Bhaktapur, 1,401 m
Locals call the potters' square Kumha Tole or Talakwo. Wheels turn at ground level, and water jars, lamps and bowls dry in rows across the middle of the square. There is a training center here, and you can take a turn at a wheel.
Photo: Kerensa Pickett
07:30
Bhaktapur is best early, while potters are at their wheels and the curd shops are opening. Start at the Golden Gate, finished in 1754, and find the bullet hole in King Bhupatindra Malla's statue, left by the Gorkha army in 1769.
Photo: Emre Yurttakalın / Pexels
Taumadhi
The same king built Nyatapola between 25 December 1701 and 15 July 1702. Its five roofs stand on five plinths, and it came through the earthquakes of 1934 and 2015.
Photo: Sanjeev Shakya / Unsplash
The stair
Pairs of guardians line the stair up Nyatapola, and each pair is said to be ten times stronger than the one below it. Count them on the way up; the two goddesses stand highest.
Photo: loki TGM / Pexels
Lunch
A Newar lunch here ends with juju dhau, the king curd. It is made from buffalo milk and set in unglazed clay pots that draw the water out, so it stands thick and faintly sweet. It travels badly, which is why you eat it in Bhaktapur.
Photo: Sajan Rajbahak
Planning
It is the farthest of the three royal cities from Kathmandu and the most complete. Arrive by 07:30, walk the square, the potters and Taumadhi, and be back at your hotel for an unhurried afternoon.
Photo: Stan Tuladhar / Unsplash