Barkhor Street
Barkhor Street, also known as Bagjiao Street, circles the Jokhang Temple. It is the Tibetan street with the most authentic local life and the most important pilgrim circuit for Tibetan Buddhists.…
Barkhor Street, Lhasa · Taken by Fanghong · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Getting there
- Take a bus and get off at Cuomeilin Station (措美林站)
- Guidebook rating
- 3 / 5
From China Self Guided Travel 2025, page 537. Open in Google Maps
About Barkhor Street
Barkhor Street, also known as Bagjiao Street, circles the Jokhang Temple. It is the Tibetan street with the most authentic local life and the most important pilgrim circuit for Tibetan Buddhists. In the past it was a gathering place for aristocrats and merchants, and many buildings more than a century old are still well preserved. They are vivid examples of Lhasa's traditional residential architecture.
Tips from the guidebook
- Not far from Barkhor Street is Tsangkung Nunnery, the only nunnery in Tibet. The sweet tea house next to it is very famous, and many visitors come to try it.
- 1. Strolling Barkhor Street: To enjoy the Tibetan-style alleys at a relaxed pace, go early in the morning. Most people walk Barkhor Street clockwise, in the same direction as Tibetan pilgrims.
- 2. Shopping: Barkhor Street sells a wide range of goods, and many are imitations, so check carefully before buying. Follow two rules: do not buy anything described as silver, and do not buy anything described as an antique. After 18:00, Barkhor Street turns into an ordinary market selling mostly daily necessities.
- 3. Buying a Tibetan knife: The most authentic Tibetan knives come from Lhatse County in Western Tibet, where the blade steel is of high quality. Tibetan knives cannot be carried on airplanes, even in checked luggage, so they must be sent by post. The Beijing Middle Road Post Office, just north of the pedestrian street, is Lhasa's main post office. Sending parcels from there is much faster than from smaller post offices.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get to Barkhor Street?
Take a bus and get off at Cuomeilin Station (措美林站)
How long should I spend at Barkhor Street?
Plan on 1–2 hours for Barkhor Street.
Where is Barkhor Street?
Barkhor Street is in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, in the Southwest of China.
More places in Lhasa
Jokhang Temple
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.
¥85 · 1–2 hours
Potala Palace
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.
¥200 (peak season, May–October); ¥100 (off-season, November–April). The Snow City and Treasure Hall at the foot of the mountain can be visited free of charge; the Golden Roof is not open to visitors. · 3–4 hours
Namtso Lake
For many people who have been to Namtso, it is one of the most majestic places they have ever seen. If you can visit only three places in Tibet, travellers who have been there recommend Namtso, the Himalayas and Mount Kailash (Kangrinboqe). Namtso is China's second-largest saltwater lake after Qinghai Lake, and it is the highest saltwater lake in the world. Five islets dot the lake, and the massive Tashi Peninsula is visible from far away. On Tashi Island, two small hills rise. If you climb to the summit of the taller one, you will see a huge pile of mani stones and prayer banners, along with a line of small mani stone piles stretching for hundreds of metres. This is the highest point of Namtso, with the vast lake spreading out around you like a sea. Along the shore stand snow-capped mountains, and on clear days you can see the main peak of the Nyainqêntanglha Range.
¥145 in low season (entry ticket + sightseeing shuttle); ¥210 in peak season (entry ticket + sightseeing shuttle) · 1–2 days
Drepung Monastery
Drepung Monastery is the largest monastery in Tibet, covering 200,000 square metres, and has four dratsang. It was founded in 1416 by a disciple of Tsongkhapa. The Great Assembly Hall is the main building, supported by 183 pillars, and can hold 9,000 monks for scripture recitation. The Tsomchen Hall houses the stupas of the first to fourth Dalai Lamas. Ganden Phodrang, formerly known as Tusita Palace, meaning 'Palace of the Heavenly Gods', is located inside Drepung Monastery. It was home to the first to fifth Dalai Lamas before they moved to the Potala Palace.
¥60 · 2–3 hours
Sera Monastery
Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery and Ganden Monastery are known together as Lhasa's Three Great Monasteries. Sera, the most recently built of the three, was founded in 1418 by Sakya Yeshe, one of the eight great disciples of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery is divided into three dratsang (monastic colleges): Jangtse, Mey and Ngakpa, and 29 khang (monks' residential compounds). Sera Monastery is famous for its monastic debates. Debate is not only a form of academic exchange among monks but also a contest of spirit and wisdom, and it draws many visitors and devotees.
¥50; ¥10 after 17:00 · 3–4 hours
Princess Wencheng Live Performance Theatre
A performance not to be missed. The show tells the classic epic of Princess Wencheng's marriage alliance with the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo. The staging is grand and the music is stirring, and it showcases the blending of Han and Tibetan cultures. Unlike traditional theatre, the highlight of this large-scale outdoor live drama, The Princess Wencheng, is that it uses the stars of the plateau as its backdrop and the mountains and rivers as its scenery, which makes you feel as if you are inside the story.
¥380–¥1,280, depending on seat location · 2 hours