Kathmandu

The world's largest stupa (UNESCO) is most powerful at dawn — pilgrims turning prayer wheels in the mist, butter lamps flickering in the surrounding monasteries, and monks beginning their morning rituals. Walk the circumambulation path clockwise three times.

A 2,500-year-old hilltop stupa overlooking Kathmandu Valley — the all-seeing Buddha eyes on the golden spire are Nepal's most iconic image. Monkeys roam freely. Best at dawn or dusk when the valley panorama is clearest.

One of Hinduism's holiest Shiva temples — only Hindus may enter the main temple, but the surrounding ghats along the Bagmati River where open-air cremations take place are open to all and profoundly moving. Sadhus gather here year-round.

The finest medieval square in Nepal — a UNESCO complex of 17th-century temples, the remarkable Patan Museum of Buddhist and Hindu bronze sculpture, and the Krishna Mandir stone temple built in 1637 entirely without mortar.

A 45-min flight or 7hr bus to Pokhara — the lakeside city beneath Annapurna (8,091m) and Fishtail Mountain. The Poon Hill trek (3 days from Pokhara) gives the most iconic Himalayan sunrise panorama without requiring high-altitude acclimatisation.

The best-preserved medieval city in Nepal — a 55 Durbar Square, the 55-window palace, and the pottery square where traditional Newari potters still work by hand. 30 minutes from Kathmandu, a separate city entry fee applies.