The short answer
The best-known souvenirs are singing bowls, thangka paintings, pashmina shawls, khukuri knives, prayer flags and wheels, Dhaka cloth and caps, Mithila paintings, handmade lokta paper, Tibetan carpets, silver jewellery, wood carvings, pottery, masks, tea and spices. Each carries a story of a community or craft.
Buy items made by the people who sell them if you can. Visit workshops in Patan, Bhaktapur and Boudhanath, where artists work in front of you, and avoid mass-produced copies sold as handmade.
Key facts
- Sound and spirit
- Singing bowls, prayer flags
- Art
- Thangka, Mithila painting
- Cloth
- Pashmina, Dhaka
- Light gifts
- Tea, spices, lokta paper
How it works
- Decide what mattersArt, music, cloth or food.
- Visit a workshopSee the making.
- Compare shopsTwo or three.
- Ask the maker's nameAuthentic signs.
- Pack safelyFragile items in hand luggage.
Insider tip
Buy a few good items instead of a bag of cheap ones.
Avoid this
Do not believe "antique" claims or buy items you cannot export.
Related questions
What is the best light souvenir?
Tea, spices or lokta paper.
What is the most iconic?
Singing bowls and thangka.
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