Some people see Lhasa as a perfunctory destination, a place you have to visit during your trip to Tibet just because you’ll be landing at the airport. In a way, this was how I felt when I first got there.
Upon exploring the Tibetan capital, and also feeling at home there over the course of nearly a week out of my 10 days in the country, I started to see Lhasa as much more than that. It was the core of my trip, the heart of it. A “primate city” in the vein of Bangkok or Paris.
Now, I can’t oversell this Lhasa itinerary. You can’t travel on your own in Tibet; your tour company will organize your trip. Still, you can feel free to persuade your guide to add some of these places to your plan. Lhasa, you’ll see, is just so much more than Potala Palace.
Where to Stay in Lhasa
As is the case with your trip more broadly, the travel agency you work with while choose your Lhasa hotel. However, there are two basic classes of hotels—three-star hotels, and four- or five-star hotels—available in Lhasa. Typically, it doesn’t cost much more for the upgraded option, which I wish in hindsight that I had chosen.
I stayed at the Xinding Hotel. Located about 15 minutes on foot from Potala Palace, this was a passable hotel with large rooms and a decent breakfast, though it wasn’t without its faults. Namely, the water was never very hot; no real coffee was on offer for most of the day. By contrast, those who paid extra got to stay at the Shangri-La Lhasa, which they told me wasn’t amazing, but was also better than Xinding Hotel.
My Favorite Things to Do in Lhasa
Visit Potala Palace
Built in 17th century as the official residence for the Dalai Lama, Potala Palace is the symbol of Lhasa (and Tibet), as well as its visual centerpiece. You can see it from all around the city, including from many rooms at the city’s hotels—more on those in a minute. However, I was disappointed with my visit inside the palace, which was being (sloppily) painted when I went there.
Say a prayer at Jokhang Temple
Many a Lhasa travel blog I’ve seen end here, which is a shame. To be sure, whether for its golden roof or ornately painted interior (where you weren’t supposed to take pictures, but where I of course did), Jokhang Temple was perhaps even more visually stunning to me than Potala Palace was. It’s also much older, having been built all the way back in the 7th Century.
Get lost at Drepung Monastery
The bad news? Since you have to visit Tibet on an organized tour (which is much more strictly regulated at “attractions” than it is on the streets of Lhasa), I wasn’t able to explore Drepung Monastery to my heart’s content. If I had, I’d have spent less time inside the monastery (which was beautiful, but started to feel boring after a few minutes) and more admiring the massive Buddha paintings on the bouldered hills above it.
Watch a debate at Sera Monastery
Conversely, I ended up having much more freedom to explore Sera Monastery during my Lhasa trip. That’s because the focus of our trip was the so-called “monk debate.” Since photography is also prohibited here, I instead spent my time walking around the grounds of the monastery, which I found nothing short of captivating. Lots of friendly locals, too!
Don’t forget Old Lhasa
At first glance, Lhasa outside of the four sites above is indistinguishable from any other city in China, and seems downright dystopian. However, that all changes when you visit Old Lhasa, the part of the city that extends all the way from the blocks north of Jokhang Temple to busy, bustling Luobulinka Road. This was definitely my favorite part of the city!
How Many Days Do You Need in Lhasa?
Lhasa will be the hub of your trip to Tibet, no matter how long you stay overall. You’ll pass through on multiple occasions. For me, that was at the beginning and end of my trip, as well as during the interstice between Everest Base Camp and Namtso Lake. Overall, I spent five nights in Lhasa, which surprisingly didn’t feel like too long.
Indeed, as you go over in detail the itinerary your tour company sends you, I encourage you to have an open mind when it comes to how many days in Lhasa you spend. There’s much more to do in Lhasa than simply visit or look at Potala Palace. And even after you’ve seen and done everything, there’s a sense of delightful sense of familiarity (nostalgia, even) that sets in every time you return.
Other FAQ About Planning a Trip to Lhasa
Is Lhasa worth visiting?
Lhasa is absolutely worth visiting! From famous Potala Palace, to resplendent Jokhang Temple, to underrated Old Lhasa and the monasteries of Drepung and Sera, Lhasa will definitely exceed any expectations you’ve set for the Tibetan capital.
Does Lhasa allow foreigners?
Lhasa hosts hundreds of foreign tourists at any given time. While you need to be on an organized tour in order to gain entry into Tibet in the first place, you can actually explore most places in Lhasa (with the exception of major tourist attractions and museums) completely independently.
Why is Lhasa called “The Forbidden City”?
Lhasa is sometimes called the Forbidden City, because at many junctures throughout history, the entry of foreigners was either highly restricted or outright, well, forbidden. Thankfully, foreigners are free to enter these days, so long as they’re part of an organized tour with a licensed agency.
The Bottom Line
I hope my Lhasa itinerary will inspire you to go off the city’s beaten path. Well, to the extent you can, give that independent travel in Tibet is effectively impossible. Still, whether in the city on the streets of Old Lhasa or under the golden roof at Jokhang Temple, or just outside it at Drepung and Sera Monasteries, there’s more to see in Lhasa than Potala Palace, in spite of how large it looms over the city (both literally and figuratively). Likewise, while I can’t plan your broader trip to Tibet in the sense that I could for other countries, there’s still value to hiring me as your Travel Coach for this destination.
