The most concentrated collection of Newari architecture anywhere, with a royal palace turned museum widely rated the best in Nepal.
The Patan Museum is included in the square ticket and is genuinely excellent — allow an hour for it alone. The metalworking workshops in the lanes behind still supply monasteries across the Himalaya.
Must visit
The old royal square in the middle of the city, with the Kumari's house, Hanuman Dhoka palace and…
Must visit
Nepal's holiest Hindu site, on the Bagmati, where open-air cremations take place on the ghats…
The traveller district: trekking gear, bookshops, thangka studios, momo houses and the agencies that…
Must visit
A hilltop stupa above the city, reached by 365 steps, with painted eyes on all four sides and a valley…