Time in Nepal

Nepal is 15 mintues ahead of Indian standard time, more as a symbol of political independence rather than any actual time difference.

Nepal time is two hours and fifteen minutes behind Chinese/tibet time (three hours and fifteen mintues April-Sept.) and five hours and 45 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

When it's noon in Kathmandu it's 0615 in Londong; 0115 in New York; 2215 the preceding evening in Los Angeles.

As does much of Asia, Nepal has its own concept of time: "rubber time", some call it. Scheduled events invariably start 30 minutes or an hour late, bus rides are always longer than you expect, and bholi-parsi is the common phrase for when something will get done. It is advisable to keep checking up on your travel agent or whomever, and also to keep a sense of humor about it all.

Business Hours:

Government offices and many business offices operate 0900-1700. Most shops are open 1000-2000 or later. Bank hours are Sun-Thurs 1000-1430, Fri 1000-1230.

Saturday has been the weekly holiday since Chandra Shansher Rana proclaimed it in the 1920s. Being an inauspicious day, its considered better to stay at home and do puja than go to work. Most stores and businesses are closed on Saturdays, leaving little to do in town. Aside from this there are plenty of holidays, the biggest being Dashain.