If you are not arriving as part of a tour group, you may take mini bus bound for Kamal Binayak stop in Bhaktapur or big bus bound for Chyamasingha stop in Bhaktapur from Bus Stop near Bhadrakali. You can save time by taking Express Bus this does not stop in between except in Maitighar and Sallaghari from Bagbazar in Kathmandu. Recently, micro buses also started service of suttling between Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, which are pretty fast.
For those who haven't experienced a public bus in South Asia, it will be a way to literally! rub shoulders with locals. In either case the ride takes about 40-60 minutes and drops you off just outside of town. The cost of the fare from Kathmandu to Bhaktapur is approximately 35 NRS Sept 2009 by bus for local people. Average taxi fee from Thamel to Bhaktapur one way costs about 800-1000 NRS for the 16 km drive. You can easily hail a taxi or pick up a return bus to either Patan or Kathmandu just outside of the first main gate that leads into the city.
