Perhaps the best to begin your sightseeing of Kathmandu Valley is the Kathmandu Durbar Square. As you cross from the modern shopping area of New Road into the Hanuman Dhoka complex, you suddenly come face to face with Kathmandu's famed medieval architecture. This is the Kathmandu of the old, from where Kings used to rule

Historians say the Hanuman Dhoka complex was founded late in the rule of the Licchavi dynasty but it was during the Malla era that much of the construction took place. Surrounding this ancient place are temples and monuments also built during the Malla era and carried on by the Shah dynasty, all of which deserve more than just a glance.