There are so many places to see in Thimphu. But when you have just one day at hand, you need to select what are the must see places to see in Thimphu in one day. We did exactly the same on our 7 days trip to Bhutan. While exploring Thimphu, we covered the following places in this order :
- Memorial Chorten
- Buddha Point
- Changanglekha Point
- Takin Reserve
- National Library
- Zorig Chusum
- Textile Museum
- Folk Heritage Museum
- Tashi Chhoe Dzong
If you have more time at hand, you can also add “Simply Bhutan” to your list of must see places in Thimphu in one day. It is a museum which gives an experiencial tour of the culture and heritage of Bhutan. The experience here is very similar to what we get in the Janapadaloka Heritage Museum in Karnataka which we visited last year along with Channapatna Toy Factory. But, the package in Simply Bhutan also comes with lunch options wherein you get traditional Bhutanese cuisines to try. Entry fee to Simply Bhutan is Nu 1000 without food and Nu 1200 with food at the time of this writing.
Having said that, lets dive into the rest of the must see places in Thimphu in one day. I am putting these places in the order in which I visited them so that it will be super easy for you to plan your day based on my blog post. Also, I have this complete guide to Bhutan compiled to give you all the information you will want before planning a trip to Bhutan. With that, let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Memorial Chorten
A memorial built in the honour of the third king of Bhutan, Memorial Chorten is located in the center of the city. Although it is not a very grand or huge structure, we liked it a lot. As, it is located in the center of a big compound, surrounded by the mountains on all sides. The views around Memorial Chorten enhance it’s beauty 10 times. The entry fee of Memorial Chorten is Nu 500 for adults and Nu 250 for kids. Entry is free for kids under 5 years of age. Although Memorial Chorten is open 24 hours, the tourist visiting hours are from 9:00am to 5:00pm.
Memorial Chorten was the first stop among our list of places to visit in Bhutan in one day. And it was almost at a walking distance from our hotel in Bhutan. There is a huge parking lot outside the entry gate to the chorten. And as you take the tickets from the counter on the left side of entry gate and enter inside, there is a set of prayer wheels on the left, the main Chorten in the center and a few more smaller temples around it. Many people were making rounds of the Chorten, offering prayers, as we visited inside. And we also joined them for a round of the Chorten. After which, we continued to our next stop.
Buddha Point
The next stop on our list of must see places in Thimphu in one day was Buddha Point. Located outside the city, the Buddha Point is a very recent addition to the must see places in Thimphu in one day. It is perched on top of a hill. And a 5 minute drive through really winding road leads to the Buddha Point. There is a huge Buddha statue in the center of the Buddha point, with a huge campus around it. And breathtaking views all around, including the views of the whole Thimphu town in the valley down below. The Buddha statue here is almost 51.5 meters tall!! There is no entry fee to this place. And it is open to tourists from 9:00am to 5:00pm.
The air at Buddha Point was very crisp. And since we reached here early in the day, the crowd was very dispersed. The place has a really peaceful vibe which I liked. And we all sat here in the campus for sometime before moving the next stop on our list of must see places in Thimphu in one day.
Changangkha Lhakhang
The next stop on our list of must see places in Thimphu was Changangkha Lhakhang. It is the oldest temple of Bhutan. The temple is located right in the heart of Thimphu. So, once again, we headed back to the town of Thimphu. And parked in front of the temple. This temple was built in around the 12th Centuary. The Bhutanese bring their kids here for blessings. Although the blessings are for everyone, this temple has special significance for kids. Naming ceremonies for kids in Bhutan, first time blessings and often blessings from this temple on special life events and occasions is a common practice. After seeking the blessings here, we proceeded to our next stop on our list of must see places in Bhutan – Takin Reserve.
The Changangkha Lhakhang is open for visit from 8:00am to 6:00pm.
Motithang Takin Preserve
Also known as the Motithang Takin Preserve, the Takin Reserve is a small national park near Thimphu that hosts the “Takin” – the national animal of Bhutan. And an animal exclusively found in this region. Although the setup appeared to me like half zoo half national park. Because there are fences all over to limit and control the movements of the Takins. Still the area is very widespread and like a jungle. So, the Takins must be feeling at home here. Coming to the animal itself, the Takin looks like a hybrid of a goat and a buffalo / yak. Nevertheless, it was very interesting to see this unique species.
The entry fee to Motithang Takin Preserve is Nu 300 per adult (foreign). And timings of the takin reserve are 9:00am to 5:00pm.
National Library
The next quick stop in our list of must see places in Thimphu in one day was the National Library of Bhutan. This national library houses over 1000 books on the cultural heritage and religious significance of the kingdom of Bhutan. It was setup in 1967. And it is located right besides the Folk Heritage Museum of Bhutan. The library initially started with a small collection of precious text. And thereafter, ots collection has continued to increase. Longchenpa’s seven treasuries and collected work of Padma Karpo are the major highlights of this library. Looking at the huge collection of books, I really longed to read them but I didn’t have time.
If you have time, visit here separately, not just as a hopping stop on the list of must see places in Thimphu in one day.
Folk Heritage Museum
The Folk Heritage Museum of Bhutan is located at walking distance from both the National Library of Bhutan and the Zorig Choesum Museum which was next on our list of must see places in Thimphu in a day. Through various exhibits and even educational programs , the Folk Heritage Museum gives a glimpse of the rich culture and heritage of Bhutan. The experience is very similar to any other Heritage Museum, if you have visited one before. We have visited the Janapadaloka on way to Mysore from Bangalore. The experience in Folk Heritage Museum of Bhutan was very similar. With different areas showing the glimpses of the rural life, the traditional costume, the utensils used, the ways of education and other daily life glimpses from history of Bhutan.
Zorig Choesum
The word Zorig Choesum literally means ” the ability to make “. As the name suggests it is an institute of art in Bhutan. Where the creativity or the “ability to make” of the students is further refined and shaped. There are several great architects and art patrons who have studied from this institute. The institute further specialises into 13 Traditional Arts of Bhutan. Textile Museum.
Tashichho Dzong
Located on the banks of the river Wang Chu, the Tashichho Dzong is a monastery fortress of Bhutan. It is located right outside the city of Thimphu. And is one of the oldest Dzongs of Bhutan. The word “dzong” literally means Monastery Fortress. The Tashichho Dzong is next on our list of most important places to see in Thimphu in one day. It is the summer capital of the civil government of Bhutan and the monarchy (which were merged in 1907). The architecture of this fort is very similar to that of other fortresses of Bhutan including the Punakha Dzong which serves as the winter capital of the monarchy of Bhutan.
With this completed our one day of sightseeing in Thimphu. If you want to plan a trip to Bhutan, here’s our complete guide to Bhutan, providing you with all the information you will need to visit Bhutan. Which includes where to stay in Bhutan, when to visit Bhutan, how to get the tourist permit to Bhutan from India, what food you get in Bhutan, currency of Bhutan, mobile network and how to obtain a sim and any other information you might need when planning a trip to Bhutan. And here’s our Bhutan travel itinerary with kids and family.
Do check out more resources related to our Bhutan trip –
Spending a day in Punakha Valley
How to obtain Bhutan tourist permit from India
Our adventure on the Punakha Suspension Bridge
A tryst with clouds at Dochula Pass – one of the highest passes of Bhutan
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