52 Places to Go in 2024
You could kit out a whole hippy boudoir from a five-minute shopping spree in Thamel, but shopping in Kathmandu is more sophisticated than just “Yak, Yak, Yak” t-shirts, chunky Tibetan jewelry, and knock-off North Face jackets. For a start, there are the camera shops on New Road, a famously inexpensive place to pick up the latest camera tech if you know what you’re after (and have razor-sharp bargaining skills).
Kathmandu’s malls, Lubim Mall, and Chhaya Center may seem modest if you’re used to the megamalls of Europe, the US, and Southeast Asia, but there are decent deals to be had, particularly for clothing. The shiny new City Centre in Kamalpokhari is the pick of the malls for day-to-day fashion; for upscale Nepali outfits (at upscale prices), head to the swooningly chic boutiques of Baber Mahal Revisited.