Stays in Patan Durbar Square

Patan Durbar Square is the best preserved of the valley's three royal squares — a tight assemblage of Krishna Mandir, the Patan Museum (one of the finest small museums in South Asia), and centuries-old Newari courtyard houses around Mangal Bazaar. Stays in this quarter are walks-out-the-door immersive: the Mahabouddha Temple's terracotta plaque-work is one street away, Yampi Bahal monastery and a half-dozen still-functioning artisan courtyards are within 5 minutes. The neighbourhood is car-restricted; vehicles drop off at the edges and you walk in. Apartments here are mostly conversions of Newari brick-and-tile houses, with internal courtyards and carved-wood window screens. The character premium is real — these are the most photographed stays in the valley.

• Stay inside a UNESCO World Heritage core
• Working Newari woodcarving and metalwork courtyards
• Patan Museum — one of South Asia’s best small museums
• Walks to Mahabouddha Temple, Yampi Bahal, Krishna Mandir
• Most photogenic apartment stays in the valley

Patan Durbar Square is the home of Newari fine craft. Functioning workshops within walking distance produce repoussé metalwork, lost-wax bronze casting, thangka painting, and woodcarving for monasteries from Bhutan to Mongolia. The Patan Museum (in the old royal palace) and the Patan Industrial Estate galleries on Kupondole let you see the supply chain end-to-end. The neighbourhood's restaurant scene is quieter than Jhamsikhel — a handful of rooftop cafés overlooking the square, and the Café Du Temple branches inside the museum complex. For deeper exploration, walk to Bungmati and Khokana, two villages 4 km south that are still working pottery and woodcarving communities. From Patan Durbar Square it's 15 minutes by taxi to Thamel via the Kupondole bridge; the airport is 25-30 minutes. Avoid the immediate inner courtyards if you're sensitive to dawn temple bells.