The boys behind BARC—the first Nepali bar on Asia’s 50 Best list and 2025 recipient of the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award—are about to open a 12-seater cocktail bar, Swotha, in a tucked-away alley in Patan, dedicated to the local, rice-derived spirit aylā. Michelin-starred Old Nepal Tokyo, known for modern menus inspired by 20 years of culinary field work across Nepal, is shutting shop in Japan and moving to Patan. Expect popups in the summer of 2026 as it searches for new digs, and make sure to also visit Jun Chiya Ghar, to sip on organic small-batch teas sourced by a variety of Michelin-starred establishments.

Travelers, however, should also sample staple dishes in classic Patan locations: black dal pancakes (bara) topped with buffalo meat at Honacha, a hole-in-the-wall, family-run eatery, just a few feet from UNESCO Heritage Site Patan Durbar Square; or bowls of chilled laphing noodles, rolled up with chili oil and covered with crushed Wai Wai at Binu’s, a narrow five-story restaurant with views of a centuries-old rainwater pond, stupa, and temple.

How to plan it: Both spring and autumn are high seasons, offering comfortable weather and clear views of the valley mountains. However, the monsoon off-season is also special, when summer showers on muggy days cleanse relatively empty temples and monuments. Stay at heritage guesthouses like Newa Chen, a 300-year-old home turned Unesco conservation project, complete with narrow wooden staircases and a cobblestone courtyard. Traffic varies but Patan is an approximately 40-minute, government-certified, pre-paid taxi ride from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport. —Julian Manning

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