Boudhanath Stupa
One of the world's largest stupas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 36 m white-domed monument anchors a lively Tibetan-Buddhist plaza ringed by monasteries, prayer wheels and rooftop cafes.
About this spot
Boudhanath (Boudha) is among the largest spherical stupas in the world and the spiritual heart of Kathmandu's Tibetan-Buddhist community. Rising about 36 metres (118 ft), its whitewashed dome is topped by a gilded tower painted with the all-seeing eyes of the Buddha and strung with prayer flags. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 as part of the Kathmandu Valley, it was rebuilt after the 2015 earthquake and remains a major pilgrimage destination.
The main thing to do is join the kora: walking clockwise around the stupa with the crowds of monks, pilgrims and locals, spinning the rows of prayer wheels along the base. The surrounding plaza is ringed with monasteries (gompas), Tibetan shops, thangka galleries and rooftop cafes where you can sit with a coffee and look down over the dome. It is calm, atmospheric and very photogenic, especially as butter lamps are lit at dusk.
Best visited early morning or around sunset when the circumambulation is busiest and the light is best. Entry is roughly NPR 400 for foreign visitors and NPR 100 for SAARC nationals, while it is free for Nepali citizens and young children. Plan to spend one to two hours, plus time for the cafes.
Why it's worth it: rated 4.7★ on Google Maps (13,833+ reviews).
Location
Boudha, northeastern Kathmandu (about 7 km from Thamel), KathmanduBoudha, Kathmandu 44600, Bagmati Province, Nepal
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