Thamel Area and Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal
Thamel is Kathmandu’s lively tourist district, while nearby Durbar Square is the historic heart of the city, filled with ancient temples, palaces, and traditional Newari architecture. 1262
Thamel: Saat Ghumti Road, Kathmandu, Bagmati Province 44600, Nepal
Durbar Square: Kathmandu, Bagmati Province 44600, Nepal
Date Picture Taken: Mar, 2026
After completing our tour of Rajasthan and returning to New Delhi, I continued my journey to Nepal.
Thamel is Kathmandu’s main tourist district, known for its narrow, busy streets filled with shops, restaurants, cafés, hotels, trekking stores, and souvenir shops. It has long been a popular gathering place for international travelers and a convenient base for exploring Kathmandu.
Thamel is Kathmandu’s lively tourist district and is often the first place many international travelers experience when arriving in Nepal.
Thamel grew into Kathmandu’s famous traveler hub during the 1960s and 1970s, when Nepal became an important stop on the overland “Hippie Trail.” Today, its maze of narrow streets remains packed with hotels, restaurants, trekking shops, cafés, bars, and souvenir stores.
Then I took a taxi from Thamel to Kathmandu Durbar Square.
Kathmandu Durbar Square is one of the city’s most famous tourist attractions, known for its historic royal palaces, ancient temples, and beautiful traditional Newari architecture.
Kathmandu Durbar Square is the historic royal center of Kathmandu, filled with centuries-old palaces, temples, courtyards, and traditional Newari architecture. It was once the seat of the Malla kings and later the Shah dynasty, and today it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The white building is Gaddhi Baithak. Gaddhi Baithak is a ceremonial hall, while immediately beside/behind it is the much older Hanuman Dhoka Palace complex, the former royal palace of Kathmandu.
It looked like preparations were underway for an upcoming festival, with decorations and structures being set up around Durbar Square.
Nepal has a long history shaped by Hindu and Buddhist traditions and by several ruling dynasties. The Kathmandu Valley flourished particularly under the Malla kings (roughly 12th–18th centuries), when Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur developed into important cultural centers filled with elaborate palaces and temples.
Kathmandu Durbar Square was the royal and ceremonial center of Kathmandu. Much of its distinctive architecture developed during the Malla period, and after Nepal was unified in 1768–69 by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, the square continued to serve as a royal center under the Shah dynasty. The royal residence later moved elsewhere, but the square remains one of Nepal's most important historic sites.
Walking around Gaddhi Baithak building
Looking back at Kathmandu Durbar Square
Beyond the buildings on the left is the historic Hanuman Dhoka Royal Palace complex.
On the right side of the square was a small street market, with vendors selling souvenirs and other goods.
I continued walking away from Durbar Square, exploring the surrounding streets of old Kathmandu.
Then I turned around and decided to head back toward Durbar Square.
I came back to Durbar Square and continued exploring the historic area.
Then I walked toward the other side of the square, following the outer buildings of the Hanuman Dhoka Palace complex.
This side of the square had more ancient-looking temples and historic structures, giving it a much older character.
As I took photos, I slowly turned around to look back at the square behind me.
A view of the historic structures on the side of the square where I was standing.
A view of the historic temples and structures directly in front of me.
Once again, I slowly turned around while taking photos, eventually looking back at the area behind me.
I turned back around and continued walking forward through the square.
This was the end of Durbar Square in this direction, so I could go no farther through the square.
So I turned around and started walking back toward the center of Durbar Square.
As I approached the center of Durbar Square, I found an entrance to the Hanuman Dhoka Palace complex and went inside to explore.
Inside the Hanuman Dhoka Palace complex, I entered one of its historic inner courtyards.
An opening leading into one of the inner courtyards of the Hanuman Dhoka Palace complex.
The inner couryard
The palace garden
Inside one of the palace buildings
A little history
After exploring the Hanuman Dhoka Palace complex, I returned to the center of Durbar Square.
