Kathmandu Valley
Patan
Lalitpur, the city of fine arts: the valley’s best museum and its metalworkers’ lanes.
- Region
- Kathmandu Valley
- Best time to visit
- October to April.
- How long to stay
- 1 day
- Experiences
- 2 nearby
Overview
Patan, officially Lalitpur, sits directly across the Bagmati river from Kathmandu and has long been the valley’s centre of craft. Its Durbar Square is the most coherent of the three royal squares, and the Patan Museum inside the old palace is the best introduction to Nepali art and religion anywhere in the country.
Beyond the square, the old town is a grid of courtyards (bahals) and Buddhist monasteries. The metalworking lanes south of the Golden Temple still cast statues for monasteries across the Himalaya.
Plan your visit
Planning time in Patan?
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Ask Recent Visits AI →Why visit Patan
- The Patan Museum, an outstanding, well-explained collection in a restored palace
- Krishna Mandir, Golden Temple and more than a hundred Buddhist courtyards
- Workshops where bronze statues and thangkas are still made by hand
What to see
Patan Durbar Square
A single sweep of temples facing the former royal palace. The stone Krishna Mandir (1637) and the octagonal Chyasin Dega are the standouts.
Patan Museum
Galleries of bronze and gilt-copper sacred art with clear explanations of Hindu and Buddhist iconography, in the Keshav Narayan Chowk of the palace. Allow two hours; the garden café is a good lunch stop.
Golden Temple (Hiranya Varna Mahavihar)
A 12th-century Buddhist monastery with a gilded façade, still active, a few minutes north of the square.
Mahabouddha
A terracotta temple covered in thousands of Buddha images, modelled on the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya, hidden in a courtyard south-east of the square.
Jawalakhel
Home to the Tibetan refugee settlement and its carpet-weaving centre, and to the Central Zoo.
Krishna Mandir
Golden Temple
Good to know
- Patan is 20–30 minutes from Thamel by taxi; staying here is a calmer alternative to central Kathmandu.
- Durbar Square has an entry ticket for foreign visitors, which includes the museum courtyard but not the museum itself.
- Afternoons are quieter in the museum; mornings are best for watching craftsmen at work.
Frequently asked questions
Photo gallery
Patan in pictures
Things to do
Experiences in Patan
Easy
Cultural Tours
Heritage squares, living temples, monasteries and craft traditions.
- Typical duration
- Half day to several days
Easy
Food Tours
Momos, Newari feasts and dal bhat with the people who cook it.
- Typical duration
- 3–4 hours
Plan
Suggested itineraries with Patan
Day-by-day trips by our team. Ask local agencies for a quote on any of them.
Suggested itinerary
3 days: Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur
The three royal cities of the Kathmandu Valley at an unhurried pace, one per day, ending with a night in car-free Bhaktapur. Ideal for a short stopover or before a trek.
- Places
- Kathmandu · Patan · Bhaktapur
- Trekking
- No trekking
Suggested itinerary
5 days in the Kathmandu Valley
Temples, palaces and a mountain sunrise without long journeys: Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur and a night in Nagarkot.
- Places
- Kathmandu · Patan · Bhaktapur · Nagarkot
- Trekking
- No trekking
Suggested itinerary
7 days: Buddhist heritage of Kathmandu, Patan and Lumbini
The great stupas of Kathmandu, Patan’s living monasteries and the Buddha’s birthplace at Lumbini, for travellers interested in Buddhism and Himalayan art.
- Places
- Kathmandu · Patan · Lumbini
- Trekking
- No trekking
From travellers
Stories from travellers who went to Patan
First-hand accounts from people who visited recently. Read one, then plan a trip like it.
Recent visitDemo storyTraveller story · Yuki Tanaka · 16 Dec 2025
Boudhanath at dawn, and two more mornings in the Kathmandu Valley
Skipping the museum queue for early light: walking the kora round the Boudhanath stupa before the crowds, then Patan and Bhaktapur on foot over three slow mornings.
- Visited
- November 2025
- Places
- Kathmandu · Patan · Bhaktapur
