Kathmandu, Patan & Bhaktapur Durbar Squares: A Visitor Guide (Fees & What to See)

"Durbar Square" (दरबार क्षेत्र, from durbar, "royal court") means the plaza in front of an old royal palace. The Kathmandu Valley has three of them because for much of the medieval Malla period (roughly the 15th to 18th centuries) the valley was divided into three rival kingdoms, each with its own palace complex: Kantipur (Kathmandu), Lalitpur (Patan) and Bhaktapur. Each square is a dense open-air museum of pagoda temples, carved courtyards, statues and palace buildings, and all three sit within the single UNESCO Kathmandu Valley World Heritage property (see the site's UNESCO Kathmandu Valley heritage page for the inscription and monument-zone details).

Each square charges its own ticket, collected at booths on the main approach roads. As of 2026 the widely reported foreign-tourist rates are about NPR 1,000 at Kathmandu Durbar Square, NPR 1,000 at Patan Durbar Square, and NPR 2,000 (or USD 15) at Bhaktapur Durbar Square. SAARC nationals (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan) pay a lower concessional rate, and Nepali citizens generally enter free, though some pay a small museum fee. Fees are revised periodically by the respective municipalities and heritage bodies, so treat every figure here as "as of 2026, confirm at the ticket office" and carry photo ID to prove nationality.

The key practical difference is validity: Kathmandu and Patan tickets are valid only for the day of purchase, while the Bhaktapur ticket covers the entire walled city (not just the palace square) and can be extended, free of charge, to a maximum of seven days by showing your passport at the ticket office. That, plus a city-wide levy that funds Bhaktapur's conservation, is why Bhaktapur costs roughly twice as much as the other two.

Kathmandu Durbar Square, also called Basantapur or Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square, is the busiest and most urban of the three, hemmed in by the old bazaar in the heart of the capital. It is named after the Hanuman Dhoka (the palace gate guarded by a statue of the monkey god Hanuman, robed in red) and is sometimes nicknamed the "museum of temples" for its concentration of shrines.

The signature stop is the Kumari Ghar, the ornately carved 18th-century residence of the Royal Kumari, Nepal's living goddess, a young girl venerated as an embodiment of the goddess Taleju. Visitors may enter the courtyard, and the Kumari sometimes appears briefly at an upper window (photography of her is not permitted); for the full story of who she is and how she is chosen, see the site's page on the Kumari, the living goddess. The Hanuman Dhoka palace itself is now a museum, with royal courtyards such as Nasal Chowk, the nine-storey Basantapur tower, the Tribhuvan Museum and displays of royal artefacts, weapons and thrones, usually included in your entrance ticket.

Other highlights are the towering Taleju Temple (opened to the general public only once a year, on Mahanavami during Dashain), the fearsome black relief of Kal Bhairab, the Jagannath and Shiva-Parvati temples, and Kasthamandap, the ancient wooden rest-house from which Kathmandu takes its name, rebuilt after collapsing in 2015. The square is also the ceremonial hub of the annual Indra Jatra festival, when the Kumari is pulled through the streets on a chariot.

Patan, officially Lalitpur ("city of beauty"), lies just across the Bagmati River from central Kathmandu and is widely considered the most harmonious and best-preserved of the three squares, prized for its refined Newar metal- and stone-craft. It is the calmest of the three to walk around and is the traditional home of the valley's finest artisans.

The showpiece is the Patan Museum, housed in a restored wing of the old royal palace and regarded as one of the best museums in South Asia for traditional Nepali sacred art, bronzes and the story of Newar craftsmanship; entry is normally covered by the square's ticket. Facing the palace are a line of superb temples, above all the Krishna Mandir, an entirely stone shikhara-style temple carved with scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana, along with the Bhimsen Temple, the Vishwanath Temple and the tall Taleju Bhawani temple.

Inside the palace complex, do not miss the royal bathing courtyards of Sundari Chowk with its exquisitely carved sunken Tusha Hiti water-spout, and Mul Chowk. A short walk from the square, though not part of the ticket, the Golden Temple (Hiranya Varna Mahavihar), the Kumbheshwar temple and the surrounding maze of Buddhist bahals reward anyone with extra time.

Bhaktapur (Bhadgaon, or Khwopa in Newari) is the most intact medieval townscape in the valley, roughly 13 km east of Kathmandu, and its ticket is different in kind from the others: it is a city-wide entrance fee that admits you to the whole walled old town, of which the Durbar Square is only the first of several linked plazas. That is the main reason the Bhaktapur fee is higher, around NPR 2,000 or USD 15 for foreigners as of 2026, and it is money that helps fund the town's conservation.

In the Durbar Square itself the standouts are the 55-Window Palace (Pachpanna Jhyale Durbar), famous for its balcony of intricately carved wooden lattice windows; the Golden Gate (Sun Dhoka), a gilded copper doorway considered a masterpiece of repousse metalwork and the entrance to the old royal palace and its Taleju temple; the stone Vatsala Durga temple with its bronze "Barking Bell"; and the National Art Gallery inside the palace.

Walk on and the ticket keeps working. In adjoining Taumadhi Square stands the Nyatapola, at five storeys the tallest pagoda temple in Nepal, set atop a stepped plinth guarded by paired stone wrestlers, elephants and lions; it famously survived both the 1934 and 2015 earthquakes largely intact. Beyond lie Pottery Square, where potters still spin clay in the open air, and Dattatreya Square with its ancient temple and the celebrated Peacock Window. Because there is so much ground to cover, the seven-day passport extension is genuinely useful here.

The Gorkha earthquake of April 2015 hit the valley's heritage hard: across the seven UNESCO monument zones scores of structures were damaged and several iconic temples collapsed. The three Durbar Squares were among the worst affected, but by the mid-2020s the picture is very much one of recovery rather than ruin, and all three are fully open to visitors. For the fuller restoration story, see the site's page on how the 2015 earthquake-damaged heritage was repaired.

In Kathmandu Durbar Square the losses were heaviest and rebuilding has been slower; the ancient Kasthamandap pavilion collapsed entirely and has since been reconstructed, though completion of some structures and formal handovers have been dogged by disputes. Patan Durbar Square, restored largely with the help of the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust and international partners, has seen its collapsed temples rebuilt and is again in fine condition. Bhaktapur, which lost several temples, has carried out extensive municipality-led restoration funded partly by its high ticket revenue.

Travellers should still expect to see some scaffolding, empty plinths where temples have not yet been rebuilt, and active conservation work, which is a normal and encouraging sight rather than a reason to stay away. Nyatapola in Bhaktapur, notably, came through 2015 with only minor damage and needed only limited repair.

All three squares are day-trip-close to central Kathmandu. Kathmandu Durbar Square is a 15-20 minute walk south of Thamel, or a short taxi ride. Patan is about 5-7 km south, reached in 20-40 minutes by taxi, ride-hailing app (Pathao, InDrive) or local bus/microbus toward Lagankhel or Mangal Bazaar. Bhaktapur is about 13 km east, roughly 45-90 minutes by taxi depending on traffic, or by public bus from Ratna Park or the Bhaktapur bus stand; the return taxi fare is worth negotiating in advance.

The squares are open public spaces you can enter at any time, but the ticket booths and the palace museums keep daytime hours (the Hanuman Dhoka and Patan museums broadly around 10:30 AM to 4:00-5:00 PM, often with a shorter Friday and a weekly closed day, so confirm locally). Early morning and late afternoon give the best light and the local ritual atmosphere, when residents come to worship. It is entirely feasible, though rushed, to see all three in one long day; a more comfortable plan is to pair Kathmandu with Patan on one day and give Bhaktapur its own day, using the seven-day ticket.

The best months overall are the dry, clear post-monsoon season (October-November) and spring (March-April). October also coincides with the great festivals of Dashain, Tihar and Indra Jatra, when the squares are at their most vibrant but also their most crowded. The monsoon (June-September) brings rain and haze but far fewer visitors.

These are living religious and residential sites, not theme parks, so dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered), remove your shoes before entering temple interiors, and never climb on or sit against shrines, statues or temple plinths for photographs. Always walk clockwise around temples and stupas, ask before photographing people or private worship, and never photograph the Kumari. Step aside for ritual processions and do not touch offerings.

Buy your ticket only at the official booths and keep it on you, as staff do check inside the squares; for Bhaktapur, get the seven-day extension stamped on your passport at the ticket office if you plan to return. Licensed guides can be hired at the entrances and add a great deal to a visit, but agree the fee first, and be aware of touts and self-appointed "guides". Carry small Nepali cash for the ticket, offerings and shops, as card acceptance is patchy.

Finally, respect the ongoing conservation work: stay outside cordoned-off restoration areas, and remember that the entrance fee, especially Bhaktapur's, directly funds the upkeep of these monuments. Because rates and rules change, reconfirm the current fee and any concessions at the ticket office on the day - the figures in this guide are current as of 2026.