No visit to Kathmandu is complete without at least a walk through Tamel. Tamel has been the center of backpacking and western tourist-trade in Kathmandu for decades. The streets overflow with guest-houses, small shops, tea shops and lots of good restaurants. Be sure to bargain with shop owners for that perfect souvenir. A few places to make your stay in Kathmandu - before or after your trek or other tour of Nepal - to visit: 1) Fire Ice Pizza - a taste of home at the crossroads in Tamel 2) Tibet Guest House - just on the edge of Tamel and Chetrapati, this is a little oasis in town. 3) Kathmandu Guest House - one of the first places that catered to western guests - a bit worn but still a great destination. Be sure to spend time strolling through the all little lanes that snake through the Tamel district. A pleasant morning can be spent having tea, eating pancakes and catching up on your journal writing at any of the teahouses in the back alleys. Enjoy!!

Thamel is busy, colorful, crowded, and a lot of fun! There really is something for everyone there! You can definitely get your fix of western food, but there's also no shortage of other culinary treats from all over the world. The bakeries are great (Tip: 50% off after 8pm), and there's nothing like a good cup of masala chai first thing in the morning! You can buy just about anything you'd ever want (or think you want). We bought decent knock-off packs there for our trek so that we wouldn't have to carry our full-size packs with us, and we stocked up on all our gear for canyoning too. There are people there constantly trying to get you to book tours, buy things, and come into their shops, and this is all happening with rickshaws and taxis zooming by you on the narrow streets (which are more like alleys than the typical roads you're used to at home). Kathmandu really is an amazing city and having a place like Thamel makes it even better. :)

If you are tired of Dal-bat and other Nepali treats or if you have read all the books you brought along on your trip, Thamel is the place to go. There are some great bookshops, also with second hand books, and there are many restaurants that serve Western food and coffee! I have been back to Kathmandu many times but I have to go and visit Thamel everytime I am there, drink a coffee, have Danish or something else and do some shopping. Like everywhere els in Asia, haggle and don't pay the first price told to you. Enjoy Thamel!

If you are looking for a cheap place to stay and like minded backpackers this is the place for you. Thamel has a ton of Guest houses, restaurants, stores and bars to keep you busy for a few days. Warning if you are looking for peace and quite this is not the place for you. Thamel is a tourist trap but you should at least spend an afternoon strolling the alleyways. If you liked to get some cheap fake North Face this is the place. Enjoy the experience watch out for people trying to suck money out of you.

Every tourist who comes to Kathmandu once or another goes to Thamel. Here you can find alot of restaurants (Nepalese, Asian, Western, ... food) and bars. It is also an excellent place to shop for trekking materials and other souvenirs, but please try to bargain, it is after all the national sport so to speak!