Paro Travel Guide & Tips

Weather in Paro: Paro enjoys a pleasant subtropical-temperate climate for most of the year. While the climatic zone keeps the city warm enough for outdoor visits whenever the sky is clear, it is the surrounding altitude of the country that is responsible for most of the cold. The spring, early summer and autumn are the best times to visit Paro for sightseeing, trekking and other outdoor activities. From March to May and from October to November, Paro gets the thickest crowd of the year. In between these two periods, the monsoon clouds keep the city drenched. And the winters, although not half as chilly and unbearable as up north, still see lesser people because of the -1°C to -2°C.

Nightlife in Paro: Paro is not known for having a vibrant nightlife. Most restaurants have their own bar, but they do not remain open longer than 9-10 PM. However, there are a few nightclubs here and there. Club Ecstasy, Club K, Millennium Club and the UMA Paro Bar right beside the airport are some of the better haunts for a night-time adventure.

Food in Paro: Bhutanese food is worth savouring while one is on vacation there. Ema Datshi is their most loved dish, which is made of red-hot chillies along with really smooth goat or yak cheese. Consult a Paro travel guide to find out where you can find the best and hottest dish of Ema Datshi. Also, enjoy Phaksha Pha (pork and chillies) and Jashu Maru (spicy chicken) along with the locally sourced spirit Ara. Bukhari restaurant is one of the iconic eateries of Paro. Their Uma cheeseburger, made with Wagyu beef and Bumthang’s special Gouda cheese is a hit. There are popular cafes as well, like Champaca Café, Yegyel Café and Brioche café.

Shopping in Paro: The best place to buy souvenir items at the end of your trip is the Paro craft market. Here, one can expect to find all types of local handmade products that Bhutan makes. Tibetan thangkas, Buddhist trinkets and prayer wheels, statues and figurines, handmade items made of wood, cane and bamboo, wall décor and room décor items, textiles and more. Lama Tshering Dorji General shop is the place to buy silver amulets, prayer flags, incense sticks and carved block prints, while one can browse Chencho handicrafts for a vast collection of local handicrafts and textiles, along with a glimpse into actual weavers working real-time.

Festivals in Paro: The Festival Ground in Paro comes alive during March-April, celebrating the famous Paro Tshechu festival. This festival is held in honour of Guru Rinpoche, who brought Buddhism to Bhutan. It goes on for days. Trained veteran dancers perform dramatic interpretations of various historical and mythological stories of Bhutan’s past, dressed in vibrant clothes and vivid masks. The folk music and dance is something unique about Bhutan and worth witnessing once in a lifetime.