Thamel is Kathmandu's travellers' quarter: a maze of narrow lanes packed with hotels, restaurants, cafés, bookshops and trekking-gear stores. It is the most convenient place to stay before and after a trek, and it has accommodation for every budget, from a five-star hotel to simple family guesthouses.
Quick answer: Aloft Kathmandu is Thamel's five-star hotel; Thamel Plaza (Ramada Encore) and Hotel Manang are four-star; Fairfield by Marriott and Hotel Mulberry are three-star. For character, try the Kathmandu Guest House or Kantipur Temple House. For quiet, choose a hotel in Paknajol, Chhetrapati or Jyatha rather than the central lanes.
Five-star
- Aloft Kathmandu, Amrit Marg.
- The Malla Hotel, Lekhnath Marg, on the northern edge of Thamel.
Four-star
- Thamel Plaza Hotels & Suites (Ramada Encore), Z-Street.
- Hotel Manang.
Three-star
- Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu, Tridevi Marg.
- Hotel Mulberry, Jyatha, with a rooftop pool.
- Hotel Marshyangdi, Chaksibari Marg.
- Hotel Moonlight, Paknajol.
- Hotel Vaishali.
- Surya Heritage Hotel, Kapurbot.
Two-star and one-star
- Norbulinka Boutique Hotel, Tibet Guest House, Hotel Tayoma and Hotel Thamel (two-star).
- Hotel Buddha, Chaksibari Marg, and Hotel Garuda (one-star).
Boutique hotels and guesthouses (tourist standard)
HAN's tourist standard category includes many of Thamel's best-loved small hotels:
- Kathmandu Guest House, Satghumti: a Thamel institution since 1967, set around gardens.
- Kantipur Temple House, Jyatha: built in traditional Newar style.
- Nepali Ghar Hotel, Amrit Marg.
- Kumari Boutique Hotel and Taleju Boutique Hotel, Jyatha.
- Mandala Boutique Hotel and Kathmandu Prince Hotel, Chhetrapati.
- Dalai-la Boutique Hotel, Chaksibari.
- Royal Penguin Boutique Hotel, JP Road.
- Samsara Boutique Hotel, Apsara Boutique Hotel and The Address Kathmandu Hotel.
- Hotel Metropolitan Kantipur, Kathmandu Friendly Home, Kathmandu Suite Home and New Hotel Panda, Paknajol.
- Kathmandu Garden Home, Shree Ratna Marg.
- Hotel Holy Himalaya, Hotel Everest Nepal, Hotel Blue Diamond, Fuji Hotel and Kantipur Village, Jyatha.
- Potala Guest House and Hotel Everest Mount Holiday, Chhetrapati.
- Pacific Guest House and Hotel Lapha, Lainchaur.
- Hotel Jampa, Bhagwati Marg.
- Hotel Encounter Nepal, Samakhusi.
- Backyard Hotel, Hotel Blue Horizon, Hotel Excelsior, Hotel Nepalaya, Hotel Arts Kathmandu, Hotel Thamel Lily, Hotel Yambu and Sunrise Cottage.
Thamel's neighbourhoods
| Area | What it's like |
|---|---|
| Central Thamel (Thamel Chowk, Z-Street, JP Road) | The busiest lanes, with bars and live music late into the night |
| Paknajol and Kaldhara | Quieter, slightly uphill, with views over the city |
| Jyatha and Chhetrapati | Old neighbourhoods south of Thamel, closer to Asan and Durbar Square |
| Satghumti and Lainchaur | Calmer streets near the Garden of Dreams and Lazimpat |
Tips for staying in Thamel
- Ask for a room away from the street if you are a light sleeper.
- Thamel is walkable to the Garden of Dreams and Kathmandu Durbar Square.
- Rent or buy trekking gear in Thamel's shops; see our gear guide.
- See our Thamel nightlife guide.
Hotel directory: categories, rooms and facilities
All 54 Hotel Association Nepal members we list for this area, with their official category, address, number of rooms and main facilities as published by the association. Room numbers are shown where HAN lists them.
| Hotel | Category | Address | Rooms | Facilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aloft Kathmandu | Five-star | Chhaya Devi Complex, Amrit marg, Thamel, Kathmandu | 167 | pool, spa, gym, airport shuttle |
| Hotel Manang | Four-star | Thamel, Kathmandu | 61 | pool, spa, gym, restaurant, airport shuttle, hot tub |
| Thamel Plaza Hotels & Suites (Ramada Encore) | Four-star | Z street, Thamel-16, Kathmandu | 61 | pool, spa, gym, bar, restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu | Three-star | Tridevi Sadak, Thamel | 115 | gym, bar, restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Hotel Marshyangdi | Three-star | Chaksibari Marg, Thamel, Kathmandu | 80 | spa, restaurant |
| Hotel Moonlight | Three-star | Paknajol-16, Thamel, Kathmandu | 69 | spa, bar, airport shuttle, wheelchair access |
| Hotel Mulberry | Three-star | Jyatha, Thamel, Kathmandu | – | pool, gym, airport shuttle |
| Hotel Vaishali | Three-star | Thamel, Kathmandu | 93 | pool, bar, restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Surya Heritage Hotel | Three-star | Thamel-26, Kapurbot, Kathmandu | – | bar |
| Hotel Tayoma | Two-star | Thamel, Kathmandu | 37 | bar, restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Hotel Thamel | Two-star | Thamel, Kathmandu | 47 | pool, gym, bar, restaurant, airport shuttle, wheelchair access |
| Norbulinka Boutique Hotel | Two-star | Thamel Kathmandu | 36 | bar, restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Tibet Guest House | Two-star | Thamel, Kathmandu | 70 | restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Hotel Buddha | One-star | Chaksibari Marg, Thamel Kathmandu | – | – |
| Hotel Ganesh Himal | One-star | Chhetrapati, Kathmandu | 30 | restaurant |
| Hotel Garuda | One-star | Thamel, Kathmandu | 23 | restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Apsara Boutique Hotel | Tourist standard | Thamel, Kathmandu | – | bar, restaurant |
| Backyard Hotel | Tourist standard | Thamel, Kathmandu | – | restaurant |
| Dalai-la Boutique Hotel | Tourist standard | Chaksibari, Thamel, Kathmandu | 25 | gym |
| Fuji Hotel | Tourist standard | Jyatha, Thamel Kathmandu | 45 | restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Hotel Arts Kathmandu | Tourist standard | Thamel, Kathmandu | – | spa, restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Hotel Blue Diamond | Tourist standard | Jyatha, Thamel Kathmandu | 40 | bar, restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Hotel Blue Horizon | Tourist standard | Thamel, Kathmandu | 43 | restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Hotel Encounter Nepal | Tourist standard | Samakhusi Marga, Thamel (Galkopakha) | – | spa, bar, restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Hotel Everest Mount Holiday | Tourist standard | Chhetrapati, Thamel | – | restaurant |
| Hotel Everest Nepal | Tourist standard | Thamel, jyatha, Kathmandu | 26 | – |
| Hotel Excelsior | Tourist standard | Thamel, Kathmandu | 48 | bar, restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Hotel Family Home | Tourist standard | JP street, Kathmandu | 11 | airport shuttle |
| Hotel Holy Himalaya | Tourist standard | Barmakumari marg, Jyatha, Thamel | 55 | spa, bar, restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Hotel Jampa | Tourist standard | Bhagwati Marg, Thamel Kathmandu | – | restaurant |
| Hotel Lapha | Tourist standard | Lainchour, Thamel, Kathmandu | 25 | – |
| Hotel Metropolitan Kantipur | Tourist standard | Paknajol, Thamel | 13 | restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Hotel Nepalaya | Tourist standard | Thamel, Kathmandu | 4 | spa, bar, restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Hotel Thamel Lily | Tourist standard | Z- Street, Thamel, Kathmandu | – | bar, restaurant |
| Hotel Yambu | Tourist standard | Thamel, Kathmandu | 35 | bar, restaurant |
| Kantipur Temple House | Tourist standard | Jyatha, Thamel | – | restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Kantipur Village | Tourist standard | Jyatha, Thamel | – | – |
| Kathmandu Boutique Hotel | Tourist standard | Thamel Chhetrapati, Kathmandu | – | – |
| Kathmandu Friendly Home P Ltd | Tourist standard | Paknajol, Kaldhara, Thamel | – | airport shuttle |
| Kathmandu Garden Home | Tourist standard | Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Ward no 16, Shree Ratna Marg, Thamel, House no. 87, Kathmandu | – | restaurant |
| Kathmandu Guest House | Tourist standard | Satghumti, Thamel, Kathmandu | 99 | restaurant |
| Kathmandu Prince Hotel | Tourist standard | Chhetrapati, Thamel | – | bar, restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Kathmandu Suite Home | Tourist standard | Kaldhara Height, Paknajol, Thamel, Kathmandu | – | – |
| Kumari Boutique Hotel | Tourist standard | Jyatha, Kathmandu, Bagmati | – | – |
| Mandala Boutique Hotel | Tourist standard | Chhetrapati | – | bar, restaurant |
| Nepali Ghar Hotel | Tourist standard | 26-Amrit Marg, Thamel, Kathmandu | – | bar, restaurant |
| New Hotel Panda | Tourist standard | Paknajol, Kaldhara, Kathmandu | 19 | – |
| Pacific Guest House | Tourist standard | Lainchour, Thamel, Kathmandu | 20 | – |
| Potala Guest House | Tourist standard | Chhetrapati, Thamel | 63 | bar, restaurant, airport shuttle |
| Royal Penguin Boutique Hotel | Tourist standard | Thamel. J.P Road, Kathmandu | – | spa, gym, bar, restaurant, wheelchair access |
| Samsara Boutique Hotel | Tourist standard | Thamel, Kathmandu | – | restaurant |
| Sunrise Cottage | Tourist standard | Thamel, Kathmandu | 16 | – |
| Taleju Boutique Hotel | Tourist standard | Chhusya Galli, Jyatha Marg, Kathmandu | – | – |
| The Address Kathmandu Hotel | Tourist standard | Thamel, Kathmandu | – | bar, restaurant |
Categories follow the Hotel Association Nepal member directory (checked October 2026). The directory lists HAN members only.