Attractions · Lhasa

The Potala Palace is built against Red Mountain (Marpo Ri), the palace and mountain forming one whole. The surviving main structure is the White Palace and Red Palace rebuilt in the 17th century: the White Palace consists mainly of the living quarters and government halls of successive Dalai Lamas, with whitewashed walls; the Red Palace concentrates the Buddhist halls and the reliquary-stupa halls of successive Dalai Lamas, among which the Fifth Dalai Lama's stupa, covered in gold leaf and inlaid with pearls and precious stones, is the grandest. The palace also preserves many thangkas, Buddha statues, palm-leaf scriptures and Ming and Qing seals and edicts. The visit route climbs from the mountain gate and passes one way through the halls; photography is not allowed inside. The Deyangshar terrace at the top overlooks the Lhasa River valley, and Zongjiao Lukang Park (Dragon King Pool) behind the palace is the classic spot for photographing the Potala's reflection. The Potala Palace was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1994; Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka were later added to the same "Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace" as extensions in 2000 and 2001. Highlights include the mural corridor. Tip: tickets must be reserved one day in advance, and peak-season places are limited. Practical info: located at Beijing Middle Road, Chengguan District, Lhasa; peak-season ticket ¥200 (reservation required); opening hours 09:00–15:30.

Tip: Tickets must be reserved one day in advance — peak season slots fill fast.

• Address: Beijing Middle Road, Chengguan District, Lhasa
• Ticket: Peak season ¥200 (reservation required)
• Opening: 09:00–15:30

Jokhang Temple faces west, and its main hall is a multi-storey stone-and-timber structure. Gilded roofs, victory banners and dharma wheels were added successively from the Ming dynasty onward, so that a single temple blends Tang, Tibetan, Nepalese and Indian architectural styles. Besides the hall housing the 12-year-old Shakyamuni statue (the Jowo), there are halls for Songtsen Gampo, Princess Wencheng and Princess Bhrikuti, as well as halls dedicated to Avalokiteshvara and Hayagriva, with murals, niches and gilded ornament layered one upon another. Tradition says the statue was originally kept at Ramoche Temple and was moved to Jokhang during the Tubo period, after which it became the center of Tibetan faith. In front of the temple gate stand the Tang-Tibet Alliance Stele, erected in the third year of the Tang Changqing reign (823 AD), and the "Princess Willow," physical witnesses to Han-Tibetan relations; the circumambulation corridor around the Jowo hall is the inner "Nangkor" circle of Barkhor. Before the doors open in the early morning, queues form in the square and juniper smoke rises — the time of day when believers are most concentrated. Highlights include the hall of ever-burning butter lamps. Tip: in the early morning you can see believers queuing to enter, prostrating and burning juniper; to watch monks debate, go to Sera Monastery, usually around 3 pm. Practical info: located at Barkhor Street, Chengguan District, Lhasa; ticket ¥85; opening hours 08:00–18:30.

Tip: In the early morning you can see believers queuing to enter, prostrating and burning juniper; to watch monks d…

• Address: Barkhor Street, Chengguan District, Lhasa
• Ticket: ¥85
• Opening: 08:00–18:30

The Barkhor circuit is called "Palkhor" in Tibetan; it runs in a ring around the main hall of Jokhang and, together with the "Nangkor" inner circuit hugging the Jokhang shrine and the "Linkhor" outer circuit around the old city, forms Lhasa's three-level circumambulation system; the middle circuit is about one kilometre long. The street is only a few metres wide but is densely packed with hundreds of old Tibetan houses and shops: thangka studios, Tibetan incense and medicine shops, Nepalese silverware and Tibetan knife stores, and the sweet tea houses that are busiest when people are not circumambulating. The Chongsaikang area in the northern part of the block was once the site of the Qing resident minister's yamen and is a good place to see Tibetan courtyard architecture. Pilgrims are numerous in the early morning, most shops open around 10:00, and the afternoon and evening are for tea and shopping. Commerce and faith run side by side here; when choosing goods, take care not to block the clockwise flow of pilgrims. Highlights include the handmade Tibetan incense shops. Tip: walk clockwise, in the same direction as the pilgrims. Practical info: located in Chengguan District, Lhasa; admission free; open all day.

Tip: Walk clockwise, in the same direction as the pilgrims. Respect worshippers and do not block their path.

• Address: Chengguan District, Lhasa
• Ticket: Free
• Opening: All day

Namtso faces the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains across the water. The lake is fed by snowmelt from the mountains on both shores and is highly transparent; as the sky changes, the surface shifts from deep blue to silver-grey. From Lhasa the route mostly follows National Road 109 and then the scenic road, crossing the Nagen La pass at about 5,190 meters, where the main Nyenchen Tanglha peak can already be seen in the distance — the first visual climax of the journey. Tashi Peninsula on the south-eastern shore is the main arrival point for visitors coming from Lhasa. On the platform reaching into the lake stand the twin rocks known as the "Clasped Palms" (or Welcoming Stone), and behind the peninsula are meditation caves and retreat houses; at dawn you can watch the sun rise over the lake horizon here. In the Tibetan sheep year, believers travel together to circumambulate the lake, a complete circuit taking several days, with mani stone piles and prayer flags along the way. The lake area is windy and more than ten degrees colder than Lhasa; snow is possible even in May, and summer nights are a good time for stargazing. Highlights include sunrise by the lake. Tip: the altitude is high, so watch for altitude sickness and acclimatize in Lhasa for 1–2 days first. Practical info: located in Damxung County, Lhasa; peak-season ticket ¥120; opening hours depend on road conditions.

Tip: The altitude is high, so watch for altitude sickness and acclimatize in Lhasa for 1–2 days first.

• Address: Damxung County, Lhasa
• Ticket: Peak season ¥120
• Opening: Open depending on road conditions

Norbulingka was first built in the 1740s, during the time of the Seventh Dalai Lama, and was repeatedly expanded by later Dalai Lamas into three palace-and-garden groups: Kelsang Phodrang, the Golden Phodrang and the Takten Migyur Phodrang (New Palace). It was not only a summer retreat but also the "summer palace" where government affairs were handled from the 18th century onward. Kelsang Phodrang was the earliest main palace; the Golden Phodrang was added by the Thirteenth Dalai Lama in the 1920s, with especially splendid gilded roofs and murals; the New Palace was built in the 1950s, and its cloister murals tell in picture-strip form the origins of the Tubo, the arrival of Princess Wencheng in Tibet and the building of palaces and monasteries through the ages — the group most worth examining closely in the garden. Ancient trees, flower beds and lakeside pavilions set each other off, and in summer and autumn Lhasa people pitch tents, watch opera and drink tea everywhere. During the Shoton Festival, after the great thangka is unveiled at Drepung Monastery in the early morning, opera troupes move to Norbulingka for days of performances. In 2001 Norbulingka was inscribed on the World Heritage List as an extension of the "Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace."

• Address: Norbulingka Road, Chengguan District, Lhasa
• Ticket: ¥60
• Opening: 09:30–18:00

Sera Monastery was founded in 1419, during the Ming Yongle era, by Shakya Yeshe, a disciple of Tsongkhapa. Together with Ganden and Drepung it is one of Lhasa's three great monasteries and an important place for Gelug monks to study. The Tsokchen assembly hall is the center of communal ritual, and colleges such as Jey and Mey spread along the slope; their halls are dense with murals, gilded niches and scripture cabinets. The Hayagriva deity worshipped here is the figure pilgrims most often come specifically to venerate. The most vivid daily scene is the afternoon debate: monks face each other in pairs, the questioner pressing the answerer with claps, stamps and loud questions, so that applause and chanting overlap in the courtyard — a living form of teaching visible in Lhasa. Behind the monastery, a path on the southern slope of Sera Uze leads to cliffside meditation caves and retreat houses; walking up gives a view over the Lhasa River valley, with prayer flags and mani piles all along the way. Highlights include the afternoon debate courtyard, the murals and halls of Jey College, and the retreat-cave trail on Sera Uze. Tip: debates usually begin around 3 pm, are normally not held on Sundays and may be postponed in rain. Practical info: located at Sera Middle Road, Chengguan District, Lhasa (southern foot of Sera Uze); ticket about ¥50 (subject to the rate posted that year); opening hours 08:00–18:00 (debates usually around 15:00, normally suspended on Sundays).

Tip: Debates usually begin around 3 pm, are normally not held on Sundays and may be rescheduled in rain.

• Address: Sera Middle Road, Chengguan District, Lhasa (southern foot of Sera Uze)
• Ticket: About ¥50 (subject to the rate posted by the scenic area that year)
• Opening: 08:00–18:00 (debates usually around 15:00, normally suspended on Sundays)