Patan

• Micro Bus from Ratnapark in Kathmandu (15 rps, 10 rps for students/volunteers with a Nepalese ID card).
• Taxis are a more expensive option 200-350 rps (~3-5 USD).
• Buses. Catch a blue or green bus on Kathmandu's Ring Road (loops around Kathmandu Valley)for 15 to 20 rps. Tell the cashier/attendant that you want to go to Patan. He'll let you know when you get there. It's only a 15 min walk to Patan Dubar Square from Ring Road.
• Walk. It is quite straightforward to walk from Thamel to Patan in about 90 minutes with many things to see along the way. There are a couple of bridges providing access from Kathmandu to Patan so a good city map would be an asset.

Note: Nepal Buses & Micro buses are not very good for handicapped people or the faint of heart. The people are very friendly, but the vehicles are very old & rough.

• The city and its sites are best seen on foot.
• Taxis, minibuses, and tuk tuks are widely available.

• Bagmati BridgeA two lanes bridge over River Bagmati connecting Patan with Kathmandu

Durbar Square

Durbar Square is the Palace Square of Patan. Approaching the square from the south side you have the palace on your right and a series of temples on your left. Admission to the area for tourists was Rs 1000 in Oct. 2016.You should pay this at a booth at the south end of Durbar Square or at another entrance to the area further to the north. You will likely be approached by various square workers if your entrance ticket isn't visible. 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.

• Palacewas 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 up into a succession of courtyards (or “chowks”). Unfortunately only the last of these on the right, which houses the museum, is open on a regular basis due to problems with theft of artifacts. Try peering through cracks in the doors to see what you are missing. The first palace building is Sundari Chowk which was constructed in 1647. The three-storey temple on the palace side is the Degutale temple, constructed in 1661 after an earlier one burned down. Mul Chowk was the central part of the old palace and in recent times has suffered much theft of ornamental woodwork.

• Patan Museum

  address: Keshab Narayan Chowk
  An excellent and well-presented little museum with descriptions of various artistic techniques.

There is a confusing array of temples and other interesting items on the left-hand side of the square. Again, walking from the south end of the square, you pass:

• Taleju Temple

• Octagonal stone Krishna templeconstructed in 1647

• Taleju BellA huge bell that dates back to 1737 which is rung once a year.

• Shankar Narayan templewith kneeling stone elephants in front

• Bhai Dega TempleA shiva temple

• Hari Shankar TempleHalf Vishnu half Shiva deity. Built in 1704-5

• Jagan Narayan TempleTwo storey. Brick. The oldest temple in the complex, dating back to 1565. The temple with a statue of Yognarendra on a pillar in front. (Southward)

• Two smaller temples dedicated to Vishnu, dating back to 1590 and 1652.
• A stone temple to Krishna, considered to be a masterpiece, with some amazing stonework. Note the Garuda on the pillar in front, which has eyes of crystal.

Krishna Mandir

Vishwanath templewith two stone elephants and riders in front

• Bhimsen templeconstructed in 1680 but with more recent marble additions.

• Degutalle TempleFive storey on the Palace ground

• Mani MandapA pavilion dating from the 1700s.

• Manga HitiA lotus shaped pool and three carved stone crocodile head.

• Ganesh Temple

South of Durbar Square

• Mahaboudha Temple

  address: Okubhal to Chakra bhil street and Sundhara Street corner
  This is a stone temple covered with terracotta tiles, which include 1008 Budha images. It was modelled on a larger temple in Bodhgaya, India and took one family four generations to complete

• Machchhendranath temple

  address: Near to Prayag Pokhari Marg
  This is a good illustration of the problems now faced with theft of artifacts. The temple is now surrounded by a strong fence and each statue has its own individual fence. Statues are missing from two stands, suggesting that the temple has already fallen victim. Machchhendranath also gives his name to an annual festival when a 25 m tall "chariot" is paraded through Patan. If you note all the wires and cables across the streets at levels much lower than 25 m you can appreciate what a complicated exercise this is. 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. The wheels of the chariot are over 2 m in diameter. For the rest of the year these can be seen in the building next to the Ashok Stupa (see below).

• Minanath TempleThere is a secondary School.

• Rudravarna MahaviharA gem of a temple close to Mahaboudha, but much less visited. One of the oldest temples in the Kathmandu Valley with some strange and interesting statues.

• Southern Stupa

  address: Lagankhel Rd

North of Durbar Square

• Golden Temple

  address: Kwalakhu Rd
  An enormous number of gold- and silver-covered decorations and some excellent bronze statues make this 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.

• Baglamukhi Mandir

  address: Kwalakhu Rd
  Shiva Temple. One of the two five-story pagoda temples of the Valley. The sunken basin is usually empty but around August is filled for the Kumbheshwar Mela full moon day festival. At this time the temple becomes packed. Sheep roaming the temple are those that have been spared sacrifice.

• Rade Krishna Temple

• Uma-maheswar Temple

• Northern Stupa

  address: Bangalamukhi-Sankhamul Rd

Elsewhere

• Ashok Stupa

  address: Pulchowk, Lalitpur

• Nagabahal

  address: Dhalayacha - Nagabahal Rd

• Pim Bahal

• Central Zoo

  address: Zoo Rd

• Tribhuvan University Institute of Enginnering

  address: Patandhoka Rd

Just wander around keeping your eyes open for all the amazing sights.

• Love Park

  address: Pulchowk Rd
  A small green area with a pond

• Satyananda Yoga Centre, Ganesh Marga, Shankhamul, New Baneswar (a 15 minutes walk from Patan Durbar Square). Group and individual courses. Yoga Camps.

Banks

• Nepal Bank

  address: Kupondole Rd
  This is the local branch of Nepal Bank Ltd

• Siddhartha Bank

  address: Patandhoka Rd

Others

• Bhat Bhateni Supermarket

  phone: +977 1-5523555
  address: Krishna Galli, Lalitpur
  Supermarket chain. More units: Bhat-Bhateni Tangal, Located: Cha-1-580 Bhat-Bhateni, Tel: 977-1-4419181, 4413825, Fax: 977-1-4420240; Bhat-Bhateni Maharajgunj, Located: Maharajgunj, Narayan Gopal Chowk, Chakrapath, Email: dipak@bbsm.com.np, Tel: 977-1-4016130, 4016131, 4016132, Fax: 977-1-4016133; Bhat-Bhateni Koteshwor, Located: Koteshwor, Koteshwor-35, Tel: 977-1-4601300, 4601301, Email: bisharjan@bbsm.com.np; Bhat-Bhateni Chuchepati, Located: Chuchepati, Bouddha, Tel: 977-1-4485395,4485396, Email: pushkal@bbsm.com.np.
• Wooden and metal handicrafts. There are many metalworking shops near Durbar Square.
• Thanka, or traditional paintings.
• Pilgrims Books on the right-hand side of Sahid Sukra Marg as it climbs the hill after crossing the Bagmati river (opposite the Himalaya Hotel) has an amazing selection of books on Nepal and Kathmandu, on Buddhism, Hinduism and many other religions, as well as a good selection of novels in English. Several small rooms of souvenirs. Search out the oddities, such as a Kama Sutra colouring book, strangely sold next to children's colouring books.
• Saraswati further up the road from Pilgrims, has more academic books. Ekta, turn left in Jawalakhel chowk, has academic text books, and a good selection of novels.

• Quixote's Cove: the bookshop

  phone: +977 1 553-6974
  address: Jawalakhel
  this bookshop is housed in an old 1930s building and combines a collection of fiction with a marvelously cosy environment.

• Cafe de Patan. A pleasant, centraly located restaurant and cafe (see 'sleep' section)
• Patan Museum Cafe

• Hermann Helmer's German Bakery

  phone: +977 1-5524900
  address: Jhamsikhel Road, Lalitpur,
• Kidz: The food station. Pizzas, sandwiches, subs, wraps, sundaes, mocktails and gourmet coffee.
• Downtown. One of the best value restaurants in Patan. Excellent food.
• La Soon. A small restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating set in a nice garden and serving a mixed menu with daily specials. Try the La Soon Plate or the La Soon Platter, one of which is vegetarian. They also do nice chocolate brownies. It's good value and well worth a visit.
• Summit Hotel. Good on a Friday night as they have a barbecue by the pool.

• RoadhouseGood pizza, pasta, dessert, ice-cream and coffee.

• New OrleansGood coffee and nice garden. Live jazz on some nights, which is discordant & over amplified, is a negative.

• Red DingoGood western (Australian) food

• Lazy GringoFood from the American South-West

• MasalaOne of the best Indian restaurants in Kathmandu

• JaZooInexpensive Nepali and Chinese food

• ChinatownGood Chinese food

• JalanGood Thai, and other Asian food

• The Bakery CafeUse sign language and point to menu items as the waiters have speaking and hearing impairments. Noodles, MoMo, sandwiches and, on most days, a lunchtime buffet. WiFi.

• Cafe Bliss

  address: Jhamsikhel
  Trendy, peaceful restaurant

• Cafe Vespers

  address: Pulchowk
  Lovely outdoor seating. Good Pad Thai. Very good pizzas and quite good Italian food.

• Higher GroundPeaceful Cafe. A second branch in Ekantakuna (near DFID) sells excellent brown bread and carrot cakes.

• Manny's Eatery & Tapas Bar - good food and ambience. Located inside the "Shaligram Village" in Jawalakhel.
• There's a popular street in Jhamsikhel past the fire brigade which is host to numerous restaurants, popular with expatriates and locals. It's informally known as "Jhamel", a take on the more touristy Thamel, but much more chilled out.

• Ratomato Organics BBQ Bistro

  address: Jhamsikhel, Patan
  Ratomato Organics BBQ Bistro is a continental restaurant which caters an array of nutritious and flavourful delicacies. Most of the produce is sourced locally from an organic farm in Kirtipur and other local farmers.

• The Lazy Gringo

  phone: +977 1 2210527
  address: Jawalakel Chowk, Patan
  Serves burritos, chimichangas, nachos, fried ice cream, thick shakes and sopapillas. A party of 10 or more gets free chips and salsa. Thursday nights children eat free with the purchase of one adult size entree.

There are plenty of choices to have a good drink in Patan. The popular Jhamsikhel and Jawalakhel areas have various good bars with good music.

• Absolute BarOne of the best bars in Kathmandu

• Manny's Eatery & Tapas Bar. Located in Jawalakhel in side the "Shaligram Village".

While most tourists stay in hotels in Kathmandu city centre when in the Valley, mainly concentrated in the tourist catchment area of Thamel and its vicinity, Patan which is 4 km from Thamel is fast becoming an area of preference for those in the know looking for more space and less chaos. Many of the expatriate communities live in the Patan area as the INGO's like the UN, DFID, GTZ are located there. The Swiss and Norwegian Embassies are also in Patan.

Budget

• Cafe de Patan

  phone: +977 1 537599, +977 1 530208
  address: Patan Durbar Square, Mahapal Mangal Bazaar
  A centrally located guesthouse in a traditional Newari house. There are great views over the temples of Durbar square, and the dining room is a very pleasant area of foliage blended with stylish Newari decor.

• Newa Chěn

  address: Kulimha, Kobahal – 9
  The "Newa Chén" is a well-preserved and restored example of a traditional Newari house in the Kathmandu Valley. Located at Kulimha tole, North of Patan’s Durbar Square, it is built of brick and timber in traditional Malla style around a central courtyard.

• Sanu's House

  phone: +984 1 485045
  address: Gwarko
  Large 5 story house run by friendly/caring Nepali Buddhist family. 50-metre walk to bus stop/taxis. 24hr Wi-Fi. Great views from roof & upper floors.

Mid-range

• Cosy Nepal

  phone: +977 9860 111 757
  Cosy Nepal is a smart alternative to hotel stay in charming accommodations that blends Newari architecture and modern comfort. Cosy Nepal has more than 20 accommodations for short, medium and long stays with balconies, terrace roof and offers services such as cooking class, laundry service, Nepali teacher, yoga...

• Traditional Homes-SWOTHA

  phone: +977 985 1141950 or +977 1 5551184
  A beautifully restored Newari House in the heart of Patan's medieval city centre. 5 spacious, comfortable rooms with attached bathroom and a beautiful attic suite. Most of the rooms have private balconies. Upstairs, there is a sunny roof terrace that offers a panoramic view of Patan’s pagoda-strewn roofscape, and beyond it a glimpse of the Himalaya. Nice staff, free Wi-Fi and delicious breakfast.

• Greenwich Village Hotel

  address: Kupondole Heights Rd
  A quiet, comfortable NGO-type hotel. Ten minutes walk to main road.

• Himalaya Hotel

  phone: +977 1-5523900
  address: Sahid Shukra Marg
  Four-star hotel with swimming pool and several other facilities. Mainly Indian and United Nations clientele. Food disappointing.

• Summit HotelNice location, good food. Garden wing has small rooms, but the other rooms are good.

• Pandays Paradise

  phone: +977 1 5538785
  address: Shanti Chowk, Jawlakhel, Lalitpur
  Good food and view of zoo. Free Wi-fi & library. Garden or rooftop dining available. Short- or long-term stays possible.

• Hira Guest HouseNice location, good food. Garden wing has small rooms, but the other rooms are good.

• Shaligram Hotel & Apartments. Past the national zoo on the right hand side before the Embassy of Switzerland. url:http://www.shaligramhotel.com/". Lovely for short or long stays. The Manny's Eatery and Tapas Bar and Nirvana Wellness Centre are outside.

• Patan Dhoka Post Office

  address: Patandhoka Road, Lalitpur