Thamel is a commercial neighborhood in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Thamel has been the centre of the tourist industry in Kathmandu for over four decades, starting from the days when many artists came to Nepal and spent weeks in Thamel. Even though Thamel has been referred to as a "ghetto" by some, many low-budget travelers consider it a hot-spot for tourism. Thamel, around 7 km drive from the Tribhuvan International Airport, is heart of Nepal’s tourism industry. It is the place where tourist get everything they want. It is a colorful and beautiful mixture of craft shops, boutique cafes, trekking gear, and rainbow prayer flags. Thamel is the metaphor of a new kind of Nepali compromise with a touristic culture that reifies even freakishness, dreams of expansion, politics of confusions, culture and use of body.
Thamel is a tourist heaven in Kathmandu flanked with possibly every requirement for tourist from shops to restaurants to hotels. In September 2011, it was being declared a full wi-fi zone adding to the delight of tourists. It is distinguished by its narrow streets crowded with various shops and vendors. It is flanked with many restaurants and cafes serving continental cuisine at reasonable prices.
Thamel has recently emerged as the most popular tourist area of Kathmandu. It is amazing to see how this area has become the centre for budget travelers in recent years. Thamel is 15 to 20 minutes walk from the center of Kathmandu. Ason bazar, Durbar Square, and Swayambhunath are a mere 10 to 30 minutes walk from Thamel.
Thamel has developed itself as an epicenter of entertainment and glamour blending local and global experiences of human wonders. From its origin, it was established with the theme to satisfy the needs of tourists in every desired way. In-fact it gratifies all sort of entertainment from visual to physical and mental.
Thamel is a new hub of glitter and glamour where it wakes-up in the night showing excitement to the visitors. When the ‘Sun sets down in Kathmandu, Thamel and its lifestyle rises up. It is a happening place in Nepal; the only place in Nepal where night life exists.
Thamel also acts as the pre-base camp for mountaineers. It boasts a wide range of mountaineering gear shops, trekking agencies, foreign money exchange booths, pubs, clubs and nightlife along with the numerous travel lodges and guest houses.
Visiting Thamel helps you get out of your frustrations and monotony. Besides, it is the best place in town to have fun. Young generations today seek freedom, music, food and entertainment. So there is no doubt that Thamel provides even domestic travelers with all what it takes to define luxury.
Most low-budget travelers consider it a tourist heaven. It has hundreds of restaurants, cafes and coffee shops serving Nepali-Western dishes in a single location. Visitors can nearly find anything they want in Thamel – German styled bakeries to WiFi-enabled cafes. There are dozens of tourist restaurants clustered in the Thamel serving everything from Italian, Israeli, French to Tibetan. Indian and Nepali dishes are always the best tasting with best priced. The visitors can find of course “Nepali Dhal Bhat Tarkari”, or lentils and vegetables served with rice.
Tourists have to protect their eyes from the gleam of metallic artifacts and “khukuris” in the display cabinets in Thamel. Together with these, it is almost impossible to shut out the rhythmic religious music played in stores at every corner of Thamel.
Being a main tourist hub of Kathmandu, Thamel boasts amenities such as Banks/ATM, Money Exchange, Internet, Clinics, Guides, Cargo, Laundry, Photo studio, Tattoo, Travels and Tours agency, Tailoring, and Rental.
Thamel has a vibrant ethnic culture practiced by its core population of the Newar community.It is the image of Thamel that tourists carry in their mind for their remaining life as it is their first destination in Nepal.