Tibet Autonomous Region travel guide
西藏自治区 · 7 cities · 86 places
Potala Palace, Lhasa · AI illustration for China Trip
Cities and areas in Tibet
Lhasa
19 placesIn Tibet you may witness this scene: a long, extraordinary mountain road, and a group of deeply devout pilgrims who prostrate themselves at every step. They have been travelling for years, aiming to touch the sacred land of Lhasa with their whole bodies in a single lifetime.
ShigatseHere you feel tiny, tucked into the belly of a Toyota Land Cruiser, spending each day gazing out the window. On the way to Shigatse, you pass through Tibet's farming region, with barley fields and dense trees lining the road like a corridor. Silent prayer flags flutter on the rooftops of Tibetan farmhouses, and golden sunlight floods your eyes at sunset. Crossing one mountain after another, muddy roads keep swallowing the wheels, the four-wheel drive roars constantly, and the high chassis keeps getting lifted by boulders. When things are quiet, you'll see hares and antelopes standing on the cliffs, gazing back at you. Snow-capped peaks and pristine lakes, a blue sky that makes you lose your bearings, thin air... The road always has an end. Pause for a moment beneath the tallest peak at the edge of the sky. Really, it's already beautiful just being on the road.
16 places · 3 day itinerary
NyingchiCuogao Lake, also known as Basong Lake, is one of Nyingchi's best-known sights. Often called the 'Switzerland of Tibet', it is a beautiful, natural and unspoiled place, and few such places are likely to remain untouched for long.
16 places · 5 day itinerary
Shannan12 places
Qamdo10 places
NgariEarth Forests are a distinctive landform. Ancient mountain-building movements lifted lakebed sediments, which were then cut by running water over a long period and gradually weathered and eroded away.
7 places
NagquThe annual Cordyceps trading festival features a “Cordyceps King” competition. Nagqu Cordyceps, prized for its medicinal value and large size, has won the championship for several consecutive years.
6 places
Overview
Tibet Autonomous Region
Self-Guided Tours:
Traditional Golden Route:
Lhasa→Shigatse→Lhazê→Zhangmu
Charming Tibet Route:
Lhasa→Shigatse→Lhazê→Coqên→Gê'gyai→Gêrzê→Shiquanhe→Burang
Scenic Loop Route:
Lhasa→Gyantse→Shigatse→Lhasa
Tibetan History and Culture Tour:
Lhasa→Shannan (Tsethang)
Grassland and Snowfield Scenery Tour:
Lhasa→Nagqu→Golmud
Exploration and Scientific Expedition Tour:
Lhasa→Nyingchi→Shannan (Tsethang)→Lhasa
Self-Drive Tours:
Heading for Mount Everest
Lhasa→Namtso→Shigatse→Mount Qomolangma (Everest)
Lhasa→Gyantse→Shigatse→Lhazê→Tingri→Nyalam→Gyirong→Saga→Zhongba→Huoerba→Baga→Menshi→Zanda→Namjia→Langma→Gar→Ritu→Pangong Lake
Crossing Hoh Xil
Xining→Huangyuan→Chaka→Dulan→Xiangride→Nuomuhong→Dagele→Golmud→Kunlun Pass→Wudaoliang→Erdaogou→Yanshiping→Tanggula Pass→Amdo→Nagqu→Yangbajain→Lhasa
Places in Tibet
Potala Palace
Lhasa · 3–4 hours
A treasure house: you may never see as many treasures in your lifetime as you will here, and seeing them up close is dazzling. The Potala Palace stands on Marburi Hill (玛布日山) in the centre of Lhasa and is the largest and most complete palace complex in Tibet. 'Potala' is Sanskrit for 'Sacred Place of Avalokiteśvara'. In the 7th century, the Tubo king Songtsen Gampo built a palace here when he married Princess Wencheng of the Tang dynasty; it was later destroyed in wars. It was rebuilt in the mid-17th century. It covers 130,000 square metres and was the political centre of the former Tibetan region. The whole complex is built of wood and stone, with gilded roofs. The Potala Palace was the venue for large-scale religious and political ceremonies. The 7th floor at the top was the Dalai Lama's winter residence; because it receives abundant sunlight, it is known as the East and West Sunlight Halls. The Red Palace houses mainly the stupa tombs and chapels of successive Dalai Lamas, with eight stupa tombs in total, distributed among the halls on different floors. The largest is the stupa of the 5th Dalai Lama, 14.85 metres tall and inlaid with diamonds and agate. Its topmost gem, a heavenly bead (tianzhu), is said to be the most precious in the world. There is also a gem said to have formed in an elephant's brain, and the gold used alone amounted to 5,500 kilograms. This hall is the largest in the Potala Palace, covering 725 square metres.
Jokhang Temple
Lhasa · 1–2 hours
The Jokhang Temple holds a supreme position in Tibetan Buddhism and is the highest-ranking temple of the Gelug (Yellow Hat) school. In 643 CE, the 18-year-old Princess Wencheng arrived in Lhasa carrying a life-size statue of Shakyamuni at age 12. It is said to have been modelled on Shakyamuni himself and consecrated by him personally, which makes it the most precious. To house the statue, Songtsen Gampo built Ramoche Temple for Princess Wencheng, and built the Jokhang for the Nepalese Princess Bhrikuti, who had married him earlier. In the time of Princess Jincheng, the statue was moved to the Jokhang, and the temple was then continually expanded until it reached its present scale.