Buying Nepalese rupees at the airport?

You can ask about exchange rate on arrival at airport bank and money changers if they are open at the time and there is also one ATM outside if it is working and accepts your card with the withdrawal limit.

Thamel tourist area by taxi from airport is not very far maybe 30mins R500 one way if you find taxi outside airport. If you have no rupees on arrival there is an airport taxi booking counter for about $7-8 to Thamel where there are many money changers and ATM. There are previous forum posts on changing money but foreign cash is better rate than ATM plus the fee so about 7% more. Bank is also good but need to wait longer. Money changers close around 8-9pm.

No need to stay "near airport", and there is little out there for tourists (except, of course, Pashupati temple). Thamel to airport is pretty quick. Much more interesting too.

Boudanath is slightly closer to the airport than Thamel, and exchange rates tend to be there better also.

Quite surprisingly the exchange counter before the immigration seemed to offer very decent exchange rates the last time I went to Nepal last October. Of course it is difficult to compare, but if I understand correctly it is run by a bank, not private operator. You could check the Rastra Bank official rates just before you go and if the difference is small enough just exchange there.

Better to stay in Thamel than near Airport. You can get a cheaper hotel and also the best exchange rate in Thamel, for an exact rate you can see in www.nrb.org.np its an official site for exchange.Taxi cost is around 500 one way.

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