{"id":4153,"date":"2026-08-05T17:20:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T11:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kathmandu.wordcamp.org\/2026\/?p=4153"},"modified":"2026-08-05T15:21:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T09:36:23","slug":"things-to-do-in-kathmandu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kathmandu.wordcamp.org\/2026\/things-to-do-in-kathmandu\/","title":{"rendered":"Things to do in kathmandu"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WordCamp Kathmandu 2026 is bringing the community together in a city full of history, hills, and old streets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the sessions wrap up, there’s a lot to explore outside the venue. Here’s where to go if you have a free afternoon or a couple of extra days in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Shop for Handicrafts and Thangka Paintings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Thamel is touristy but it earns that reputation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s full of small shops selling handicrafts, trekking gear, and pashmina shawls, and there are cafes almost everywhere you look. Good place to pick up gifts and grab something to eat while you’re at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Taste Authentic Nepali Food<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can’t really visit Kathmandu without trying the food properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dal bhat is the everyday meal here. Rice, lentil soup, a vegetable curry, some pickle, and often meat on the side. It’s simple food but it’s what most people actually eat every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Momo is Nepal’s dumpling and probably its most loved snack. Steamed or fried, filled with buff, chicken, or vegetables, and served with a spicy tomato achar. You’ll find momo shops on almost every corner, and most people have a strong opinion about which one is best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Watch Sunrise from Nagarkot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Nagarkot is about an hour and a half outside the city and it’s one of the better spots to catch a sunrise with mountain views in the distance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have a free morning and the sky is clear, it’s worth the early start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Visit the Garden of Dreams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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This is a quiet, well kept garden close to Thamel. If you need a break from the traffic and noise outside, it’s a nice place to sit with a coffee for an hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Experience a Local Festival<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If your dates line up, you might catch one of Kathmandu’s biggest festivals around the conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Teej happens just before WordCamp this year, around September 13 to 16. Women dress in red, fast, and gather at temples, and there’s a lot of singing and dancing involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Indra Jatra is one of the city’s biggest street festivals, held in honor of Indra, the god of rain. It includes masked dances and the chariot of the Kumari, the living goddess, being pulled through the old city. It usually falls shortly after the event, but the exact date changes every year based on the lunar calendar, so it’s worth checking closer to the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Ride a Rickshaw Through Old Kathmandu<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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A rickshaw is a slower way to move through the old part of the city, but it lets you actually see things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The streets around Ason and Indra Chowk are full of small temples and everyday life that’s easy to miss if you’re moving too fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Visit Kopan Monastery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Kopan Monastery sits on a hill just above Boudhanath and it’s one of the more peaceful spots in the valley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a Tibetan Buddhist monastery known for meditation courses, but even if you’re just visiting for an hour, the views over the city and the quiet, slow pace up there make it worth the trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Take a Short Hike Around the Valley<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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You don’t need a full trek to get out of the city for a bit. Places like Shivapuri, Champadevi, and Chandragiri can be done in a single day and give you a good break along with decent views of the valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Watch a Traditional Newari Dance Performance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bhojan Bhumi in Jyatha, Thamel, is a heritage style restaurant known for pairing a Nepali dinner with live folk performances, including Newari dance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a relaxed way to see a piece of local tradition without needing to plan around a specific festival date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Try Newari Delicacies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Beyond dal bhat and momo, Newari food has its own identity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bara, a lentil patty, chatamari, a rice flour crepe often called Nepali pizza, and yomari, a steamed dumpling filled with sweet molasses and sesame, are all worth seeking out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11. Take a Photography Walk Through Old Neighborhoods<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Old Kathmandu has a lot of detail that’s easy to miss when you’re moving with a plan, carved windows, small shrines, doorways, daily life happening in courtyards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A slow walk with a camera, or just your phone, is enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12. Visit a Local Art Gallery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Siddhartha Art Gallery, located in the Baber Mahal Revisited complex, has been a leading space for contemporary Nepali art since 1987. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good option if you want something quieter and more reflective than a crowded tourist spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13. Explore a Local Farmers Market<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Farmers Market at Le Sherpa in Maharajgunj runs every Saturday morning and is one of the most popular weekend spots in the city, with local produce, baked goods, and small crafts from local vendors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good stop if your dates line up with a weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14. Visit the National Museum of Nepal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Located in Chhauni, the National Museum is Nepal’s oldest and largest, housed in a building that once belonged to Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It covers everything from ancient weapons to Buddhist art across three main galleries, a solid pick if you want a quieter, indoor break from the heat or crowds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15. Attend a Poetry or Open Mic Night<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A handful of cafes and bars around Thamel and Jhamsikhel host open mic and poetry nights on certain evenings, mixing English and Nepali performances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worth checking local event listings if you want something a bit more low key than a full concert.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WordCamp Kathmandu 2026 is bringing the community together in a city full of history, hills, and old streets. Once the sessions wrap up, there’s a lot to explore outside the venue. Here’s where to go if you have a free afternoon or a couple of extra days in the city. 1. Shop for Handicrafts and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17684706,"featured_media":4592,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20,43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","category-explore-kathmandu"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kathmandu.wordcamp.org\/2026\/files\/2026\/08\/featured-things-to-do-in-ktm.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phbVi5-14Z","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kathmandu.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kathmandu.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kathmandu.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kathmandu.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17684706"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kathmandu.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4153"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/kathmandu.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4594,"href":"https:\/\/kathmandu.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4153\/revisions\/4594"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kathmandu.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kathmandu.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kathmandu.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kathmandu.wordcamp.org\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}