How do I get around Kathmandu?

Pathao is the app. Not Uber, not Grab, not Bolt. Download it before you land at Tribhuvan International, because the airport's pre-paid taxi counter charges a fixed 700 NPR to Thamel (about $4.60 at 150.93 NPR per dollar), while Pathao runs 400-500 NPR for the same 7-km route. That said, at 2 AM after a delayed connection from Doha or Delhi, the pre-paid counter is worth the extra 200-300 NPR. You hand the slip to a driver at the stand and you're moving within 5 minutes, no SIM card needed. For the return trip to Tribhuvan, book Pathao 45 minutes before your departure window. The Ring Road between Thamel and the airport chokes near Koteshwor and Sinamangal during morning and evening rush, and what Google Maps shows as 20 minutes regularly stretches past 50. InDrive also operates in Kathmandu and sometimes quotes lower, but Pathao has more drivers and shorter waits around Thamel and Lazimpat.

Your feet cover the Thamel-to-Durbar-Square axis fine. The distance is 1.5 km, about 20 minutes. Thamel north to Lazimpat takes 15 minutes. But 'walkable' in Kathmandu carries a different meaning than in Singapore or Tokyo. Sidewalks appear and vanish mid-block, and on Tridevi Marg motorcycles weave past close enough to brush your sleeve. During dry months (October through May), fine grey dust coats your throat within an hour of leaving Thamel. During monsoon (June through September), ankle-deep puddles form on roads that looked passable 10 minutes earlier, so pack closed shoes with grip. The smell of sandalwood incense drifts from corner shrines along Basantapur and mixes with two-stroke exhaust. The sound of horns runs constant from about 6 AM to 10 PM. Mind you, walking between Thamel and Basantapur still tends to be faster than sitting in the same traffic on four wheels. A Pathao bike (motorcycle taxi) costs 80-150 NPR for most trips within the Ring Road.

Tempos and microbuses are how Kathmandu actually moves. The green three-wheeled tempos run fixed routes for 15-25 NPR. Microbuses cost 20-30 NPR. The catch for first-time visitors is that routes are not posted in English, stops are unmarked, and vehicles halt only when a passenger shouts. Unless you've spent a week learning the Ratnapark-to-Kalanki routes from your guesthouse staff, the system is effectively invisible. Worth noting, Sajha Yatayat is the exception. This public bus service runs larger vehicles on fixed schedules between Lagankhel in Patan and Budhanilkantha, with stops at Ratnapark and Lazimpat. Sajha buses display English route maps on the windshield and run every 15-20 minutes during the day. A single ride costs 20-35 NPR.

For the Durbar Square circuit beyond Basantapur, Pathao or a hired car is the move. Patan Durbar Square sits 5 km south of Thamel across the Bagmati River, a 30-minute Pathao ride for 200-300 NPR. Bhaktapur Durbar Square is 13 km east and costs 500-700 NPR by Pathao, though a full-day hired car with driver (3,000-4,000 NPR, about $20-26) lets you combine Bhaktapur, Changu Narayan, and Nagarkot in one loop. Negotiate the day rate at your Thamel hotel before departure, not at the Bhaktapur ticket window. Tourist buses to Bhaktapur leave from the Ratnapark bus stand around 7 AM for 100 NPR, but return times are rigid. Pashupatinath Temple sits 6 km east of Thamel, a 150-250 NPR Pathao ride. The road passes Boudhanath Stupa, so combining both in a single afternoon saves a second fare and a second negotiation.