Bhaktapur and Patan Durbar Square Day Tour is a 1-day day tour for visitors with one day who want the two best old Newar cities near Kathmandu. It reaches about 1,400 m (Kathmandu Valley) and is graded Easy: flat walking on cobbles and steps, with two city stops and a drive between them. It costs from USD 155 per person (Budget, couple). The price per person is the same for a private trip and a group of the same size, and it falls as the group grows.
Bhaktapur and Patan at a glance
| Duration | 1 day, from your Kathmandu hotel and back |
|---|---|
| Maximum altitude | About 1,400 m / 4,593 ft. No altitude risk |
| Grade | Easy. Flat walking, but the squares are cobbled and the temples have steep plinths |
| Sites | Patan Durbar Square with the Patan Museum, then Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nyatapola and the potters' square |
| Not on this day | Changunarayan, Bungamati and Khokana. They are on our other two day tours |
| Best months | September to November and February to May |
| Group size | 1 to 20, always private |
| Entry fees | Included: Patan NPR 1,000 (with the museum) and Bhaktapur NPR 1,800 |
| Start dates | Any day. See the 2027 notes below |
| From price | USD 155 per person, Budget, couple. Standard USD 200, Luxury USD 240 |
Why I built it this way
Patan and Bhaktapur are the two old Newar cities I send people to when they have one day and ask which squares to see. Patan is the city of artisans, with a museum I would not skip. Bhaktapur is the quieter, more medieval city, where you watch people working. Together they show you the Newar world in a day, and you are back at your hotel in the late afternoon.
I have left Changunarayan out of this one on purpose, so the day stays unhurried. If you want the hilltop temple too, take our Bhaktapur and Changunarayan Day Tour. If you want the craft villages south of Patan, take our Patan, Bungamati and Khokana Day Tour. Read Patan (Lalitpur) Guide: Nepal's City of Fine Arts and Bhaktapur Day Trip from Kathmandu: Durbar Square, Potters' Square and Changunarayan before you choose. If you have more time, the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site Tour covers all seven zones.
Be honest with yourself about the pace. My own plan for Patan alone is three to four hours for the square, the museum and the Golden Temple, and that is our estimate from guiding groups, not a published figure. A second city on the same day is a good day, not a slow one. If you want to sit and watch, choose one city and spend the day there.
Every booking helps pay the teacher's salary at our Nagarjun Learning Center in Saldum. The Everest Holiday is a family company founded in 2016, from three generations of guiding in the Himalayas.
Best time to go, month by month
Temperatures are Kathmandu's published 1991 to 2020 normals at the airport, quoted in our Patan guide. Patan and Bhaktapur sit in the same valley but these are not readings from the squares. None of it is a forecast.
| Month | What it is like | My verdict |
|---|---|---|
| January | Cool and often hazy in the mornings. Kathmandu's normal daily high is 19.2 C and low 2.8 C. | Good, wear a fleece |
| February | Cool and mostly dry, with clearer skies by the end of the month. | Good |
| March | Warmer and dry, with Holi in the squares in some years. | Good |
| April | Warm and busy. Kathmandu's normal daily high is 28.6 C and low 12.3 C. Bhaktapur's New Year and the Rato Machhindranath chariot in Patan fall in April or May, with crowds and some road closures. | Good, allow extra time |
| May | Hot and hazy before the monsoon. | Only if you start early |
| June | Monsoon: about 65% of the annual rain falls from June to September. Cobbles are slippery. | No, unless the museum matters most |
| July | Monsoon. Kathmandu's normal high is 28.7 C and low 20.3 C, with heavy rain. | No, unless the museum matters most |
| August | Monsoon, with heavy rain. | No, unless the museum matters most |
| September | The rains are easing, but the cobbles are still wet. | Late September only |
| October | Clear after the monsoon. Kathmandu's normal high is 27.2 C and low 13.9 C. | Best |
| November | Dry, clear and pleasantly cool. | Best |
| December | Dry and sunny, with cold, hazy mornings. | Good, wear a fleece |
September to November and February to May are the best months. Summer is hot and wet, and winter mornings are cool and often hazy. One price applies all year.
Starting dates for 2027
This is a day trip, so you choose your date. These are the windows I would pick for 2027. Festival dates for 2027 are the expected ones from public calendars, and the government confirms them each year.
| Window in 2027 | What to expect | My advice |
|---|---|---|
| January to February 2027 | Cool mornings, often hazy, and few crowds in the squares. | Good |
| March to May 2027 (Holi expected 22 to 23 March; Nepali New Year and Bhaktapur's festival in April, date set by the Nepali calendar) | Warm and dry. Festival days bring crowds and sometimes road closures, and the Rato Machhindranath chariot moves through Patan for about a month in April to May. | Good. Tell me if you want the festival or want to avoid it |
| June to mid September 2027 | Monsoon. Wet, slippery cobbles. The Patan Museum is a good wet-day fallback. | Only for the museum |
| October 2027 (Dashain expected 6 to 10 October, not yet announced) | The air is clean after the rains. Dashain closes some shops and fills the roads around the festival days. | Good, avoid the Dashain days |
| November to December 2027 (Tihar expected 29 to 31 October) | Dry, clear and cool. The best weeks for walking the squares. | Best |
Patan's Rato Machhindranath festival follows the lunar calendar, so confirm the dates locally. We tell you the plan the evening before. Tell me your dates and I will tell you what I know for that week.
Permits and costs
No trekking permit is needed. We pay the two entrance fees for you, from the Nepal Tourism Board heritage-fee table.
| Permit or fee | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Patan Durbar Square, including the Patan Museum | NPR 1,000 for foreign visitors | Included |
| Bhaktapur Durbar Square | NPR 1,800 for foreign visitors | Included |
| Golden Temple, Mahabouddha, Kumbheshwar | Not listed by the Tourism Board. Ask at the gate | Not included if a fee is charged |
The price per person falls as the group grows, and a child pays the same as an adult. Private or group, the price per person is the same. Here is the full table. These prices hold for 2027.
| Group size | Budget | Standard | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 guest (solo) | USD 220 | USD 280 | USD 395 |
| 2 to 4 guests | USD 155 | USD 200 | USD 240 |
| 5 to 8 guests | USD 85 | USD 120 | USD 150 |
| 9 to 12 guests | USD 70 | USD 105 | USD 125 |
| 13 to 20 guests | USD 65 | USD 95 | USD 125 |
Not included: international flights, your Nepal visa (USD 30 for 15 days or USD 50 for 30 days, paid in cash on arrival), Kathmandu hotel nights, travel insurance, tips, personal spending and any extra porter (USD 25 per day plus 13% VAT and the 3.5% bank charge). You pay a 10% deposit to book and the balance in Kathmandu. We take US dollars or euros, in cash or by card, and card payments carry a 3.5% bank charge.
Getting there and getting back
We collect you from your Kathmandu hotel and drive to Patan, about 5 km south-east of the centre. Traffic decides the journey time, not the distance, so I do not promise exact minutes. From Patan we drive to Bhaktapur, about 12 km east of Kathmandu, and after the visit we take you back to your hotel. There are no flights and no altitude.
Visa on arrival is USD 30 for 15 days or USD 50 for 30 days, and your passport must be valid for at least six months.
Safety and altitude
There is no altitude risk. The risks are uneven ground and the weather. The squares are cobbled and the temples have steep plinths, so wear shoes with a good grip. In the monsoon the stone is slippery. Your guide leads the group and sets the pace, and carries a first aid kit with a pulse oximeter.
Dress modestly at the temples: shoulders and knees covered, and shoes off at some entrances. Buy travel insurance at home that covers medical care.
What to pack
- Comfortable shoes with a good grip for cobbles and steps, ideally slip-ons for the temples
- Clothes that cover your shoulders and knees
- A hat, sunglasses and SPF 50 sun cream in the warm months
- A warm layer for cool mornings
- A small daypack with water
- A little cash for tea, small donations and craft shops
- Our full list is in Complete Nepal Travel Checklist: Everything to Do Before You Fly
Budget, Standard or Luxury
All three tiers visit the same places on the same day. What changes is the guide, lunch and the vehicle.
| Budget | Standard | Luxury | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle | Private car or van sized to your group | Private car or van sized to your group | A comfortable air-conditioned private vehicle |
| Lunch | Not included | Lunch with tea or coffee | Lunch with all non-alcoholic drinks |
| Guide | Licensed English-speaking heritage guide | Licensed heritage guide, your language where we have one | Specialist heritage guide, your language where we have one |
Read before you book
- Patan (Lalitpur) Guide: Nepal's City of Fine Arts
- Bhaktapur Day Trip from Kathmandu: Durbar Square, Potters' Square and Changunarayan
- Bhaktapur: The Medieval City That Time Forgot and the Earthquake Almost Destroyed
- Kathmandu Valley UNESCO World Heritage Sites: The Seven Zones, Fees and a 3-Day Plan
- Patan, Bungamati and Khokana: A Newar Day Trip South of Kathmandu
- Thangka Art in Bhaktapur: Nepal's Sacred Paintings and Where to See Them Being Made
The Everest Holiday is a family company founded in 2016, from three generations of guiding in the Himalayas.
