Patan lies just a few kilometres south of Kathmandu, separated by the Bagmati River — though the two cities are fast growing into one. Officially known as Lalitpur ("City of Beauty"), Patan is quieter and more walkable than its neighbour, with a centuries-old tradition of metalwork and handicrafts that still shapes its streets.
The centrepiece is Durbar Square, a dense cluster of Bahal temples, pagodas, shrines, and stone statues. The Golden Temple (Kwa Bahal) is the standout — its ornate gilt facade is one of the finest pieces of metalwork in the Kathmandu Valley. The square leads to the Patan Museum, housed in a former royal palace, which has an excellent collection on Nepalese cultural history and Buddhist art. The building itself is worth the visit even when the collection is closed — the carved doorway alone is remarkable.
Mangal Bazaar, at the edge of the square, remains the commercial heart of the old town. The surrounding streets are lined with metalwork and handicraft shops, quieter echoes of a time when these crafts were the backbone of the local economy.
Patan is one of the three medieval kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley — the others are Kathmandu itself and Bhaktapur to the east — and visiting all three in a single trip gives a sense of how the Valley's culture evolved under rival dynasties. Patan is easy to combine with a morning in Kathmandu; many travellers base themselves here precisely because it is less chaotic than Thamel.