Swayambhunath Stupa

Kathmandu

Best seasonYear-round

About Swayambhunath Stupa

The 'Monkey Temple' on its valley-floor hill — Kathmandu's oldest sacred site, where the all-seeing Buddha eyes watch over the city. 365 steps up the eastern stairway.

Best season

Year-round

Getting there

10–15 min taxi from Thamel, or a pleasant 30–40 min walk.

Cultural etiquette

Circumambulate clockwise; keep food zipped away from the monkeys.

Similar & nearby

Religious Sites Kathmandu

Pashupatinath Temple

Hindu temple

Nepal's holiest Hindu shrine and a UNESCO site: the great Shiva temple on the Bagmati, its ghats, sadhus and evening aarati. The main sanctum is open to Hindus only; the wider complex welcomes all.

Best: Year-round, Maha Shivaratri festival (Feb/Mar)

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Religious Sites Kathmandu

Boudhanath Stupa

Buddhist stupa

One of the world's largest stupas and the heart of Nepal's Tibetan community — join the evening kora with pilgrims, butter lamps and rooftop cafés ringing the dome.

Best: Year-round, Losar (Tibetan New Year)

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Kopan MonasteryReligious Sites

Religious Sites Kathmandu

Kopan Monastery

Buddhist monastery

Famous teaching monastery on a hill north of Boudha — travellers join meditation courses from a day to a month; gardens and valley views even for casual visitors.

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Budhanilkantha (Sleeping Vishnu)Religious Sites

Religious Sites Kathmandu Valley

Budhanilkantha (Sleeping Vishnu)

Hindu temple

A 5 m stone Vishnu reclining on a bed of snakes in a sacred pond — carved from a single boulder some 1,400 years ago, at the foot of Shivapuri.

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Plan trip

Route-stop and itinerary details for Swayambhunath Stupa are still being verified by the NepalBuddy team and will appear here once confirmed.

NepalBuddy

Warming up the yaks…