Heritage sites, palaces and forts of Nepal
29 places of this kind across 26 districts of Nepal, from the Himal to the Terai. Filter by province or belt, or open any dot on the map.
29 places
Hidden gemChaudandigadhi
Udayapur, Koshi ProvinceHill fort of the Sen kings of Chaudandi, defeated in the Gorkha unification, now a ridge of ruins and temples.
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Hidden gemJanakpur–Jaynagar Railway
Dhanusha, Madhesh ProvinceNepal's only passenger railway, relaunched in 2022, running across the Mithila plains to the Indian border.
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Hidden gemSalhesh Fulbari
Siraha, Madhesh ProvinceThe flower garden of Raja Salhesh, folk hero of the Dalit communities of Mithila, where a tree is said to bloom only at his festival.
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Hidden gemSimraungadh
Bara, Madhesh ProvinceRuins of the medieval capital of the Karnat kings of Mithila, with scattered temples, ponds and sculpture.
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Kathmandu Durbar Square
Kathmandu, Bagmati ProvinceThe old royal palace of Hanuman Dhoka and its temple squares, home of the Kumari, the living goddess.
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Garden of Dreams
Kathmandu, Bagmati ProvinceA restored neo-classical Rana garden of the 1920s, a calm green refuge on the edge of Thamel.
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Patan Durbar Square
Lalitpur, Bagmati ProvinceThe finest collection of Newar architecture in the valley: palace courtyards, stone temples and the superb Patan Museum.
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Bhaktapur
Bhaktapur, Bagmati ProvinceThe best-preserved medieval city of the valley: the five-storey Nyatapola temple, the 55-Window Palace and potters' squares.
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Hidden gemPanauti
Kavrepalanchok, Bagmati ProvinceA small, intact Newar town at a sacred river confluence, with a 13th-century Indreshwar temple and Nepal's first community homestays.
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Nuwakot Durbar
Nuwakot, Bagmati ProvincePrithvi Narayan Shah's seven-storey fortress palace above the Trishuli, from where he planned the conquest of Kathmandu.
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Hidden gemRasuwagadhi Fort
Rasuwa, Bagmati ProvinceA 19th-century stone fort on the Tibetan border, guarding the old Kathmandu–Kyirong trade route.
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Hidden gemSindhuligadhi
Sindhuli, Bagmati ProvinceThe hill fort where Gorkhali soldiers routed Captain Kinloch's East India Company force in 1767.
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Hidden gemMakwanpur Gadhi
Makwanpur, Bagmati ProvinceHilltop ruins of the Sen kings' fort, taken by Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1762 after defeating Mir Qasim's army.
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Hidden gemUpardang Gadhi
Chitwan, Bagmati ProvinceAn 18th-century hill fort on the ridge above Chitwan, built during the unification wars, with sweeping views.
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International Mountain Museum
Kaski, Gandaki ProvinceExhibits on the Himalaya's peaks, climbers, geology and mountain peoples, with a practice climbing wall.
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Lo Manthang and Upper Mustang
Mustang, Gandaki ProvinceThe walled capital of the old Kingdom of Lo, in a desert of red cliffs and cave dwellings north of the Himalaya.
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Gorkha Durbar
Gorkha, Gandaki ProvinceThe hilltop palace-fort where Prithvi Narayan Shah was born and began the unification of Nepal.
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Bandipur
Tanahun, Gandaki ProvinceA car-free Newar hill bazaar of the 19th century, perfectly preserved on a ridge with a Himalayan skyline.
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Lumbini, birthplace of the Buddha
Rupandehi, Lumbini ProvinceThe sacred garden where Siddhartha Gautama was born, marked by the Maya Devi temple and Emperor Ashoka's pillar of 249 BCE.
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Hidden gemDevdaha
Rupandehi, Lumbini ProvinceThe ancient Koliya kingdom, maternal home of Queen Maya Devi, where the Buddha spent time as a child.
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Tilaurakot (Kapilavastu)
Kapilvastu, Lumbini ProvinceRuins of the Shakya capital where Prince Siddhartha lived for 29 years before leaving through its eastern gate.
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Hidden gemNiglihawa, Gotihawa and Kudan
Kapilvastu, Lumbini ProvinceAshoka pillars and stupas marking the birthplaces of earlier Buddhas, and Kudan where the Buddha met his father.
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Hidden gemRamagrama Stupa
Parasi, Lumbini ProvinceAn unexcavated brick mound believed to be the only original stupa still holding relics of the Buddha.
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Hidden gemRani Mahal
Palpa, Lumbini ProvinceA white 1890s palace on the bank of the Kali Gandaki, built by a Rana general in memory of his wife — the 'Taj Mahal of Nepal'.
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Hidden gemSinja Valley
Jumla, Karnali ProvinceThe capital of the medieval Khasa Malla empire and the cradle of the Nepali language, with ruins and ancient inscriptions.
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Hidden gemJajarkot Durbar
Jajarkot, Karnali ProvinceThe palace of the former Jajarkot kingdom, one of the Baise states, on a ridge above the Bheri river.
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Hidden gemKakrebihar
Surkhet, Karnali ProvinceThe stone ruins of a 12th–13th century temple complex in a forest above Birendranagar, with Buddhist and Hindu carvings.
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Mangalsen Durbar
Achham, Sudurpashchim ProvinceThe hilltop palace of the old Achham kingdom, rebuilt after being burned in the civil war.
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Hidden gemAjaymerukot
Dadeldhura, Sudurpashchim ProvinceRuins of the palace-fort of the Doti kings on a forested ridge, the first capital of the far-western kingdom.
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