupatindra Malla and completed some years later in 1754 during the reign of his son Ranjit Malla. Although the interior of the palace can’t be entered, you can visit several of the inner courtyards, including the ornate, royal water pool Naga Pokhari with snake sculptures surrounding the baths.
There is a temple inside the grounds called Taleju Temple, but only Hindu’s are allowed to enter. You can look at the main courtyard of the temple from behind the entrance, but no photographs are allowed.
The Golden Gate
This magnificent Golden Gate is the entrance to the inner courtyards of the 55 Window Palace. It was built by King Ranjit Malla and is said to be the most outstanding of its kind ever built, not just in Nepal, but in the world. It is built from guilded copper and is adorned with incredibly intricate Hindu goddesses and mythical creatures. Its golden colour stands out beautifully from the red brick walls and stone pavings surrounding it and is unlike anything else you’ll see in Bhaktapur.
National Art Museum
Located in the main Durbar Sqaure, the museum is easy find. Inside you’ll find a collection of impressive Thangka paintings, stone carvings and tapestries. There are also manuscripts from the royal ancestry and paintings with brief descriptions of each king, which provides a fascinating insight into the ancient Nepali rulers.
An small extra entrance fee is require on top of the Bhaktapur ancient city fee. The 150 Nepalese Rupee fee (around $1.40 USD) to the art museum also includes entrance into the woodwork and metal museums located in Dattatreya Square.
Siddhi Lakshmi Temple
The exterior of Siddhi Lakshmi Temple survived the 2015 earthquake, but was badly damaged internally. It was therefore carefully taken down and rebuilt in 2018 to ensure it was structurally sound. Stone guardians of people, lions, rhinos and horses can be found on the steps leading up to the small, stone temple on-top. We found this was one of the most popular photo spots in Bhaktapur and you will likely find a queue of people waiting for their turn to have a photo on the stone steps.
This temple is located just next to the 55 Window Palace in Durbar Square.
Taumadhi Square
Another of the main squares in Bhaktapur is also rich in stunning buildings and impressive temples, including Nyatapola Temple and Bhairabnath Temple. You will find more shops and market stalls here than in the main Durbar Square and many rooftop restaurants surrounding most of the square.
We highly recommend venturing up to one of these cafes or restaurants as they offer incredible views of the city and nearby temples. On a clear day you’ll also be able to see far off into the valley beyond the landscape of surrounding hills. They are also a great place to watch the world go by and enjoy some Nepalese dishes or a leisurely tea or coffee. The most notable restaurant lies in the centre of the square, it’s built in the style of a pagoda and could easily be mistaken for another temple.
Nyatapola Temple
Arguably the most impressive temple in Bhaktapur, the Nyatapola Temple, meaning five stories is located in Taumadhi Square. It was built in the early 1700’s, took around 7 months to build and is the tallest pagoda temple in Nepal, standing at just over 30 metres. It stayed standing during 2 of Nepal’s most devastating earthquakes in 1934 and 2015, much to the disbelief and joy of the locals.
A stone staircase leads up to the temple with stone guardians of men, elephants and lions. At the top of the temple is a locked shrine containing a statue of Indian Goddess Siddhi Lakshmi and only local priests may enter. There are impressive carvings on all the wooden roof struts that surround and support each roof tier.
The stone staircase and huge steps surrounding the bottom of the temple are popular places for people to have photos or sit and watch the world go by.
Dattatreya Square
Dattatreya Square is the oldest in the city and dates back to at least the 15th Century, if not earlier. Although it doesn’t receive as much attention as Durbar and Taumadhi Square, this is a great place to shop, eat or simply watch the locals go about their daily lives. It’s also full of ornate buildings and temples, built from red brick and decorated with intricately carved timber.
Our guest house was located in this square so we spent a lot of time soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying delicious lunches from one of the rooftop restaurants.
Dattatreya Temple
One of the oldest temples in Bhaktapur was built in 1427 and is said to have been built entirely from a single tree. A tall Garuda stands in front of the temple and stone guardians stand at the base of the small staircase leading to the temple.
Around 7:00 pm each evening, after the sun has set, locals light candles and gather on the porch outside the temple to sing and play traditional instruments. We heard this one evening while having dinner in our guest house, located near to the temple. We went outside to to watch and it was an incredibly cherished moment to witness.
Peacock Window
This intricate wood-carved window is hidden down one of the narrow side streets of Bhaktapur. As the name would suggest the window displays a stunning peacock with its feathers open. The window is down one of the small side streets just off Dattatreya Square – be sure to look up when trying to find it as it isn’t on street level and is actually just above a shop.
Pottery Square
Pottery Square is a true look at the authentic tradition of pottery making. You will find potters making vases, bowls, dishes and flower pots at the square. These are all hand-made, spun on Newari pottery wheels and dried in the sun in a huge open-air space. Locals with stalls around the edge of the square then sell various souvenirs. The pottery is not generally sold at these stalls though as much of it is made for the wholesale market, but if you take a liking to any of the pottery just ask one of the local potters.
If you take the time to wander the square you will see many of the potters busy at work inside their workshops and it soon becomes apparent how impressive their skills are. You will often find an older gentleman working outside on a huge wheel making beautiful clay pots with the same perfection in each one. He welcomed tourists to give it a go themselves and make a smaller version of the pots he was making. This only further proved how easy he made it look.
If you want to experience a genuine Nepali tradition, then pottery square gives exactly that. Seeing the huge array of beautiful pottery drying in the sun is an amazing sight and if you’re looking for a souvenir that is genuinely hand-made it doesn’t get much more authentic than this.
How To Get To Bhaktapur
Bhaktapur is about 18 km’s from Kathmandu so is easy to reach by bus or taxi. The easiest bus to catch in Kathmandu is taken from the centrally located Bhaktapur bus park, which is around a 10-15 minute walk from Thamel. If you aren’t sure which bus to get on just double check with the driver, but when we arrived we were beckoned on with shouts of ‘bus to Bhaktapur’ so it wasn’t hard to find. The bus costs 50 Nepalese Rupees (around $0.45 USD). It will take around 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic and drops you at one of the main entrance points to the centre of Bhaktapur. We did manage to get a seat, but the bus can get crowded.
If you would prefer to get a taxi to Bhaktapur these will be easy to find from anywhere in central Kathamndu. In Nepal you need to bargin with the taxi driver to get a good price as you will be quoted higher than it should be to begin with. It’s unlikely you will get the fee lower than 900-1000 Nepalese Rupee ($8-9 USD), but you will likely be quoted 1500 or more to begin with.
TIP – For foreigners there is a daily price of 1500 Nepalese Rupee ($14 USD) to enter Bhaktapur’s ancient city, but if you’re staying for more than a day tell the person at the ticket desk and show them your passport. They will then extend your ticket to a week for the same cost. If you leave the main area of the city ensure you have your ticket with you, if you don’t they will charge you again to get back in. We kept it on us for the duration of our stay.
How Long To Spend In Bhaktapur
We spent two nights in Bhaktapur and there was plenty to do during our time there, but if you’re short on time it is possible to visit on a day trip from Kathmandu. At least one night here would be ideal as the lack of traffic in the main centre makes it a magical place to wonder at night and is a welcome break from the chaos of Kathmandu.
Where To Stay In Bhaktapur
We stayed at Peacock Guest House, which comes highly recommend. The building is over 800 years old, the owners are really friendly and the food is delicious. Breakfast was included, which was freshly cooked each morning and the restaurant has a delicious array of drinks and enticing Thai cuisine.
This is one of the more expensive (for Nepal) hotels to stay at in Bhaktapur, but it was still excellent value for money. It’s in the heart of the ancient city, situated in Dattatreya Square and staying in a beautifully restored Newari building only made our stay in Bhaktapur even more enjoyable.
There are also some great budget options situated within the ancient city from as little as 1,200 Nepalese Rupee (around $11 USD) a night.
