Lhasa Travel Guide

  Potala Palace
by ozalp
  • Potala Palace
      Potala Palace
    by ozalp
  •   Things to Do
    by sanluipal
  •   Lhasa
    by nattybabe
  •   Lhasa
    by darkpath
  •   Lhasa
    by lapjaz

Pro

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 Hardly any Western tourists 


Con

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 Lots of Chinese tourists 


In a nutshell

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 Visit before the Qinghai-Tibet railway is completed 

 

Explore Lhasa

Things to Do  

Rock Art!

Rock Art!, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  If you walk the Kora at Sera Monastery, make sure to take note of the beautiful Buddhas carved and painted into the large boulders along the Kora route.Update 2013: I see that some of the Buddhas have been repainted, probably several times since my last visit. But I also... 

Sera Kora

Sera Kora, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  The Kora is a pilgrimage of circling the monastery clock wise. The route can be difficult at times. Try and follow the Tibetan pilgrims. If you ask anyone by saying "Kora Lam" they will point you in the right direction. 

Potala

Potala, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  The Potala is a beautiful monastery in the center of Lhasa. It cost 100rmb to enter, which is the most expensive to enter in Tibet. The walk up is very steep. It is a good idea to try this after you have been in Lhasa for several days if you are not use to the... 

Sera Printing Room

Sera Printing Room, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  This is often overlooked as it is not well defined of what this building is. This is where all the Buddhist scrolls, text and books are printed. While everything is for sale, unfortunately for tourist, everything is in Tibetan. There are small scrolls of different Buddhist... 

Sera Monestary

Sera Monestary, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  This is a huge monastery with a lot of pilgrims. The cobble stone road walking into the monastery is great. There are a number of prayer wheels on the right. A tour on your own is not as well organized has many other monasteries in Tibet. You are pretty much on your own... 

Yamdrok-tso

Yamdrok-tso, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  Tso means lake in Tibetan. Yamdrok is one of the 4 holy lakes in Tibet. It is about 1 hour from Lhasa and usually viewed from Kampa La pass. Being that it is a holy lake, many pilgrims will visit, making a kora around the lake. The lake is huge and takes about 7 days to... 

Kampa La Pass

Kampa La Pass, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  Every pass in Tibet is a big deal. You will always find many prayer flags across the road. The idea is that the wind blowing through the flags will carry the prayers out to the universe. Sometimes it is a very beautiful site, sometimes it looks like a big mess. Kampa La is... 

Ga Ma Shar Monastery

Ga Ma Shar Monastery, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  This is the smallest monastery I every visited. It is situated in the heart of Lhasa old town section, near Jokhang. As you walk in, there is a man monitoring who enters. He is a nice guy and saw I was carrying an old Lonely Planet Tibet guide book. He pointed at it and I... 

Sera - Chanting Monks

Sera - Chanting Monks, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  As it turns out, my guide tells me that the Monks do not have debating class on the weekends. He does have a relative that is a Monk at Sera and gave him a call. He told my guide that there would a chanting session we should come see. I'm glade we did. It was another amazing... 

Sera - Debating Monks!

Sera - Debating Monks!, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  When visiting Sera Monestary, be sure to find the debating court yard. This is not well mark, but the monks are very friendly and will point you in the right direction.The debating starts at about 3pm so time your trip accordenly so you don't miss this intriguing part of the... 

Hotels  

Lhasa Hotel

 6 Reviews and 25 Opinions  I would recommend a stay at The Lhasa hotel we did for 4 nights The beds were firm like most beds in... 

House of Shambhala

 3 Reviews and 13 Opinions  I love House of Shambhala since the moment I stepped in. It is exactly what I had on mind. Rustic,... 

Restaurants  

Ganglamedo: The food is good and the cat is cool!

Ganglamedo: The food is good and the cat is cool!, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  The restaurant is across the street and a few doors down from the Yak Hotel. I've eaten dinner here before and it was very good. This trip I stopped in for lunch. I had the vegetable pizza. It was very good. A little spicy and the pizza dough was more like naan. It's a... 

House of Shambhala: Great place for lunch but lacking for dinner

House of Shambhala: Great place for lunch but lacking for dinner, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  This restaurant is part of the hotel House of Shambhala. It is on the roof top with indoor and outdoor seating. This is a great place to hang out and relax. It is one of the more beautifully decorated hotels and restaurant in Lhasa. The wait staff are great but only one... 

Transportation  

Pedi-cab

Pedi-cab, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  Pedi-cabs are a pretty common sight around Lhasa. They fit two adults but I have seen three fit in if the cyclist can handle it. Negotiation range depending on where you want to go. A lot has to do with construction going on. The typical ride just about anywhere is 20rmb.... 

Shopping  

Barkhor Square: Where its at!

Barkhor Square: Where its at!, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  Barkhor Square is hundreds of vendors with small carts sell all types of tibetan art and buddhist items. Many of the vendors have the same or similar items. DO NOT SETTLE ON THE ASKING PRICE! Tibetan are natural negotiators. It is not uncommon to have the price drop 3 or 4... 

(Unfortunately, can't remember): Recommendation

(Unfortunately, can't remember): Recommendation, Lhasa

 celestialmimi Says:  This review has been a long time in coming, but I promised to say something and am now fulfilling my promise. The shop, located somewhere along Barkhor street, is one of the more recognized and trusted shops, given a large interior and two floors. They sell all kinds of... 

Warnings and Dangers  

Man Hole traps!

Man Hole traps!, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  There is a lot of construction going on around Lhasa. However it is complete Chaos to the average tourist, or anyone else that has worked construction in a developed country. In Tibet, there is somewhat of a disregard for safety of others. The workers know there's no man... 

How to prevent Altitude Sickness when at Lhasa

How to prevent Altitude Sickness when at Lhasa, Lhasa

 AspirantSG Says:  For full experience write up & photos, please visit my blog: http://www.aspirantsg.com/travel-holidays/surviving-altitude-sickness-tibet/singapore or follow me on twitter for food reviews: https://twitter.com/AspirantSGWhen you are in Tibet: 1. Go right back to your hotel... 

Tourist Traps  

Thangka, Thank you!

Thangka, Thank you!, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  A Thangka is a painting of a Buddhist deity or Mandala. The best ones, and most authentic, are painted on fabric or canvas, not paper. There are two different types of Thangka. Ones that are printed on by computer and those that are painted. To tell the difference, just get... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Langtang Monastery

Langtang Monastery, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  Langtang is only a mile or so from Nalendra. It is a much smaller monastery but if you are in the are to see Nalendra, you should stop in at Langtang.Some guide books state there are two temples and ruins from the cultural revolution. It seems the cleanup is near complete at... 

Nalendra Monastery

Nalendra Monastery, Lhasa

 blueskyjohn Says:  I decided to change my plans for the day because I was so tired of all the driving and waiting and more driving. Looking at my map, I spotted a few small monasteries that seemed nearby Lhasa. I asked my guide about them and he said he had never been to them before. He asked... 

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