The boys behind BARC—the primary Nepali bar on Asia’s 50 Best list and 2025 recipient of the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award—are about to open a 12-seater cocktail bar, Swotha, in a tucked-away alley in Patan, devoted to the native, rice-derived spirit aylā. Michelin-starred Old Nepal Tokyo, recognized for contemporary menus impressed by 20 years of culinary area work throughout Nepal, is shutting store in Japan and shifting to Patan. Expect popups in the summer time of 2026 because it searches for brand new digs, and ensure to additionally go to Jun Chiya Ghar, to sip on natural small-batch teas sourced by a wide range of Michelin-starred institutions.
Travelers, nonetheless, must also pattern staple dishes in basic Patan areas: black dal pancakes (bara) topped with buffalo meat at Honacha, a hole-in-the-wall, family-run eatery, just some toes from UNESCO Heritage Site Patan Durbar Square; or bowls of chilled laphing noodles, rolled up with chili oil and lined with crushed Wai Wai at Binu’s, a slim five-story restaurant with views of a centuries-old rainwater pond, stupa, and temple.
How to plan it: Both spring and autumn are excessive seasons, providing snug climate and clear views of the valley mountains. However, the monsoon low season can be particular, when summer time showers on muggy days cleanse comparatively empty temples and monuments. Stay at heritage guesthouses like Newa Chen, a 300-year-old dwelling turned Unesco conservation undertaking, full with slim wood staircases and a cobblestone courtyard. Traffic varies however Patan is an roughly 40-minute, government-certified, pre-paid taxi journey from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport. —Julian Manning
Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi
Go for: world-class cultural establishments