Lhasa · Tibet
Lhasa, Tibet sits at 3,700 m — the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor kora fit into 4 days, with permits, altitude tips and train and flight logistics.
The short version
The place itself
Lhasa means 'place of the gods' in Tibetan, and at 3,700 m it earns the name in more ways than one. This is the holy city of the Tibetan world and, increasingly, of everyone else too — hotels, banks, malls and brand stores have arrived, and the shiny new Potala Palace square barely matches the Lhasa in your imagination. Then you walk into a backstreet teahouse or stand still in the current of pilgrims on the Barkhor, and the old city is still there, breathing.
You can put your palms together in front of the Potala, watch devotion in front of the Jokhang, feel the warmth of prayer wheels under your fingernails, listen to market chatter in a sweet-tea house, lie in a sun-drenched chair, or wander the Lhasa River bank doing nothing at all. Climb the ridge behind Sera Monastery for a different angle on the city, look across Lalu Wetland to see how vast the Potala really is, or join the circle dance in Zongjiao Lukang Park beneath the palace walls.
Lhasa is a place that gets described and described again, and still feels undescribed. Whether it is the Potala, the Jokhang, the Barkhor or Norbulingka, something here will reach straight past your defences. Everyone who has never been is certain they will one day stand in front of the Potala. Everyone who has left knows they will come back.
Pins are plotted from real latitude and longitude on a 5° graticule. This is a schematic orientation diagram, not a political map — no boundaries are drawn.
A 1,300-year-old palace-fortress on Marpori hill, the tallest and most imposing in the world at this altitude, and the灯塔 of the entire Tibetan plateau. Peak season (1 May–31 Oct) CNY 200, off-season (1 Nov–30 Apr) CNY 100; open 09:00–12:00 and 15:30–16:30; buses 1, 6, 7, 12, 20, 24, 25.
The oldest and most revered temple in Lhasa, 1,300 years old, with a gilded roof that blazes in the sun and stone floors worn smooth by full-length prostrations. Peak season (21 Apr–19 Oct) CNY 70, off-season CNY 35; open 07:00–12:00 and 15:00–18:30; on Barkhor Street.
The pilgrimage circuit around the Jokhang and the commercial heart of the old city, where you walk clockwise with the crowd and hear 'Om Mani Padme Hum' on every side. Free, open all day, and the best place in Lhasa to buy crafts — haggle to about one third of the asking price.
The largest monastery in Tibetan Buddhism, on the hillside 8 km west of the city, holding tens of thousands of relics and texts, with vivid murals and sculpture in every hall. CNY 50; bus 4. During the Sho Dun festival in the seventh Tibetan month, the giant thangka unveiling here is spectacular.
One of Lhasa's three great monasteries, named after the wild roses ('se ra') that once covered the hillside. Its afternoon monk debates are the highlight; the halls preserve large painted murals. CNY 55, open 09:00–16:00, debates at 15:00; buses 16, 24, 25.
Norbulingka was the Dalai Lamas' summer palace and is Tibet's largest man-made garden — CNY 80, open Monday to Saturday 09:00–18:00. The Lhasa River, the city's mother river, is free and open all day; buses 1, 2, 10, 14, 15, 18, 19.
Most visitors fly into Lhasa Gonggar Airport (LXA). Chengdu has four flights a day, crossing the Hengduan range with views of endless snow peaks on a clear day; there are also direct services to Kathmandu, Nepal. The airport shuttle bus to the city costs CNY 25 and takes about an hour; from the city, catch it at the CAAC ticket office east of the Potala. Charter cars run CNY 100–200. The train is the other great option: since the Qinghai–Tibet Railway opened, services run from Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lanzhou, Xining, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and the slow climb genuinely helps you acclimatise. From Lhasa railway station, taxis to town cost about CNY 20, or buses 86, 89 and 91 cost CNY 1 and meet every arriving train, however late.
Inside Lhasa there are about a dozen bus routes at CNY 1 (106 and 109 reach Norbulingka), plus shared minibuses at CNY 2 that stop on demand — check the route before boarding. Taxis are plentiful and a flat CNY 10 anywhere in the city; agree a price first for trips out to Drepung or Sera, usually under CNY 20 one way. Pedicabs are handy when taxis are hard to flag, under CNY 10 in town. Many guesthouses lend or rent bicycles for CNY 20–40 a day, ideal for the small old monasteries, the Lhasa River bank or the edge of Lalu Wetland. For Namtso and beyond, chartering is normal: CNY 1,200–1,800 to Namtso depending on season and your haggling, or about CNY 150 per person on a group tour booked through hostels like Dongcuo.
| Month | Weather | Crowds | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C / -12°C · bitterly cold, clear | Quiet | Avoid |
| February | 5°C / -9°C · bitterly cold, clear | Very busy | Avoid |
| March | 10°C / -3°C · bitterly cold, clear | Moderate | Good |
| April | 15°C / 3°C · bitterly cold, clear | Moderate | Good |
| May | 19°C / 8°C · bitterly cold, clear | Busy | OK |
| June | 22°C / 12°C · clear and mild | Moderate | Best |
| July | 23°C / 14°C · clear and mild | Busy | Best |
| August | 22°C / 13°C · clear and mild | Busy | Best |
| September | 19°C / 9°C · clear and mild | Moderate | Best |
| October | 14°C / 2°C · bitterly cold, clear | Very busy | Good |
| November | 7°C / -6°C · bitterly cold, clear | Quiet | Good |
| December | 2°C / -11°C · bitterly cold, clear | Quiet | Avoid |
Four days is the honest number: one day to arrive and acclimatise, then the Potala and Jokhang with the Barkhor, then Drepung and Sera, then a monastery or Norbulingka at an easy pace. A fifth day buys Namtso (240 km north, CNY 120 peak / CNY 80 off-season) or the road to Yamdrok Lake, Karola Glacier and Shigatse. Anyone attempting Everest Base Camp should budget a full week and plan a rest day at Tingri if altitude hits hard — do not force the last stretch to the reserve.
Plan these days properly
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April to October, when days are warm, skies are clear and the Sho Dun Festival brings the giant thangka unveiling at Drepung. May to September is the rainy window but rain usually falls at night. Winter is cold (down to minus 16°C) but sunny, cheap and blissfully uncrowded, with Potala tickets at half price.
Yes. Non-Chinese passport holders — including Taiwanese visitors and overseas Chinese, except Hong Kong and Macao residents holding SAR passports or Home Return Permits — must obtain a Tibet Travel Permit issued by the Tibet Tourism Bureau before entering. Apply through a licensed agency at least 20 working days ahead, after securing your Chinese visa and settling your itinerary.
Mild symptoms — headache, dizziness, fatigue, poor sleep — are normal at 3,700 m and usually pass as your body adjusts. Don't reach for oxygen or medication too quickly; eat vegetables and fruit, drink plenty of water, sleep well and stay relaxed. Do not fly in with a cold. If a bad cold develops in Lhasa, get to a hospital for fluids or oxygen promptly, as untreated cases can lead to pulmonary oedema. People with heart, lung or high blood pressure conditions should not travel to Tibet.
Absolutely — sweet tea (红茶加奶加糖) is the city's signature drink, and the teahouses near the Jokhang are the cheapest and most atmospheric places to try it. Tibetan food leans on meat and is simply cooked: try fried lamb chops, tsampa, butter tea, barley wine, yoghurt and Tibetan dumplings. Sichuanese food is everywhere, and Nepali, Indian and Western restaurants are common along Deji Road and Beijing Road if you want a break.
Walk clockwise around monasteries, mani piles and stupas (anti-clockwise only at the rare Bon sites), never step over ritual objects or fire pits, and never spin prayer wheels backwards. Inside temples, don't smoke, touch statues, flip through scriptures or strike bells and drums, and never handle a monk's amulet or prayer beads. Sit upright, keep quiet, and avoid sitting in a living Buddha's seat. Don't touch anyone's head.
Namtso is 240 km north of Lhasa; chartering costs CNY 1,200–1,800 or about CNY 150 per person on a group tour, with entry CNY 120 peak / CNY 80 off-season. Everest Base Camp is a multi-day drive via Shigatse, Tingri and Rongbuk Monastery (4,980 m) — the classic five-day loop, requiring a rest day at Tingri if altitude is a problem. The drive to Kathmandu via the Zhangmu border takes 2–3 days, about CNY 300–350 per person.
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