Patan

Introduction

Lalitpur, known locally as Yala, sits in the south-central part of the Kathmandu Valley, a broad valley on the high plateaus of central Nepal. The city stands at an altitude of around 1,350 metres, and it is one of the largest cities in the country, with a dense patchwork of households across its neighbourhoods.

Getting there

Getting around

Patan and its sites are best seen on foot, and the compact historic core rewards slow exploration. If you are coming from Kathmandu, you can walk from Thamel in roughly ninety minutes, passing plenty of interest along the way; from the Ring Road it is only about a fifteen-minute walk to Patan Durbar Square. A couple of bridges link the two cities, so carry a good city map — the Bagmati Bridge, a two-lane crossing over the Bagmati River on the northeast side of Patan, is a useful landmark for walkers.

There is no rail, metro or tram network, so plan around road transport and walking. Public buses and micro buses are the mainstay: micro buses leave from Ratnapark in Kathmandu, and blue or green buses run on the Ring Road that loops the valley. Tell the cashier or attendant you want Patan and they will let you know when you arrive, and keep small change handy. Taxis, minibuses and tuk tuks are widely available, with taxis the more expensive but more comfortable choice and tuk tuks and minibuses offering flexibility for shorter trips. Be aware that public vehicles are old and rough and are not well suited to people with mobility concerns or the faint of heart.

Where to stay

Most visitors to the Valley base themselves in Kathmandu's tourist catchment area around Thamel, but Patan, roughly 4 km away, is becoming a preferred choice for travellers looking for more space and less chaos. Expatriate communities cluster here because the INGOs such as the UN, DFID and GTZ are located in the area, and the Swiss and Norwegian embassies are here too.

• Cafe de Patan (Patan Durbar Square, Mahapal Mangal Bazaar) is a centrally located guesthouse in a traditional Newari house, with views over the temples of Durbar Square and a dining room blending foliage with Newari decor.
• Newa Chěn (Kulimha, Kobahal, north of Durbar Square) is a well-preserved, restored traditional Newari house built of brick and timber in Malla style around a central courtyard.
• Sanu's House (Gwarko, across the Ring Road from the B&B hospital) is a large house run by a Nepali Buddhist family, a short walk from buses and taxis, with Wi-Fi and rooftop views.
• Cosy Nepal (Swotha Square, near Durbar Square) offers charming accommodation blending Newari architecture with modern comfort, with balconies, a roof terrace and services such as cooking classes, laundry, a Nepali teacher and yoga.
• Traditional Homes-SWOTHA (Swotha Square, opposite Narayan temple) is a restored Newari house in the medieval city centre with spacious rooms, private balconies and a sunny roof terrace looking over Patan's pagoda-strewn roofscape.
• Greenwich Village Hotel (Kupondole Heights Rd) is a quiet, comfortable NGO-type hotel a ten-minute walk from the main road.
• Himalaya Hotel (Sahid Shukra Marg) is a four-star hotel with a swimming pool, mainly serving Indian and United Nations clientele.
• Summit Hotel and Hira Guest House sit to the right of the main road after crossing the Bagmati, in a residential area on the hill, with good food and a garden wing.
• Pandays Paradise (Shanti Chowk, Jawlakhel) offers good food, zoo views, Wi-Fi, a library and garden or rooftop dining, for short or long stays.
• Shaligram Hotel & Apartments (past the national zoo, before the Embassy of Switzerland) suits short or long stays, with Manny's Eatery and Tapas Bar and a wellness centre outside.

Food & drink

Patan's eating scene spreads across a few distinct pockets. Jhamsikhel and Jawalakhel are the liveliest, with a popular street past the fire brigade packed with restaurants that draw both expatriates and locals — informally known as "Jhamel", a more chilled-out take on Thamel. In Jhamsikhel you'll find Hermann Helmer's German Bakery, Cafe Bliss, and Cafe Vespers in nearby Pulchowk, where the outdoor seating and Pad Thai are worth seeking out. Jawalakhel has Manny's Eatery & Tapas Bar inside Shaligram Village, The Lazy Gringo near the zoo serving burritos and nachos, and a branch of The Bakery Cafe, where you order by sign language and pointing as the waiters have speaking and hearing impairments. Downtown, Cafe de Patan is centrally located and good value, while the Patan Museum Cafe is a convenient stop. For something more local, Honacha in Mangal Bazaar is known for traditional Newari dishes such as bara, choila and samay baji. LaSoon offers a mixed menu with daily specials in a garden setting, and Summit Hotel does a Friday night barbecue by the pool.

For drinks, the Jhamsikhel and Jawalakhel areas have various good bars with good music, and Manny's is a solid choice. Coffee is taken seriously: Cafeophilia on Durbar Square is a stylish spot with excellent coffee, desserts and pizza, and Coffee Corner and Lounge, tucked down a narrow alley off Durbar Square in a traditional house, serves excellent coffee in dimly lit, atmospheric rooms. New Orleans, on the road towards St Mary's, has good coffee and a nice garden, with live jazz on some nights.

What to see and do

Patan's centrepiece is Durbar Square, the old palace square. Approaching from the south, you have the palace on your right and a run of temples on your left. Entry is ticketed, and you should pay at the booth at the south end or at another entrance further north; the same ticket also covers the museum, so keep it visible, as square workers will ask to see it. If you plan repeated visits, ask the booth attendant to endorse your ticket for a longer period, and be ready to show your passport and visa.

• The Palace, on the east side, was built on the site of a fort and served as the residence of the Malla rulers. It is divided into a succession of courtyards, though only the last on the right, which houses the museum, is regularly open. Sundari Chowk is the first palace building; the three-storey Degutale temple stands on the palace side; Mul Chowk was the central part of the old palace.
• The Patan Museum, in Keshab Narayan Chowk, is well presented, with descriptions of various artistic techniques.
• Among the temples on the left-hand side of the square are the Octagonal stone Krishna temple, the Taleju Bell rung once a year, the Shankar Narayan temple with kneeling stone elephants, the Bhai Dega (Biseshvar) Shiva temple, the Hari Shankar temple with its half Vishnu, half Shiva deity, and the Jagan Narayan (Charnarayan) temple, the oldest in the complex. Look too for the stone Krishna temple considered a masterpiece, with a Garuda on the pillar in front whose eyes are crystal, the Vishwanath temple with two stone elephants and riders, the Bhimsen temple, the five-storey Degutalle temple, the Mani Mandap pavilion, the lotus-shaped Manga Hiti pool with its carved crocodile heads, and the Ganesh temple at the northern end.

South of the square, Mahaboudha Temple is a stone temple covered in terracotta tiles bearing Buddha images, modelled on a larger temple in Bodhgaya. The Machchhendranath temple, also called the Red Temple, is heavily fenced, a response to the theft of artifacts; its name is shared by an annual festival in which a tall chariot is paraded through Patan, staying overnight at different locations and finishing as the monsoon rains are expected. Nearby are the Minanath temple and Rudravarna Mahavihar, one of the oldest temples in the Kathmandu Valley. North of the square, the Golden Temple is the only temple in Patan you have to pay to enter, filled with gold- and silver-covered decorations and bronze statues. The Baglamukhi Mandir is a Shiva temple and one of the two five-storey pagoda temples of the Valley; its sunken basin is usually empty but fills for the Kumbheshwar Mela full moon festival, when the temple becomes packed and sheep spared from sacrifice roam the grounds. Elsewhere you can find the Ashok Stupa at Pulchowk, with the building where the Machchhendranath chariot structure is kept nearby, as well as Nagabahal, Pim Bahal, the Central Zoo and the Tribhuvan University Institute of Engineering. Above all, the thing to do here is simply wander around keeping your eyes open for all the amazing sights; Love Park at Pulchowk offers a small green area with a pond when you want to pause.

Three days in Patan

Day one: Start in Patan Durbar Square, the heart of Lalitpur, and take your time among the Newari architecture of the Malla kings. From there, walk south to Mahapal Mangal Bazaar, where the lanes are lined with shops and stalls, and continue to Kulimha and Kobahal to see the courtyards and bahals that give the old town its character. In the evening, head to a cafe in the area and try Newa Chěn, a local dish you will find across the city.

• Patan Durbar Square
• Mahapal Mangal Bazaar
• Kulimha
• Kobahal

Day two: Cross the Bagmati Bridge over the Bagmati River to Kathmandu, and spend the morning in Thamel, the busy tourist quarter. From there, walk or take a taxi to Ratnapark, a public square in the centre of the city, and use it as a starting point for exploring the surrounding streets. In the afternoon, return to Patan and rest in one of its quieter courtyards, away from the traffic of Ring Road.

• Bagmati Bridge
• Bagmati River
• Thamel
• Ratnapark
• Ring Road

Day three: Stay in Lalitpur and explore the parts of the old town you have not yet seen, including the smaller bahals and lanes around Yala. If you want a change of scene, take a taxi into the Kathmandu Valley and visit another of its historic towns, then come back to Patan for a final meal. Most visitors find three days enough to see the main sights of the city, but the courtyards and side streets reward a slower pace.

• Yala
• Kathmandu Valley
• Patan