Lhasa Things to Do

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The ticket office is located at the West entrance. Bring your passport. The office does not open until after 9:00 am, then the waiting line moves smoothly. At the beginning of October it was okay to arrive at about 9:00 am. We received a voucher for a specific time the next day. You pay the next day, when you enter the Potala palace.

when planning a trip to tibet, i highly recommend including a trip to nam-tso, most stunning of tibet's four sacred lakes. although it is about 5 hours from lhasa by 4x4, nam-tso can be done in a day. you can leave lhasa early in the morning, get there just after lunch, spend an hour or two, then head back and get back to lhasa by dinnertime. no need to sleepover like others do, a couple of hours there is fine.

because of its distance from lhasa and the 1100m climb, i didn't include it in my itinerary at first. but i decided to go for it on the morning of my last day because i finished my tour early and because i was already acclimatized (stay in lhasa at least 3 days before making the trip, see my warnings and dangers tips).

best decision of my life! this is the most awesome place i've ever seen! clear turquoise waters with snow-capped peaks in the background!

from any hotel/guesthoue in lhasa, you can join a trip to nam-tso by 4x4. cost is about Y1500-Y1600 for the roundtrip so for a group of 4, it'll be about Y400/person. entrance fee to lake is Y40/person. you can also get in touch with my guide, nga wang, to arrange a trip for you. his contact info is listed below.

do it, i guarantee it'll be worth it! (see my damxoi page for more photos).

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You're probably trying to budget your time in Lhasa and wondering if the Norbulinka is worth a visit. I almost didn't go as I had considered deleting this place from my itinerary even before I went to Tibet.
Let me tell you why you should go: The Norbulinka is the only public place in Lhasa where one can actually see a drawing of the current 14th Dalai Lama. His photo is banned in Lhasa but here you can actually see his picture on the wall of a shrine. There are a few interesting exhibits inside the Norbulinka and the gardens are pretty, but what really makes it special are the rooms inside the Dalai Lama's former residence. Almost everything was left in place the way it looked back in 1959 when the Dalai Lama fled Lhasa and escaped to India. It reminded me of a show I once saw on TV documenting the well preserved hut in Antarctica left behind by Captain Scott.
You'll see the Dalai Lama's desk, bed, mirror, clock, Russian radio, and even his bathroom. That's right, the Dalai Lama's bathroom! (Guess what kind of toilet he had! See my additional photo!) I looked out the window of his residence and wished that the Dalai Lama could come back and live here again. In the meantime, perhaps through some odd key word search, maybe his Holiness will have a nostalgic glance at the photos I took of his former summer residence.
He probably would not be too fond of a couple more recent additions: the Hall of Budweiser and the Norbulinka Zoo. There is an outdoor stage with a long corridor perhaps used for wedding parties or other social functions; all walls stapled with Budweiser posters and signs.
Budweiser has done a brilliant marketing job in getting their brand name placed all over the city of Lhasa, as mentioned in my general tip. The other attraction, which is notoriously unattractive, is the zoo. I skipped this part but took a picture of the billboard outside which advertises its presence.

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"Barkhor" means "8 corners" and is the name of the octagon shaped street that goes around the Jokhang Temple. You can easily spend a couple hours here just being an amateur photographer before recalling that it's also a shopper's paradise as well.

This is the old city of Lhasa, the part that attracts praying pilgrims and bargain-seeking backpackers. You'll see pilgrims from all regions of Tibet walking clockwise while spinning their portable prayer wheels. They make outstanding subjects for photography, as seen in my additional photos.

Every Tibetan souvenir imaginable is sold here, but it's also a market for ordinary Tibetan people. I watched one "hada" stall do brisk business selling the same traditional long white scarf that was given to me free upon arrival at Lhasa train station. (I was on a VIP train.) Peasants from rural Tibet buy their prayer wheels here too just like Chinese and foreign tourists except they know how to bargain in Tibetan.

My favorite activity at Barkhor Bazaar is taking portrait shots of Tibetan pilgrims. I got tired of asking permission for photography only to see Tibetans either vehemently refuse or hold their hand out expecting to get paid cash. At Barkhor you can capture them on film with natural expression and without compensation. I have a fantastic Lhasa travelogue that tells you exactly how to get the best pictures.

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Whilst in Lhasa take a walk through the old quarter. Here you will find fantastic markets which sell everything from veggies and meat to cooking pots and tourist items. Although you may not want to buy most of what's on offer, it's interesting to watch the locals going about their daily business and take in the bright colours and interesting smells.

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Ganden Monastery is about 45km, almost 2 hours drive east from Lhasa. This monastery is highly recommended for its stunning location on a ridge overlooking the Kyichu Valley.

Try walking the high kora for the best views of the area, though at 4500m above sea level make sure your acclimatised before attempting it. The walk will take around 1 1/2 hours to complete.

To get there you can hire a bus (if there's enough people) or leave early (6am) on a public bus from Lhasa. The public bus returns at 2pm and costs Y20.

Entrance: Y45

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Sera Monastery is about 4kms north of Lhasa and was founded in 1419 by a disciple of Tsong Khapa.

The best reason to get to Sera is to watch the debating which takes place Monday - Friday around 3.30pm. Here you can run wild with your cameras and get a lifetime supply of monk photos!!

You can get a bus there (we took #2) heading west on Beijing Lu (Y3).

A tax will cost you around Y20

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A magnificent way to experience the views of Lhasa is to climb to the top of Jokhang Monastery. On the way pass the elderly community who come every day to pray together and spin their prayer wheels.

Once at the top you will look out over Barkhor Square and take in the city, the Potala Palace, the surrounding mountains and the pilgrims circling the monastery.

It is free to go up there and you will experience some amazing views as well as chat with the locals!