Lhasa

Best time to visit

1. Jan
2. Feb
3. Mar
4. Apr
5. May
6. Jun
7. Jul
8. Aug
9. Sep
10. Oct
11. Nov
12. Dec

From the airport or station to the city

Where you land, the ways into the city centre, how long each takes and what it costs.

Getting around

Entry rules first: foreign visitors cannot travel to Tibet independently. As of September 2026 you need a Tibet Travel Permit, which only a licensed Tibet travel agency can apply for, and you must join an organised tour with a licensed guide and a fixed itinerary; visa-free entry to China does not replace the permit. Allow 2–3 weeks for the permit, and note that entry rules can change at short notice. Lhasa sits at about 3,650 m: rest on your first day, drink water, avoid alcohol and heavy exercise, and see a doctor if a headache gets worse or you feel breathless at rest. In the city your guide and driver take you to the big sites; the old town around the Barkhor is best on foot. Taxis are cheap for short trips. Carry your passport at all times: it is checked at sites and checkpoints.

Book these before you fly

These sights need a reservation with your passport. Walk-ups are usually turned away.

• Potala PalaceReal-name booking only, no same-day tickets; about 2,300 visitors a day. Bookings open about 10 days ahead and peak-season slots sell out 5–7 days before. Foreign visitors get the ticket through their Tibet tour agency, which books it in your passport name as part of the tour; send your passport details early. Booked times and routes cannot be changed.

Top sights

布达拉宫Potala PalaceThe white and red palace on Red Hill above Lhasa, with chapels, tombs and murals on thirteen storeys.Booking required2–3 hours including the climb大昭寺Jokhang TempleTibet’s most revered temple, built in the 7th century, with pilgrims prostrating at the gate and a golden roof over the old town.Booking recommended1–1.5 hours八廓街Barkhor StreetThe pilgrim circuit around the Jokhang, lined with whitewashed old houses, prayer-wheel stalls, tea houses and shops.1–2 hours罗布林卡NorbulingkaThe former summer palace: a large walled park with pavilions, painted halls and old trees, quieter than the city centre.1.5–2 hours色拉寺Sera MonasteryA large monastery at the foot of the hills north of the city, famous for the monks’ lively afternoon debates in the courtyard.2–3 hours (halls plus debate)哲蚌寺Drepung MonasteryOnce one of the largest monasteries in the world, a white hillside town of halls and alleys on the western edge of Lhasa.2–3 hours西藏博物馆Tibet MuseumA large modern museum of Tibetan art and daily life: thangka paintings, statues, manuscripts, costumes and crafts.Booking recommended1.5–2 hours小昭寺Ramoche TempleA 7th-century temple a short walk north of the Barkhor, often visited together with the Jokhang; a compact working temple with a gilded roof and a busy pilgrim circuit.About 1 hour药王山观景台Chakpori ViewpointA viewing terrace on Chakpori Hill, across the road from the Potala Palace; the classic front view of the palace, the same angle as on the back of the ¥50 banknote.30–45 minutes宗角禄康公园Zongjiao Lukhang ParkThe park behind the Potala Palace, with a lake, old willows and the small Lukhang chapel on an island; locals come to walk, spin prayer wheels and relax, and it has a reflected view of the palace.1 hour甘丹寺Ganden MonasteryA large monastery founded in 1409 high on a ridge about 60 km east of Lhasa, at about 3,800 m, with wide views over the Lhasa River valley and a popular kora (pilgrim walk) around the hill.Full day from Lhasa扎叶巴寺Drak YerpaMeditation caves and small temples set into a cliff in a quiet valley about 30 km northeast of Lhasa, one of the oldest retreat sites in Tibet; an easy half-day trip.Half a day from Lhasa羊卓雍措Yamdrok LakeA huge turquoise lake at about 4,440 m, one of Tibet’s sacred lakes, first seen from the Kamba La pass with the glacier of Mt Nojin Kangsang behind.Full day from Lhasa楚布寺Tsurphu MonasteryThe seat of the Karmapa lineage, founded in 1187 in a high side valley west of Lhasa at about 4,300 m, with a demanding kora path above the monastery.Full day from Lhasa帕邦喀Pabonka MonasteryA hermitage built on a huge boulder on the hillside north of Lhasa, said to date from the 7th century and to be older than the Jokhang, with quiet chapels and wide views.1.5–2 hours including the walk up甲玛沟（松赞干布出生地）Gyama Valley (birthplace of Songtsen Gampo)A farming valley east of Lhasa, traditionally held to be the birthplace of the 7th-century king Songtsen Gampo, with a small chapel, old stupas and the ruins of a palace.Half a day from Lhasa乃琼寺Nechung MonasteryA small temple just below Drepung, once the seat of Tibet’s state oracle, known for its vivid and fierce wall paintings.30–45 minutes拉鲁湿地国家级自然保护区Lhalu WetlandA protected high-altitude wetland of reeds and meadows right on the north side of Lhasa, a Ramsar site where bar-headed geese and ruddy shelducks gather.1 hour

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