Kathmandu gay bar

Here's our gay travel guide to Kathmandu, with all the best gay friendly hotels, bars, restaurants and things to do. That was our first impression of Kathmandu as we drove into the city from the airport to our hotel in Thamel. The traffic was all over the place, with people, motorbikes, two-wheelers, taxis, and buses all negotiating tight narrow roads… yet somehow it all works seamlessly!

We completely fell in love with Kathmandu.

Gay Nepal: the complete guide for LGBTQ travelers

Yes, it's messy and slightly kathmandu, but there's something magical about it that just gets in your skin and makes you quickly fall in love with it. Kathmandu was our base to start our Himalayan trekking adventures around Nepal. Most gay travelers heading to the city are here for the same reason. The center of the city is a labyrinth of businesses geared towards trekkers including agencies, trekking clothes shops, hostels, bars, restaurants, and more.

Thanks to the large international trekking community, a small gay scene also thrives in Kathmandu. In this gay guide to Kathmandu, we've put together all our first-hand discoveries of the city's finest gay-friendly hotels, bars, restaurants, and more. Heads up: We just wanted to let you know that this post contains affiliate links.

That means if you book something through one of those links, we'll get a small commission, at no extra cost to you. It helps us keep our blog going — so thank you in advance for your support! As a foreigner, absolutely. The tourism industry is such big business in Kathmandu that all foreigners, whether straight or gay, are treated with a high level of respect.

As a gay couple, we never experienced any homophobia and only ever felt welcomed by all hotels we stayed in and all locals we met. We certainly rate Nepal as one of the most gay friendly places in Asia. However, as with most places across the continent, there is a disparity between the way LGBTQ locals are treated compared to foreigners.

Many local gay gay we met told us how conservative Nepali society is. So much so that many guys stay in the closet or lead double lives — marrying a woman in order to please their families. To find out more, read our interview with local boy Tilak about what gay life in Nepal is really like. Kathmandu has a whole bunch of excellent gay friendly hotels to suit all budgets.

We tried several and never felt any judgment or unwelcome glances. We've set out below a few gay our favorites including a luxury option, a mid-range boutique and the best budget pick. It's super impressive here. The Kathmandu Marriott is one of the city's best luxury kathmandu friendly bar.

It's not bar, to be honest: the Marriott brand is world-famous for making LGBT inclusion a top priority. There's a choice of super elegant rooms, some even with a spectacular mountain view.