Lalitpur

Introduction

Lalitpur is also known as Patan. The name - Lalitpur - means "the city of beauty". It is situated on a plateau by the river Bagmati. Patan's Durbar Square is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. Nowadays it is only separated from Kathmandu by the Bagmati river, located 11 kilometres south from the centre of the capital.

Sights and Activities

Street in Patan

© TLWH

Durbar Square - Patan's Durbar square is located in the centre of Patan and is truly one of the most beautiful of ancient cities. Filled with temples, old squares, and stupas.

Highlights include:

• The Palace of the Malla Kings
• Patan Museum
• The Golden Temple
• The Old Market

Events and Festivals

The birthday of Lord Krishna is celebrated by Hindus at the Krishna Temple in Patan in August (dates change).

Weather

Temperatures during these summer months are mostly around 26 °C to 29 °C during the day and around 16 °C to 20 °C at night. Winters are coldest with 19 °C to 20 °C during the day and 2 °C or 4 °C at night. The disadvantage of coming in summer is that it is also the rainy season. As the temperatures don't differ that much between winter, spring and autumn these are the best month to plan a visit. If you plan to also include a trek in the same trip, your best months or between October and December as the air is the cleanest.

Getting There

By Plane

Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) in Kathmandu is the only international airport in Nepal, just north of Lalitpur. Nepal Airlines, the national airline, serves flights to Hong Kong, Osaka, Shanghai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Delhi and Dubai.

By Car

Lalitput is just a short drive from Kathmandu, but it is said that trying to make sense of the traffic in Nepal is not for the fainthearted, and better left to the locals.

By Bus

Regular buses link Kathmandu and Patan.

Getting Around

By Public Transport

Buses link Patan to the suburbs.

By Foot

Patan is best viewed on foot, a full day is needed, or more if you venture out of the main city.

By Bike

You may rent a motorbike.

Eat & Drink

There are plenty of small eateries dotted around the main city square.

Sleep

There are many sleeping option available. While Patan is a short ride away from Kathmandu, it might be worth staying over for extended trips.

Work

There are some volunteer opportunities, and internships.

Learn

The museum is one of the most well kept in Nepal.

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet connectivity is increasing rapidly, and obviously its availability is most widespread in Kathmandu (especially in Thamel and around the Boudha Stupa in Boudhanath) or Pokhara. In those two cities, most hotels and lodges will have free Internet connection with Wi-Fi. So will many restaurants. More and more villages will have Internet available at some lodges, usually with Wi-Fi.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

There are two main mobile operators in Nepal. Government run NTC (Nepal Telecom Company), and private Ncell (previously called Spice Mobile and Mero Mobile). Both operators allow tourists to buy SIM cards for about 200NRs in Kathmandu and most major towns. You will need to bring a passport photo, fill in a form and have your passport and visa page photocopied, expect too also have your finger prints taken. Try to buy the SIM card at a shop owned by the phone company as if you buy it from a corner shop it can take some time for the card to be activated, despite promises that it will be done in " a couple of hours".

Ncell SIM's - can be bought from many stores, but are best bought from official stores in Birgunj or Kathmandu. Micro SIMs can be cut for free if you need. Ncell offers two different SIM cards. The first is a usual SIM card that allows you to make calls to any phone (local calls are about NPR2.5/min), and you can also buy mobile data to use. The second is a data only SIM card, and can not be used for making or receiving calls. The advantage to the second sim being the rates for data are significantly cheaper than a call and data SIM.

Post

Nepal Post is the Postal Service Department of the Nepali Ministry of Information and Communications and the national post office of Nepal. Services are terribly slow, especially to international destinations. Post offices are generally open Sunday to Thursday from 10:00am to 5:00pm, and on Friday until 3:00pm, although some offices keep longer hours. For packages, it is recommend to use international courier services like DHL, TNT or UPS.

External Links