This Kathmandu Valley day tour links Bhaktapur and Patan, two old royal cities on opposite sides of the valley, in one day of 7 to 8 hours. It’s the slower way to do Kathmandu Valley sightseeing, with fewer stops and more time on foot.
Which of the valley’s old royal cities should you see?
Bhaktapur and Patan are the two to see if you like old towns, and they make a good pair. Kathmandu Durbar Square is the third royal square, but the Kathmandu half day tour covers it.
Bhaktapur is the brick city in the east. Patan, also called Lalitpur, is just south of the Bagmati and known for metalwork and carved temples.
What is the order on this Kathmandu Valley day tour?
The tour goes to Bhaktapur first, then drives back across the valley to Patan. Bhaktapur is the further of the two, about 12 km from Kathmandu according to one operator, so you do the longer morning drive and work your way home.
Kimkim puts the crossing at about 13 km and 30 to 60 minutes. Patan is about 5 km from Kathmandu, so your final drive back is short.
What will you see in Bhaktapur?
You’ll see three connected squares and the lanes between them. Allow for slow walking on old brick.
- Durbar Square: the 55 Window Palace and the Golden Gate, which was built between 1751 and 1754. Parts of the square were lost in the 1934 and 2015 earthquakes, and the Vatsala Devi temple fell in 2015.
- Taumadhi Square: Nyatapola, a five-tier temple completed in 1702, has survived several major earthquakes. Sources give its height as about 30 to 33 metres. Stone guardians flank the stairs, from wrestlers at the bottom through elephants and lions to goddesses at the top.
- Dattatreya Square: the Peacock Window is the carving people come to see.
- Pottery Square: one operator says the city ticket covers this working square. Whether you see potters at the wheel depends on the day.
The fee for the old city is the largest on this route. You pay it at the counter, as it isn’t part of the tour price, and you can read more in the Bhaktapur Durbar Square guide.
What will you see in Patan?
You’ll see a square of temples facing a former palace, with the Patan Museum inside it. Two hours covers both at an easy pace.
The Krishna Mandir, a 17th-century temple with 21 golden pinnacles, stands in the square. It was damaged in 2015 and restored in 2018. The Bhimsen Temple has three linked golden windows, but tourists and photographers can’t go inside it.
The Patan Museum fills Keshav Narayan Chowk, a former palace courtyard. It shows about 200 objects, mostly cast bronzes and gilt-copper work, and your square ticket covers it. Sundari Chowk, a restored courtyard added in 2017, holds the Tusha Hiti, a sunken royal bath. For more on what to look for, see our Patan Durbar Square guide.
How does this compare with similar tours?
The nearest alternatives are the Patan and Bhaktapur single-city tours, which trade one city for a village or temple stop.
| Tour | Time | Route | Best if |
|---|---|---|---|
| This tour | 7 to 8 hours | Bhaktapur, Patan | You want two old cities and one long walk |
| Bhaktapur day tour | 6 to 7 hours | Changu Narayan, Bhaktapur | You want a quieter day east of the city |
| Patan day tour | 6 to 7 hours | Patan, Bungamati, Khokana | You want village life as well as monuments |
The downside of this tour is the middle of the day. You spend up to an hour in the car crossing the valley, and you leave out the big religious sites.
Where does lunch fall?
Lunch falls in Bhaktapur at the end of the morning, so you can look for local specialities. You pay for it yourself.
Try juju dhau, Bhaktapur’s thick buffalo-milk yoghurt, usually set in clay pots. Your guide can suggest somewhere for a bigger meal on the day.
What can go wrong, and how does the day change?
The drive back across the valley is the main risk, as the crossing varies from 30 minutes to an hour even in the sources we read. If it runs long, Patan gets less time.
- Traffic: Kimkim warns that it makes the Bhaktapur to Patan drive slower than you might expect. The Ring Road’s busy stretches are still being widened, according to the Kathmandu Post in June 2026.
- Rain: monsoon normally runs from June to October, and old brick gets slippery. Patan’s museum is the best covered option on the route.
- Festival days: one operator warns these can close roads or fill the squares. You’ll move more slowly if so.
- Repairs: the Department of Archaeology counted 825 of 920 damaged sites nationally as reconstructed in August 2026, so expect some work in progress.
- Tuesdays: the National Art Museum in Bhaktapur is closed, says the Nepal Tourism Board.
On a private tour, you can change the pace on the day. Ask your guide to cut a square short if you’d rather spend longer in the lanes.
