How to reach Kathmandu, Nepal, from abroad?

Fly into Tribhuvan International Airport. There are no direct flights from Europe, North America or Australia, so you connect once through a hub such as Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Delhi. Expect 12 to 24 hours door to door.

How to get to Kathmandu from US cities?

Book a one-stop itinerary through a Gulf or Asian hub, as there is no non-stop service from North America. Book months ahead for October and April, when fares spike.

How to reach Kathmandu by air within Nepal?

Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines and others fly from Pokhara, Bhairahawa, Biratnagar and Bhadrapur in 25 to 55 minutes, for roughly USD 60–120.

How to get Kathmandu cheaply from India?

Go overland. Via Sunauli, the trip from Gorakhpur costs about INR 800–1,500 all in. It is cheap but slow, at 8 to 12 hours from Gorakhpur.

How To Get To Kathmandu: Routes, Time & Cost 2026

Q: How to reach Kathmandu from India?

Fly non-stop from Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru (about 1 hour 45 minutes from Delhi, from roughly INR 5,000 one way), or travel overland through Sunauli, Raxaul, Kakarbhitta or Banbasa.

Q: How to reach Kathmandu from India by road?

Take Indian transport to the border, cross on foot or by vehicle, and continue by Nepali bus or shared jeep. Sunauli is the easiest crossing, Raxaul is the most direct from Bihar, and direct buses run from Delhi and Varanasi.

Q: Do Indians need a visa to go to Kathmandu?

No. Indian nationals can travel on a passport or original voter ID. Aadhaar is not accepted for flights.

You can get to Kathmandu by the Tribhuvan International Airport and six practical land crossings from India. There is no rail link into Nepal, so every overland route ends in a road journey. For most travelers, working out how to get to Kathmandu is simple: fly. If you are coming from India, or are already inside Nepal, the options are worth weighing properly. This guide covers how to reach Kathmandu, Nepal, by air and by road, with the time and cost of each route.

How to get to Kathmandu at a glance

Route	Time	Best for
Long-haul flight via a hub	12–24 hrs door to door	Europe, North America, Australia
Non-stop flight from India	About 1 hr 45 min from Delhi	Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru
Domestic flight within Nepal	25–55 min	Pokhara, Bhairahawa, Biratnagar, Bhadrapur
Overland via an India–Nepal border	8–16+ hrs from the border region	Budget travellers in north and east India
Direct India–Kathmandu bus	About 21–30 hrs	Delhi and Varanasi, no transfers

How to reach Kathmandu by air

Long-haul flights to Kathmandu go through a hub

There are no direct flights to Kathmandu from Europe, North America or Australia, so almost every long-haul traveller connects once. What to expect:

• Hubs: Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Delhi or a Chinese gateway.

• Airport: you land at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA, code KTM) on the eastern edge of the city.

• Airlines: Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, FlyDubai and others run regular international flights to Kathmandu.

• Journey time: one stop and 12 to 24 hours door to door, depending on your origin and layover.

If you are planning how to get to Kathmandu from the US, the same rule applies: there is no non-stop service, so pick a one-stop routing through a Gulf or Asian hub and compare the total journey time, not just the fare.

Planning tip: Airfare to Kathmandu spikes sharply for October and April, the two peak travel months, and it spikes early. If you are travelling in either window, book months rather than weeks ahead. It is the single biggest saving available on a Nepal trip.

How to go Kathmandu from India by air

Flying is the quickest way to reach Kathmandu from India, and it is cheap:

• Routes: non-stop services from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, with Varanasi and other routes operating seasonally.

• Flight time: Delhi to Kathmandu takes about 1 hour 45 minutes.

• Airlines: IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express and Nepal Airlines fly the Delhi route several times a day.

• ID: Indian nationals do not need a visa and can travel on a passport or original voter ID. Aadhaar is not accepted for flights, which catches people out at check-in rather than at the border.

Domestic flights if you are already in Nepal

Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines and others link Pokhara, Bhairahawa, Biratnagar and Bhadrapur to Kathmandu in 25 to 55 minutes. On most of these routes the alternative is a long, winding highway drive, which is why the flights are worth the money.

Planning tip: Domestic schedules are weather-dependent, badly so during the monsoon and in winter fog. Never book a tight same-day connection onto an international departure. Leave a night in Kathmandu as a buffer.

How to reach Kathmandu from India by road

If you want to know how to reach Kathmandu by road, the answer is one of four main border crossings. Each works the same way: reach the border by Indian transport, walk or drive across, and pick up Nepali transport on the far side. None is fast. All are cheap.

The four main India–Nepal border crossings

Crossing	Reached from	Time to Kathmandu	Best for
Sunauli / Bhairahawa	Gorakhpur by train, then bus (3–4 hrs)	8–12 hrs from Gorakhpur	Delhi, Varanasi, eastern UP
Raxaul / Birgunj	Patna by bus or taxi (4–6 hrs)	12–16 hrs total	Bihar, Bodh Gaya, Kolkata
Panitanki / Kakarbhitta	Siliguri or New Jalpaiguri by shared jeep (1 hr)	14–16 hrs from Kakarbhitta	Darjeeling, Sikkim, the Northeast
Banbasa / Mahendranagar	Bareilly, Haldwani or Rudrapur	Usually broken over two days	Uttarakhand, western UP

What to know at each crossing

Crossing	Advice
Sunauli / Bhairahawa	The busiest and most straightforward. Cross early, between 06:00 and 08:00, to catch the direct tourist buses that leave Bhairahawa around 07:00–08:00. Ignore the touts and money changers and walk straight to immigration.
Raxaul / Birgunj	The most direct route from Bihar. The onward bus takes 6 to 8 hours; a shared jeep cuts it to 4 or 5. Night buses arrive in Kathmandu early in the morning.
Panitanki / Kakarbhitta	A genuinely long day and worth breaking. The better option is a two-hour bus to Biratnagar, then a 45-minute flight for the last leg.
Banbasa / Mahendranagar	The least-used of the main crossings, with the slowest onward road. Only worth it if you are already in Uttarakhand.

Direct India–Nepal buses that skip the transfers

Two bus services run all the way through to Kathmandu. They remove every vehicle change, at the cost of a very long sit.

Service	Departs from	Journey	Notes
Indo-Nepal Maitri Bus Sewa (Delhi Transport Corporation)	Dr Ambedkar Stadium terminal, Delhi	1,150 km in about 30 hrs, crossing at Sunauli	Air-conditioned; runs on a fixed schedule, not daily
Varanasi–Kathmandu overnight bus	Varanasi, 22:00 departure	About 21 hrs	Air-conditioned; book online or at the Varanasi bus stand. Shorter than routing via Delhi and the most popular overland option for Indian travellers

Getting from Tribhuvan International Airport into the city

Once you land, the last step is the short ride from Tribhuvan International Airport to your hotel:

• Distance: TIA is about 6 km from the centre.

• Time: 25 to 40 minutes to Thamel, depending on traffic.

• Ride-hailing apps: cheaper, but they need a local number.

• SIM card: buy one at the Ncell or NTC counter in the arrivals hall before you leave the terminal.