Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal. This city is surrounded by 4 major mountains namely Shivapuri, Phulchoki, Nagarjun & Chandragiri. Kathmandu has a very rich history which is almost 2000 years old. Although the most celebrated festivals in Kathmandu is Tihar, Festival of Lights (known as Deepawali in India), the most popular festivals are Dashain, which is 15 day long religious festival and the Himalayan Blues Festival, which is one of the most acclaimed music festival in Kathmandu and is organized at one of the best venues like Garden of Dreams and Patan Museum. The most popular cuisine in Kathmandu is momos(dumpling)and almost every food joints has it in their menus. The famous hot beverage of this city is a tea called Chiya. It isa milky spiced tea similar to the Indian chai (tea). Kathmandu also hosts a number of adventure sports like trekking, rafting, jungle adventures etc.
Some of the main attractions of Kathmandu are Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath and Budhanilkantha. Among these temples, Pashupatinath Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The existence of this temple dates back to 400 B.C. The temple complex encompasses 518 temples and monuments. Swayambhunath is one of the ancient religious architecture site of Nepal and consists of a variety of shrines and temples. It is considered the most sacred among Buddhist pilgrimage sites.Apart from the beautiful carvings, this site is always crowded with monkeys. BoudhanathStupa is one of the largest in the world and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Budhanilkantha Temple, also known as the Narayanthan Temple, is an open air temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The main statue of this temple is considered the largest stone carving in Nepal.
Kathmandu's Durbar Square is the former royal Nepalese residence. This is the place where important ceremonies like the coronation of the Nepalese monarch took place. This area consists of temples, idols, open courts, water fountains, etc. Particularly, there are 3 Durbar Square which are Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square and Bhaktapur Durbar Square and all of them are UNESCO World Heritage sites. There is a Narayanhiti Palace Museumwhich is the former Royal palace.
The best time to visit Kathmandu is during the autumn months of September and November. For trekkers, the period of late September to early December proves to be ideal with clear skies and good views of the mountain ranges. Months of June to September can be avoided due to rains.