Khatmand to Kolkata Flights

Tips for travellers from India

Thamel is useful for restaurants, trekking services and a walk towards Kathmandu Durbar Square. A stay around Boudhanath instead favours the stupa neighbourhood and the eastern side of the city. Patan and Bhaktapur have their own heritage centres across the valley, so they need separate plans rather than being treated as adjacent sections of Kathmandu’s Durbar Square. Tribhuvan Airport is on the eastern side, which can make Boudhanath or Pashupatinath a more logical first outing than a cross-city drive to Swayambhunath.

Pashupatinath restricts entry to the main temple to Hindus; non-Hindu visitors can view permitted parts of the wider complex and riverside. This is a site-specific access rule, distinct from entry to the city’s public squares. Shivaratri brings particularly large pilgrim crowds to Pashupatinath in February or March, depending on the religious calendar. The Nepal Tourism Board publishes separate heritage admission categories, including SAARC rates, so carry the document needed to establish eligibility at ticketed sites. Swayambhunath involves a climb, whereas Boudhanath’s circuit is centred on the stupa at ground level. Pairing those two without considering traffic and the stair ascent can make a short day more demanding than expected. Around Durbar Square, palace courtyards and surrounding streets also require different visiting time.

What's new in Kolkata

• August 2025: A Yellow Line section from Noapara to Jai Hind (Biman Bandar) opened on 22 August 2025, giving the airport its first metro station.
• August 2025: On the same day the Green Line gap between Esplanade and Sealdah opened, so trains now run through from Howrah Maidan and Howrah station, under the Hooghly, to Sealdah and Salt Lake Sector V.
• January 2026: India's first Vande Bharat sleeper train started running between Howrah and Kamakhya in Guwahati on 17 January 2026, an overnight trip of about 14 hours.

Tips for travellers

Park Street and the streets around Esplanade suit a short trip, with New Market, the Maidan and the Victoria Memorial close by; Salt Lake and New Town are nearer the airport and the IT offices. The Blue Line metro is the fastest way north and south, and the Green Line now crosses the river to Howrah. Yellow Ambassador taxis still run on the meter alongside app cabs.

November to February brings dry, mild days. Durga Puja falls in September or October; during the five main days, roads near the large pandals close to traffic, hotel rates rise and flights fill early. Kali Puja and Diwali follow a few weeks later. Heavy monsoon showers from June to September can leave streets waterlogged. The Victoria Memorial museum is closed on Mondays. Expect long queues at Kalighat and Dakshineswar on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and leave footwear at the counters outside.