Beautiful but Underrated Cities to Visit Before They Become Tourist Hotspots

Lisette Marie

February 2, 2026

City Thirty-One: The Terracotta Soul of Bhaktapur, Nepal

Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Nepal. Photo Credit: Envato @rojenmaharjan321

Bhaktapur is Kathmandu’s quieter, better-preserved sibling—a living museum of medieval Nepalese architecture, carved wooden windows, and timeless spirituality. Free of the traffic chaos that plagues the capital, Bhaktapur offers a more immersive, less diluted experience. Its Durbar Square is a feast of temples, statues, and royal courtyards, and the scent of clay and incense wafts through its narrow lanes. Potters spin their wheels in sunlit squares, and kids chase kites across terraced rooftops. Rebuilt with care after the 2015 earthquake, Bhaktapur still feels authentic, sacred, and profoundly local—exactly the kind of place to visit before the world rediscovers it.

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Beautiful but Underrated Cities to Visit Before They Become Tourist Hotspots

City Thirty-One: The Terracotta Soul of Bhaktapur, Nepal

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