Patan Durbar Square
UNESCO-listed royal square in the heart of Patan, packed with intricate Newar temples, the old Malla palace and the acclaimed Patan Museum. One of Kathmandu Valley's finest open-air heritage sites.
About this spot
Patan Durbar Square is the historic royal plaza at the centre of Lalitpur (Patan), a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the three Durbar Squares of the Kathmandu Valley. It was the palace complex of the Malla kings of Patan and showcases some of the finest surviving Newar architecture in Nepal: tiered pagoda temples, the stone Krishna Mandir, Bhimsen Temple, intricately carved wooden windows, stone statues and the courtyards of the old royal palace. Much of the square was damaged in the 2015 earthquake and has since been extensively and carefully restored.
The square is meant for wandering on foot. You can admire the temples and carvings, watch daily life around Mangal Bazaar, and visit the Patan Museum, housed in the Keshav Narayan Chowk of the palace and widely regarded as one of the best museums in South Asia for its collection of bronze and stone religious art. Photographers, history lovers and families all find plenty to explore, and it is notably calmer than Kathmandu's Durbar Square.
Best visited in late afternoon into dusk, when the brick architecture glows and crowds thin; the dry season (October to April) offers the clearest weather. Foreign visitors pay a heritage entrance fee (roughly NPR 1,000, paid at the entry booths) which typically includes the Patan Museum; SAARC visitors pay about NPR 250 and Nepalis enter free.
Why it's worth it: rated 4.6★ on Google Maps (33,022+ reviews).
Location
Mangal Bazaar, central Patan (Lalitpur), Kathmandu Valley, LalitpurMangal Bazaar, Patan, Lalitpur 44600, Nepal
Open in Google Maps