Stand at the south end of Durbar Square and the layout is immediate: the palace on your right, a run of temples on your left, and a ticket booth where you pay before the square workers will stop asking to see your ticket. Patan rewards slow walking rather than a checklist, because most of what is worth your time sits within a few minutes of that one square.
This guide suits travellers with a day or two in the Kathmandu Valley who want carved wood, stone and bronze up close, and who are happy to combine a paid monument zone with free temples on the surrounding streets. It covers the sights in and around Durbar Square, the temples south and north of it, and a few places further out.
Top things to do in Patan
1. Durbar Square
This is the Palace Square of Patan, and it is the natural place to start. Approaching from the south side, you have the palace on your right and a series of temples on your left. Admission for tourists is Rs 1000, paid at a booth at the south end or at another entrance further north, and the same ticket covers the museum at no extra cost.
Keep your ticket visible, as square workers will approach you if it is not. If you plan repeated visits and will be in Nepal for some time, ask the booth attendant to endorse your ticket for a longer period; you will likely need to show your passport and entry visa.
2. Patan Museum
The museum occupies Keshab Narayan Chowk and is well presented, with descriptions of various artistic techniques. It is open from 10.30 to 17.30, and entry is included in your Durbar Square ticket.
Because it sits inside the palace courtyards, it pairs naturally with a walk through the square itself. Note that only the last courtyard on the right, which houses the museum, is open on a regular basis.
3. Palace
The palace on the east side of the square was built on the site of a fort that stood until 1734, and served as the residence of the Malla rulers of the then Patan state. It is divided into a succession of courtyards, or chowks.
Sundari Chowk, the first palace building, was constructed in 1647, and the three-storey Degutale temple on the palace side was constructed in 1661 after an earlier one burned down. Mul Chowk was the central part of the old palace and has suffered much theft of ornamental woodwork; try peering through cracks in the doors to see what you are missing.
4. Krishna Mandir
This stone temple to Krishna, south of Vishwanath temple, is considered a masterpiece, with some remarkable stonework. Look for the Garuda on the pillar in front, which has eyes of crystal.
It sits among the dense cluster of temples on the left-hand side of the square, so you can see it in the same pass as the other monuments there.
5. Golden Temple (Hiranayavarna Makavikar, Kwa Bahal)
On Kwalakhu Rd near Nag Bahal, this temple holds an enormous number of gold- and silver-covered decorations and some excellent bronze statues, which make it well worth being the only temple in Patan you have to pay to enter. Construction dates back to the early 1400s, although some pieces pre-date construction. Admission is NPR50.
It lies north of Durbar Square, so it fits neatly into a walk that continues to the other northern temples.
6. Mahaboudha Temple
At the corner of Okubhal to Chakra Bhil street and Sundhara Street, this is a stone temple covered with terracotta tiles that include 1008 Buddha images. It was modelled on a larger temple in Bodhgaya, India, and took one family four generations to complete.
It is a five to ten minute walk south-east of Durbar Square, and it makes sense to continue to Rudravarna Mahavihar while you are in the area.
7. Rudravarna Mahavihar (Uku Bahal)
About 100 m south of Mahaboudha Temple, this is a temple close to Mahaboudha but much less visited. It is one of the oldest temples in the Kathmandu Valley, with some strange and interesting statues.
Combine it with Mahaboudha in a single short walk rather than making a separate trip.
8. Machchhendranath temple (Rato Temple, Red Temple, Machhindra Bahal temple)
Near Prayag Pokhari Marg, about 500 m south of Durbar Square, this temple is a good illustration of the problems now faced with theft of artifacts: it is surrounded by a strong fence and each statue has its own individual fence, and statues are missing from two stands.
Machchhendranath also gives his name to an annual festival when a 25 m tall chariot is paraded through Patan, taking place between April and June, with the chariot staying the night at different locations. For the rest of the year the chariot wheels, over 2 m in diameter, can be seen in the building next to the Ashok Stupa.
9. Ashok Stupa (Western Stupa)
In Pulchowk, Lalitpur, the old Buddhist stupa of Ashok sits immediately after the pedestrian bridge at Pulchowk. Old Patan can be reached by turning left off the main road from Kathmandu after the Himalaya hotel, or by continuing on the main road to Pulchowk and then turning left.
Next to the stupa is the building where the structure of the Machchhendranath chariot is kept when not in use, which makes this a useful pairing with the Machchhendranath temple.
10. Baglamukhi Mandir (Banglamukhi Temple, Kumbeswar Temple, Kumbheshwore Temple)
On Kwalakhu Rd, this Shiva temple is one of the two five-story pagoda temples of the Valley. The sunken basin is usually empty, but around August it is filled for the Kumbheshwar Mela full moon day festival, when the temple becomes packed.
The sheep roaming the temple are those that have been spared sacrifice. Visit on an ordinary day if you want space, or time your trip to the festival if you want to see the basin in use.
11. Bhimsen temple
This is the northernmost temple on the west side of Durbar Square, constructed in 1680 but with more recent marble additions.
It works as a marker at one end of your circuit of the square, so use it to orient yourself before moving on to the northern temples.
12. Manga Hiti
Behind Mani Mandap, this is a lotus shaped pool with three carved stone crocodile heads. Mani Mandap itself is a pavilion dating from the 1700s.
See the two together, since the pool sits directly behind the pavilion.
13. Jagan Narayan Temple (Charnarayan Temple)
North of Hari Shankar Temple, this two-storey brick temple is the oldest temple in the complex, dating back to 1565. In front of it is a pillar with a statue of Yognarendra.
It is one of several temples in the same stretch on the left-hand side of the square, so you can take it in as part of that sequence.
14. Hari Shankar Temple
This temple has a half Vishnu, half Shiva deity and was built in 1704-5.
It sits just south of Jagan Narayan Temple, so the two are easy to see one after the other.
15. Love Park
On Pulchowk Rd, this is a small green area with a pond.
It is a place to slow down between the temple streets, and it sits in Pulchowk, which you may already be passing through on the way to or from the Ashok Stupa.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at the south end of Durbar Square, buy your ticket at the booth and keep it visible. Walk the square with the palace on your right and the temples on your left, taking in the Palace courtyards, Krishna Mandir, Bhimsen temple, Manga Hiti and the temples in between. Finish the morning at the Patan Museum in Keshab Narayan Chowk, which is included in your ticket and open from 10.30 to 17.30.
Afternoon: Walk north to the Golden Temple on Kwalakhu Rd, then continue to Baglamukhi Mandir. If you have time and energy left, head south-east to Mahaboudha Temple and on to Rudravarna Mahavihar, about 100 m further south.
Evening: Make your way to Pulchowk for the Ashok Stupa, and look for the building next to it where the Machchhendranath chariot structure is kept. If you are in Patan between April and June, ask locally about the Machchhendranath festival chariot parade and where it is staying that night.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a ticket for Durbar Square, and what does it cover?
Yes. Admission for tourists is Rs 1000, paid at a booth at the south end of Durbar Square or at another entrance further north. The same ticket is also your entry to the museum at no extra cost.
Can I visit Durbar Square more than once on the same ticket?
If you plan repeated visits and will be in Nepal for some time, get the ticket booth attendant to endorse your entrance ticket for a longer period. You will likely have to show your passport and entry visa.
When does the Machchhendranath chariot parade take place?
The parade takes place between April and June, with the chariot staying the night at different locations. The end of the parade is supposed to coincide with the onset of the monsoon rains.
When is the sunken basin at Baglamukhi Mandir filled?
The basin is usually empty, but around August it is filled for the Kumbheshwar Mela full moon day festival, when the temple becomes packed.
Work out which of these sits closest to where you are staying, then build your days outward from Durbar Square.