Of the many sites, ten of them have been incorporated into the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The list includes both natural as well as cultural sites. Of the eight cultural heritage sites, seven of them which glorify the Kathmandu Valley, are within the distance of 20 kilometres. Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Swayambhunath Stupa, Pashupatinath Temple, Bouddhanath Stupa, Changu Narayan Temple are within the valley whereas the birht place of Lord Buddha, Lumbini is the only cultural Heritage site outside the valley.
Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park and Chitwan National Park are the two natural heritage sites.

Kathmandu Durbar Square (Hanumandhoka):
It is the historic seat of royalty. The Durbar Square, with its old temples and palaces, epitomizes the religious and cultural life of the people. It is here that kings of Nepal are crowned and their coronations solemnized. Interesting things to see here are:
i) Taleju Temple, built by king Mahendra Malla in 1549 AD.
ii) Kal Bhairav Temple, the God of destruction.
iii)The Nautalle (Nine storied) Durbar.
iv)The Coronation Nasal Chowk.
v)The Gaddi Bhaithak.
vi) The statue of king Pratap Malla.
vii)The Big Drum.
viii)The Jaganath Temple.
It is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Monument list in 1979.

On the right hand corner, a large wooden lattice screen hides an enormous gilded face of Sweta Bhairav. The screen is removed only during the Indra Jatra festival. There are also the Numismatic Museum and Tribhuvan Museum inside. The Hanumandhoka Palace building. Photography is prohibited inside the museums. Both the museums remain closed on Sundays, Mondays and Government holidays.
In the vicinity of Hanumandhoka Palace there are other historic and holy temples such as:

a). Kumari Temple: Kumari (Vestal Virgin) or the Living Goddess, who represents a very ancient Hindu deity of Nepal locally known as Taleju, is Buddhist by birth. The building has intricately carvewd wooden balconies and window screens. The Kumari, the living Goddess, acknowledges greetings from her balcony window. Once a year, during Indra Jatra festival, the king of Nepal seeks the Kumari's blessing.

b). Kasthamandap: Located near the temple of Kumari, it is said to have been built by king Laxmi Narsingha Malla in the beginning of the sixteenth century. It is said to be constructed from the wood of a single tree. The city of Kathmandu derives the name from this temple.

c). Ashok Vinayak: The small but very important temple of Ashok Vinayak is situated behind the Kasthamandap. It is also known as Kathmandu Ganesh or Maru Ganesh.

d). Jaishi Dewal: A five minute walk from Kasthamandap is the Shiva Temple of Jaishi Dewal which is famous for its erotic carvings. It is still one of the main routes of the chariot festival of Indra Jatra and other festival.