Settling Into Kathmandu: A Practical Setup Guide for Long-Stay Visitors

There's a difference between visiting Kathmandu and living in it, even for a couple of months. We host a lot of long-stayers — remote workers, researchers, NGO staff, people on sabbaticals, retirees spending a season — and the ones who settle in happily all do the same handful of practical things in their first week. Here's the setup guide we wish everyone had on arrival.

This is about the day-to-day machinery of living here. For the trip-planning side, our cost-of-living breakdown and monthly stays guide cover the numbers.

Week one: the essential setup

Do these first and everything else gets easier.

• Get a local SIM. Ncell or NTC, cheap, with plenty of data. It's your lifeline for taxis, deliveries, calls and a mobile backup for work. Our SIM and eSIM guide covers where and how.
• Sort your money. ATMs are everywhere but have per-withdrawal limits and fees; bring a couple of cards, carry cash (many places are cash-only), and know a reliable exchange. Details in our money in Kathmandu guide.
• Do a big supermarket run. Bhat-Bhateni for the bulk shop, local vendors for fresh produce. Sort your safe-water setup (jar refills or a filter) on day one. See cooking and groceries.
• Download the apps you'll actually use: a ride-hailing app (Pathao / InDrive), a food-delivery app, and a live AQI app for the dry-season mornings.
• Learn your neighbourhood on foot. Find your nearest kirana shop, pharmacy, ATM, vegetable vendor and café. This is what turns an address into a home.

Money and banking, honestly

For most stays under a few months you don't need a Nepali bank account — cards plus cash cover it. Key things to know:

• Cash is king for small shops, taxis, markets and street food. Keep small notes.
• ATMs cap withdrawals per transaction and charge a fee, so factor that in rather than being surprised.
• Cards work at supermarkets, mid-range restaurants and hotels, but not everywhere — never rely on card alone.
• Digital wallets (eSewa, Khalti) are widely used locally but usually need a Nepali number and sometimes local KYC; a long-stayer with an Ncell SIM can often set one up, which makes bill payments and top-ups easy.

Staying healthy and active

• Gyms and yoga. Kathmandu has plenty of gyms, yoga studios and fitness classes, especially in areas like Lazimpat, Jhamsikhel and Thamel. Monthly memberships are affordable. If wellness is your focus, see our yoga and wellness stays guide.
• Healthcare. The city has good private hospitals and clinics (Grande, Norvic, Mediciti and others) and widespread pharmacies where many medicines are available over the counter. Get travel/health insurance sorted before you come. Our staying-healthy guide covers water, air and clinics.
• Air quality. In the dry months (roughly Nov–Apr) the air is poor, worst on winter mornings. An air purifier for your apartment and an AQI app make a real difference — see air pollution by month.

Working and connectivity

If you're here to work remotely, the good news is Kathmandu is genuinely set up for it now:

• Fibre Wi-Fi is fast and widespread; the key detail is having the router on inverter backup so a storm outage doesn't kill a call. Our Wi-Fi and power guide is essential reading.
• Cafés and coworking give you a change of scene — see best cafés for remote work and our coworking vs apartment-desk piece.
• Time zone: Nepal is UTC+5:45 (yes, the 45 is real), which is workable with Europe and Asia and tough but doable with the Americas.

Visas for a longer stay

Most visitors arrive on a tourist visa (available on arrival) and extend it as needed at the Department of Immigration. If you're staying months, plan your extensions ahead — our visa extension walkthrough and tourist-visa-extension guide cover the process and limits. For work or study you'll need the appropriate visa arranged separately.

Finding your feet socially

The thing that turns a long stay from lonely to lovely:

• Café regulars. Pick a local café and become a regular — it's the easiest way to meet people and locals.
• Interest groups. There are running clubs, yoga communities, language exchanges, hiking groups and expat meetups; a bit of searching turns them up.
• Your neighbourhood. Long-stayers who shop local, learn a few Nepali greetings, and say hello to the same shopkeepers get folded into the fabric of a place quickly.

> The single best move a long-stayer makes: pick a walkable central neighbourhood and become a regular in it. Everything else follows.

Where a serviced apartment fits a long stay

This is exactly what we're built for. Our Lazimpat apartments are set up for people staying weeks or months: fibre Wi-Fi with the router on inverter backup, full kitchens for everyday cooking, laundry, real desks, self check-in, and genuine long-stay rates that drop the longer you book. Central and walkable, so you can build a neighbourhood routine — and a local family on hand to help you find the gym, the pharmacy, the good dal bhat spot. If you're settling in for a season, see the apartments and monthly rates and tell us your dates.

FAQ

Do I need a Nepali bank account to stay in Kathmandu for a few months?

Usually not. For stays up to a few months, a couple of cards plus cash cover almost everything, since many places are cash-only and ATMs are widespread (with per-withdrawal limits and fees). Local digital wallets like eSewa or Khalti are handy if you have a Nepali SIM.

Is Kathmandu good for remote work over a long stay?

Yes. Fibre Wi-Fi is fast and widespread, cafés and coworking spaces are plentiful, and the main thing to secure is an apartment with the Wi-Fi router on inverter backup so outages don't drop your calls. The UTC+5:45 time zone works well with Europe and Asia.

How do I extend my stay beyond a tourist visa?

Tourist visas are available on arrival and extended at the Department of Immigration, up to the annual limit. Plan extensions ahead if you're staying months; our visa-extension walkthrough covers the process. Work or study requires the appropriate visa arranged separately.

Are there gyms and yoga studios in Kathmandu?

Plenty, especially in Lazimpat, Jhamsikhel and Thamel, with affordable monthly memberships. Kathmandu also has a strong yoga and wellness scene — see our dedicated wellness-stays guide.

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Staying in Kathmandu? Our self-check-in serviced apartments in Lazimpat put you a short walk from the city's best cafés, restaurants and embassies — with fast fibre Wi-Fi, a full kitchen and inverter backup power. Book direct and skip the platform fees. See the apartments →