The birthplace of the Buddha is one of the most significant sites in human history. It is also, somehow, a place most visitors leave after 30 minutes. We think you can do considerably better than that.

Lumbini sits quietly on the Terai plains of southern Nepal, carrying the extraordinary weight of being where Siddhartha Gautama was born around 563 BCE – the man whose teachings went on to shape the lives of roughly 500 million people. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a living pilgrimage destination, and one of the more genuinely moving places in a country that is not short of them. It has also, for several decades, been managed with a consistency of underachievement that borders on impressive. The master plan is still unfinished. The international airport is mostly domestic. The average visit lasts half an hour.

Things may finally be changing. A new government and a serious injection of World Bank funding have given Lumbini its most credible shot at becoming the destination it should always have been. We'll believe it fully when we see it – but the signs are better than they've been in a long time.

In the meantime, the Sacred Garden, the Maya Devi Temple, and the quietly surreal Monastic Zone – where 20-odd countries have each built their own monastery in their own architectural style, all in a row – are more than worth two nights of your time. Here's everything you need to plan your visit.

What to see in Lumbini | Getting to Lumbini | Getting around Lumbini | Where to stay in Lumbini | Meditation & retreat | Buddha Jayanti | The development story