Why go
Lhasa rewards slow movement. Spend the first day doing almost nothing — the altitude (3,650 m) punishes heroes — then walk the Barkhor kora clockwise with the pilgrims, spinning prayer wheels past shops selling butter-lamp oil, turquoise and prayer flags.
The Potala needs a timed ticket booked a day ahead and a strict 1-hour inside route, but the view from its roof terraces over the Lhasa valley is the image of Tibet the world carries. Sera Monastery's courtyard debates (weekdays ~3pm) — monks clapping to punctuate their logic — are the other essential.
- Potala Palace — 1,000 rooms of the Dalai Lamas' winter seat
- Jokhang Temple and the Barkhor kora circuit
- Sera Monastery's afternoon monk debates
- Namtso Lake or Ganden Monastery day trips
Where to go
Day one: rest, Barkhor, Jokhang. Day two: Potala at opening, then Sera debates. Day three: Namtso's turquoise lake (half-day, 4,718 m — only if well acclimatised) or Ganden Monastery's ridge kora.
What to eat
Tibetan cuisine: momos (dumplings) with chilli sauce, thukpa noodle soup, yak-meat drying on strings, butter tea (an acquired, salted taste) and sweet tea houses where locals sit all morning.
Entry & permits
Foreign passport holders cannot travel to Tibet independently. You must book through a registered Tibet tour operator, which arranges the Tibet Travel Permit (required to board a flight or train into Lhasa) — allow 15–20 working days for processing before you travel.
The permit, plus your passport, will be checked at airports, train stations and road checkpoints. Your itinerary outside Lhasa (e.g. Everest Base Camp, Namtso, Ngari) requires additional military and border permits your operator handles.
Chinese citizens do not need the permit, but foreign visitors travelling without a tour will be turned back at checkpoints. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots can travel to Tibet with their home-region travel documents without a Tibet Travel Permit.
Getting there
- Fly in (1h from Chengdu) or take the train from Xining to acclimatise slowly
- Role
- Capital of Tibet Autonomous Region
- Altitude
- 3,650 m — acclimatise 1–2 days
- Foreign visitors
- Tibet Travel Permit + organised tour required
