You are here: Home › Destinations › Asia › Tibet › Lhasa
Lhasa
About Lhasa
Lhasa is the capital of Tibet autonomous region in China. It is located in the heart of Tibet at 3650 m above sea level on the northern slopes of the Himalayas. Lhasa literally means "Place of the gods", it is also the centre of Tibetan Buddhism. Here you can visit many monasteries and the Himalayan landscape is a beautiful sight to see. There are many wild plants and animals native to Tibet, because of the high altitudes of Central Asia. About 87% of population of Lhasa is supposed to be ethnic Tibetan, so this place is bound to be a rich cultural experience.
Local highlights
Explore the city with Tibetan cultures and many monasteries
- Norbulingka–traditional summer home for Dalai Lamas
- Jokhang Temple–monastery
- Ramoche Temple
- Lingkor Kora–8km long walk around the former wall of the city
- Barkhor square
- Ganden Monastery
- Drepung Monastery
- Barkhor-famous pilgrim route
- Sera Monastery
- Yamdrok Yumtso Lake
- Barkhor Street
Explore its nice museums and historical sights, such as
- Potala Palace–former home of multiple Dalai Lamas currently a state museum of China
- The Tibet Museum
Highlights in the vicinity
Explore the rich cultural heritage of environment of Lhasa, such as
- Tashilumpo Monastery
- Sakya Monastery
- Palkhor Monastery
- Pala Manor
- The Himalayas–the biggest mountains in the world (Mt Everest)
- Dzong Fortress
- Gyangze Old Street
Good to know
- No. of inhabitants: 200 Thousand
- Timezone: UTC +8
- Weather: Winters are severe with temperatures around the -10˚C including much light snow and frost. Summers however can get rather warm at an average temperature of 20˚C during the day, but temperatures cool down rapidly at night. The annual precipitation is at 40cm annually, with most rainfall in the summer.
- There are plenty of good hotels, hostels and restaurants for visitors
- Allow for enough time to adjust to the dramatic altitude change to avoid altitude sickness (take this as a serious concern)
Local transport
- Minibus
- Taxi (no meter)
- Bicycle rental
Inbound transport
- Nearest airport: Gonggar Airport, 98 km south of Lhasa, from there Airport buses take tourists to the city after they have arrived
- Trains: a 48-hour train trip connects Lhasa to Beijing
- Highest Railway (sometimes over 5072 m high) in the world to Golmud in China's Qinghai province, via Nagqu to Uli (China)-1100 km railway track
- Car: highways connecting mainly to China
Travel tips
There are no Travel tips yet
Add a Travel tip
Did you visit this Destination?
And become one of the EnjoyYourWorld Photographers
And show travellers YOUR BEST PICTURES OF THE WORLD. Everyone has a different view on this world and that makes your pictures so special, so don’t wait any longer and send us your pictures right now!! And become one of our EnjoyYourWorld photographers.