Narayanhiti Palace Museum

What is Narayanhiti Palace Museum?

Narayanhiti Palace Museum is the former royal palace of Nepal’s Shah kings, now a public museum in central Kathmandu. The museum website says the palace long served as the home and main workplace of the reigning monarch.

The name joins two words. Wikipedia says “Narayan” is a name of the Hindu god Vishnu, whose temple stands opposite the palace, and “hiti” means a traditional stone water spout, which sits east of the main entrance.

The complex is large. The museum gives 383,850 square metres for the whole compound, and Wikivoyage describes the grounds as gated on all sides. The main building has 52 rooms, called “sadan”, each named after one of Nepal’s districts at the time, according to Wikipedia and Nepal Traveller.

What is the history of Narayanhiti Palace?

Narayanhiti became the royal home in the late 19th century, when the Shah kings moved out of Hanuman Dhoka. The museum says this followed the marriage of two daughters of Bir Shumsher, the Rana prime minister, to King Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah. Wikipedia dates the old palace’s demolition and the building of a new one to 1886.

You can see the older palace at Kathmandu Durbar Square.

After the 1934 earthquake, the museum says a new building called Tribhuvan Sadan was added, with a portico and grand staircase by Nepali architect Surya Jung Thapa.

What happened in the 2001 royal massacre?

On 1 June 2001, nine members of the royal family were shot dead at a gathering in Tribhuvan Sadan, inside the palace grounds. Those killed included King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya, Prince Nirajan and Princess Shruti, according to Wikipedia.

An official inquiry by Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhyaya and Speaker Taranath Ranabhat concluded that Crown Prince Dipendra was the gunman. He shot himself, was declared king while in a coma, and died on 4 June. His uncle Gyanendra then became king. Some people have claimed others were involved, but Wikipedia says no reliable evidence supports those claims.

The museum says Tribhuvan Sadan was demolished after the massacre. Republica reported in 2009 that only the layout of the building is marked at the site. Nepal Traveller wrote in 2020 that visitors can see bullet marks there. Nine people were killed here, so visit this part quietly.

How did the palace become a museum?

The monarchy ended when Nepal was declared a republic on 28 May 2008, after what the museum calls ten years of people’s war and the 19-day people’s movement of 2006. King Gyanendra left the palace on 11 June 2008, and the museum was inaugurated four days later.

The doors opened to the public in February 2009. Republica reported that the queue on the first day stretched about 800 metres, from the main entrance to the southern gate. In December 2025, The Himalayan Times said more than 4.77 million people had visited, citing the museum’s information officer.

What can you see inside Narayanhiti Palace Museum?

Visitors walk through the state rooms of the main palace, a royal family home and the garden. Republica reported in 2019 that 31 of the 52 rooms were open. We found no newer count.

• Kaski Sadan (reception hall): The museum says heads of state and new ambassadors were received here. Wikipedia and Nepal Traveller describe two stuffed Bengal tigers, shot by Kings Mahendra and Birendra, and portraits of the Shah kings.
• Gorkha Baithak (throne room): The centre of the palace, used for ceremonies and royal proclamations. Nepal Traveller describes a 48-foot chandelier and a 60-foot pagoda-style ceiling.
• Dolpa Sadan: Beside the throne room. Nepal Traveller says guests could watch proceedings through a one-way mirror here.
• The royal crown: Republica said in 2019 that it sits in a bulletproof case in Rupandehi Hall, under constant camera watch. The museum says its top carries feathers of a rare bird, and that it holds 730 diamonds and over 2,000 pearls.
• Shree Sadan: King Birendra’s family home, a three-storey building. The Kathmandu Post reported in 2020 that it shows the family’s bedrooms, dining room and lounge with their belongings.
• Royal vehicles: The Kathmandu Post lists a car given to King Tribhuvan by Adolf Hitler, and an old Nepal Army Avro aircraft.
• The Gold State Coach: A gift from Queen Elizabeth II to King Mahendra in 1961. The museum says it was damaged in 2015, repaired, and put on display in 2021.
• The massacre site: The marked layout of Tribhuvan Sadan, described above.
• The garden: The museum says it’s open to visitors.

Wikivoyage adds that large fruit bats leave the trees around the palace at about sunset.

What are the Narayanhiti Palace Museum opening hours?

The museum’s own website lists Thursday to Monday, 9:30 am to 2:30 pm, closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, as of November 2026. It also says the museum closes on public holidays. The page shows no effective date.

Other sources give different times, so treat any single figure with care.

The Tuesday and Wednesday closure appears in the museum’s own listing and in the 2018 report, so plan around it. The public holiday rule is the clearest conflict. Phone the museum on 01-5327844 before a holiday visit.

How much are Narayanhiti Palace Museum tickets?

Most foreign visitors pay NPR 1,000, and SAARC and Chinese nationals pay NPR 500, according to the museum website in November 2026. The site says “conditions applied” but doesn’t list them.

SAARC has eight members: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, says Wikipedia. Prices have doubled since 2018, when The Himalayan Times listed NPR 500 for foreign visitors and NPR 250 for SAARC and Chinese visitors. Kathmandu.im still lists NPR 500, which looks out of date.

Narayanhiti isn’t one of the seven UNESCO monument zones, so it’s not covered by any Durbar Square ticket. Our Kathmandu entry fees and opening hours page covers those.

What are the rules on bags, phones and cameras?

Photography isn’t allowed inside, and visitors report that phones and cameras must be handed in before entry. We found no official museum statement, so this comes from visitor reports.

• Phones and cameras: Tripadvisor reviewers in 2018 said staff were strict about keeping cameras and phones out, and that devices are locked away and returned when you show your key. An undated travel blog says the same.
• Bags: Holidify says bags aren’t allowed inside either, and that lockers are available. Travel with as little as you can.
• Cost: Reports differ on whether the cloakroom is free.
• Security: Expect a security check at the entrance.

Leave valuables at your hotel if you can. If you’re going on to another site, make sure you’ve got your phone back before you leave.

How long does a visit take?

Plan on 1 to 2 hours. A Tripadvisor reviewer in 2018 said about an hour inside, plus 10 minutes to buy a ticket and hand in cameras. Kathmandu.im suggests 1.5 to 2 hours.

Shree Sadan opened in 2020, after that 2018 review, so allow longer if you want to see it and the vehicles. With the museum closing at 2:30 pm on the published timetable, arrive by about noon.

How do you get to Narayanhiti from Thamel?

Walk. Nepal Traveller describes the museum as next to Thamel, and Wikipedia places the Garden of Dreams across the street from the palace, at the entrance to Thamel. Kathmandu.im gives about five minutes on foot from the Thamel entrance.

Nepal Traveller says the palace can be seen from Durbar Marg. From further away, a taxi is simplest. Our guide to Kathmandu taxi fares has current prices.

Can protests affect a visit?

They have in the past. The Kathmandu Post reported that the district administration banned gatherings of more than five people around the museum from 31 May to 8 July 2025, after pro-monarchy demonstrations. That order has ended, but check local news if there’s unrest in the city when you visit.

What is near Narayanhiti Palace Museum?

The Garden of Dreams is the closest sight, across the road. Wikipedia says it’s a neo-classical garden built around 1920 for Field Marshal Kaiser Sumsher Rana, and restored between 2000 and 2007 with Austrian aid. See our Garden of Dreams page.

• Thamel: The tourist district for lunch after your visit. See our Thamel page.
• Kathmandu Durbar Square: Home of the older royal palace, Hanuman Dhoka. Nepal Traveller lists it within walking distance of the museum.
• Narayan temple and the hiti: The Vishnu temple opposite the palace and the stone water spout that gave Narayanhiti its name, both described by Wikipedia.

A morning at Narayanhiti and an afternoon at Durbar Square puts both royal palaces in one day. Our one day in Kathmandu guide shows how to fit the main sites around the museum’s short hours.