Kathmandu airport is 5 km from Thamel and the drive takes 20 to 40 minutes. The prepaid taxi desk is about NPR 900; a ride-hailing app is nearer NPR 600 if you walk out to the car park.
- Thamel is 5.5 km from the airport and the time is entirely about traffic - 20 minutes early, 40 mid-afternoon.
- The prepaid taxi desk in the arrivals hall is about NPR 900, fixed and with no haggling; a ride-hailing app is nearer NPR 500 to NPR 700.
- Ride-hailing drivers cannot pick up at the terminal door - expect a walk to the car park and a phone call.
- Taxis take cash in rupees only, so change enough for the taxi and the first day at the arrivals-hall counters, and ask for small notes.
- Allow an hour and a half from wheels down to kerb on a busy evening: immigration, baggage, then a customs X-ray of everything.
Tribhuvan International (KTM) to the city
| Option | Cost | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel pickup | NPR 800 to NPR 1,500, often free | 20 to 40 min | Arranged when you book. The least friction on a first night |
| Prepaid taxi desk | about NPR 900 to Thamel | 20 to 40 min | In the arrivals hall, fixed price, no haggling |
| Pathao or InDrive | NPR 500 to NPR 700 | 20 to 40 min | Cheapest, but you walk out to meet the driver |
| Street taxi at the gate | NPR 1,000 upwards | 20 to 40 min | Meters are never used. Agree the price first |
- Thamel is 5.5 km away and the time is entirely about traffic. Mid-afternoon it can take 40 minutes.
- Taxis take cash in rupees only. Nothing at the rank takes a card.
- The prepaid desk charges more after 21:00 and more again for air conditioning. It is still the calmest option at midnight.
- Ride-hailing drivers cannot pick up at the terminal door. The app will point you to the car park or the road outside; expect a short walk and a phone call.
Getting rupees before you leave the terminal
- There are ATMs and exchange counters in the arrivals hall, past immigration and baggage.
- Change enough for the taxi and the first day - a few thousand rupees - and no more. Airport rates are poor.
- The visa counter is before all of this, which is why dollars for the visa fee cannot be an afterthought.
- Ask for small notes. Nobody at 23:00 has change for a NPR 1,000 note.
The arrival, honestly
- Immigration, then baggage, then a customs X-ray of everything. Allow an hour and a half from wheels down to kerb on a busy evening.
- The porters in the hall expect a tip if they take your bag. NPR 200 is generous; refuse politely if you do not want the help.
- Keep your bags where you can see them, in the hall and at the kerb.
- The domestic terminal is a separate building a few minutes' walk away, which matters if you are connecting to Pokhara.
The other airports
- Pokhara (PKR) has a new international terminal with almost no international flights; in practice you arrive from Kathmandu. The lakeside is 15 minutes and about NPR 500 by taxi.
- Bhairahawa (BWA), for Lumbini, is the same story.
- Manthali (Ramechhap) is not somewhere you fly into - it is where the Lukla flights leave from in season. See getting around.
Comments
No comments yet. Share the first one.
Share a tip
Sign in to continue.