VacationSelector
Swayambhunath with its prayer flags, Kathmandu
KathmanduSwayambhunath with its prayer flags
Wat Xieng Thong temple, Luang Prabang
Luang PrabangWat Xieng Thong temple

Photos: Kathmandu by Nabin K. Sapkota, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped; Luang Prabang by Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.

Kathmandu or Luang Prabang?

Our verdict in twelve categories, each scored against the same fixed benchmark cities, and the climate month by month, so you can choose for your trip.

Choose Kathmandu for

  • nightlife
  • day trips
  • culture and sights

What lies behind each score is written up on Kathmandu’s own page.

Choose Luang Prabang for

  • getting around
  • families
  • wellness

What lies behind each score is written up on Luang Prabang’s own page.

Scoreboard

Twelve categories on one fixed scale from 0 to 100. The shaded stretch is the gap between the two.

Beaches & swimming. Kathmandu 4, Luang Prabang 14: Luang Prabang leads by 10 points.
Food & drink. Kathmandu 55, Luang Prabang 42: Kathmandu leads by 13 points.
Culture & sights. Kathmandu 82, Luang Prabang 65: Kathmandu leads by 17 points.
Nightlife. Kathmandu 36, Luang Prabang 8: Kathmandu leads by 28 points.
Nature & outdoors. Kathmandu 70, Luang Prabang 68: Kathmandu leads by 2 points.
Day trips. Kathmandu 56, Luang Prabang 35: Kathmandu leads by 21 points.
Good for families. Kathmandu 20, Luang Prabang 38: Luang Prabang leads by 18 points.
Getting around. Kathmandu 25, Luang Prabang 50: Luang Prabang leads by 25 points.
Shopping & style. Kathmandu 55, Luang Prabang 38: Kathmandu leads by 17 points.
Affordability. Kathmandu 97, Luang Prabang 80: Kathmandu leads by 17 points.
Live music & performing arts. Kathmandu 28, Luang Prabang 18: Kathmandu leads by 10 points.
Wellness & relaxation. Kathmandu 45, Luang Prabang 60: Luang Prabang leads by 15 points.
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What lies behind each score is written up on the two cities’ own pages: Kathmandu and Luang Prabang.

Your match

Pick a travel style or drag the sliders, and both match scores follow your weighting.

Kathmandu
Best match
48match

Wins on nightlife and day trips with your weighting.

Luang Prabang
43match

Wins on getting around and families with your weighting.

What matters to you?

When should you go?

Pick your month. The climate figures are measured averages, not a forecast.

Kathmandu in July

29 °Cdaytime high
20 °Cnight-time low
384 mmrain in the month
4 hsunshine a day
14 hdaylight a day

Luang Prabang in July

33 °Cdaytime high
24 °Cnight-time low
250 mmrain in the month
4 hsunshine a day
13 hdaylight a day

Daytime high, °C

0°10°20°30°40°JFMAMJJASOND

Rainfall in the month, mm

0100200300400JFMAMJJASOND
KathmanduLuang Prabang

Temperature and rainfall are climate normals, averaged over the years shown. Kathmandu: 1991-2020 normals, Kathmandu Airport (4.7 km from centre). Luang Prabang: 1991-2020 normals, Luang-Prabang (0.8 km from centre).

Before you go

MeasureKathmanduLuang Prabang
Official languageNepaliLao
CurrencyNepalese Rupee (NPR)Lao Kip (LAK)
SocketsCM230 V, 50 HzABCEF230 V, 50 Hz
Driving sideLeftRight
Time zoneUTC+5:45UTC+7
Emergency numberPolice 100, ambulance 102, fire 101Police 191, ambulance 195, fire 190
Elevation1,300 m305 m
Main airportTribhuvan International Airport (KTM)4 km from centre38 non-stop destinationsLuang Phabang International Airport (LPQ)4 km from centre7 non-stop destinations

By the numbers

MeasureKathmanduLuang Prabang
City population845,76753,792
People per km²17,121-
Museums within 10 km90
UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km11

Where else could you go?

Every comparison below shares a destination with this one, so you can follow Kathmandu or Luang Prabang somewhere new.

Browse every destination

Sources

Structured data from Wikidata (CC0). Weather data by Meteostat. Meteorological data provided by NOAA, DWD and others. Rainfall where no rain gauge is within 25 km is from the TerraClimate 1991-2020 climatology (Abatzoglou et al. 2018, Scientific Data), read at the city. Airport data from OurAirports (public domain). Non-stop route lists from the "Airlines and destinations" tables on English Wikipedia airport articles, by Wikipedia contributors, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Currency from the ISO 4217 register maintained by SIX, cross-checked against country data from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Price level from World Bank open data (PPP conversion factor for private consumption and official exchange rate), CC BY 4.0. Time zones from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0); clock offsets computed from the IANA time zone database. Daylight hours computed from each destination's latitude using the NOAA solar position algorithm. Exchange rates via Frankfurter, based on European Central Bank reference rates.

Category scores are our editorial verdict under rubric v3, each placed against the same fixed benchmark cities; the climate figures are measured. How the scores are set. Snapshot generated 2026-10-31. Daily budgets are estimates from country price levels.