Heritage tours
Kathmandu City Tour: Four World Heritage Sites in a Day
Pashupatinath, Boudhanath, Swayambhunath and Kathmandu Durbar Square in one day, with your own guide and car, starting from your hotel.
About 8 hoursfrom $37
Kathmandu Durbar Square (Hanuman Dhoka): A Visitor's Guide
The old royal palace square of Kathmandu: Hanuman Dhoka palace, the Taleju temple, Kasthamandap and the home of the Kumari.
Kathmandu Durbar Square is the old heart of the city, where the kings of Kathmandu were crowned and lived right up until the 19th century. Locals call it Basantapur or Hanuman Dhoka, after the palace gate guarded by a statue of the monkey god Hanuman.
What to see
- Hanuman Dhoka palace and its courtyards, which are now a museum.
- The Taleju temple, the tallest in the square, built in 1564 for the royal family's goddess.
- Kasthamandap, the timber pavilion said to have given Kathmandu its name, rebuilt after the 2015 earthquake.
- Kumari Ghar, the home of the Kumari, a young girl worshipped as a living goddess. If you're lucky, she'll appear at her window, but please note that photos of her aren't allowed.
- The great Kal Bhairav statue and the white Gaddi Baithak building.
Around the square
The square is only a short walk from Thamel. Our walking tour from the Garden of Dreams gets there through the old bazaars of Asan and Indra Chowk, which, if you ask us, is the best way to arrive.
Entrance fee
NPR 1,000 for foreign visitors (checked October 2026). It's part of our Kathmandu city tour and our Kathmandu Valley day tour.
Tours that go here
Heritage tours
Thamel and Garden of Dreams Walking Tour
A three-hour walk from the Garden of Dreams through Asan and Indra Chowk to Kathmandu Durbar Square, on foot from Thamel.
About 3 hoursfrom $17