Lhasa Tours

All year round is the best time to visit Lhasa. Lhasa is called "The City of Sunlight", so even if you travel to Lhasa in Winter, you will feel warm during the daytime under the shining sun. Please kindly note: From Feb to March, Tibet usually keeps closed to foreign tourists because of Tibetan New Year Losar.

Lhasa's old city is built around Jokhang Temple as the core, and Barkhor Street is the circle line. Lhasa is famous for its Buddhist culture and its long history. Unlike the busy lives in the metropolis, the pace of life in Lhasa is very slow, and you will enjoy inner peace and leisure. You can enjoy the sunshine with a cup of sweet tea, witness how pilgrims pray in front of Jokhang Temple, follow people to turn prayer wheel for praying, try Tibetan food, or buy some local souvenirs, etc. Here're recommended highlights for your Lhasa trip,

Potala Palace -- the highest palace in the world and the winter palace of the Dalai Lama.
Jokhang Temple -- the spiritual center of Tibetan Buddhism.
Barkhor Street -- an old block filled with Tibetan atmosphere and the most popular street among travelers.
Norbulingka -- the Summer Palace of Dalai Lama and the only royal park.
Drepung Monastery -- one of the top 3 monasteries of Gelug and the largest monastery in Tibet.
Sera Monastery -- the most beautiful Tibetan monastery and you can see "Monks Debate" in the afternoon.

Tibetan food includes Tibetan noodles, Tsampa (Zanba), momo, dumplings, sweet tea, yak meat, sweet peanuts, etc. Besides Tibetan food, you still have multiple choices among Sichuan cuisine, Nepalese food, Indian food, and Western food in Lhasa. Here are the recommended restaurants and cafes in Lhasa.

Lhasa Kitchen -- located near Jokhang Temple and the dish is mainly about Tibetan food and Nepali cuisine. The staff are hospitable and most of them can speak fluent English. Nepalese and Indian cuisine are recommended here.

Tibetan Family Kitchen -- the restaurant is warm and cozy. Staff speak English. The food here is tasty and vegetarian-friendly. The most popular dish is the Yak Momo. You can find it on the right side of Jokhang Square.

Makye Ame restaurant -- located on Barkhor Street and has a great reputation in Lhasa. It’s also a date place with taste and style. You can see the Potala Palace in the distance when you sit on the terrace of the third floor.  

Snowland Restaurant----it serves traditional Tibetan meals, Nepali and Indian food, with typical Tibetan-style decoration. Many foreign tourists would choose to have a meal here because of its various kinds of food. You can easily find it on Barkhor Street.

Guangming Kamqung Sweet Tea House -- sweet tea plays an important role in Tibetan daily life and they would like to start a new day with a cup of sweet tea. You could not miss these sweet tea houses if you like to try the local flavor, as well as delicious Tibetan noodles. 

We recommend spending 3–4 days in Lhasa, including your arrival day. This gives you enough time to adjust to the high altitude and explore the city's main attractions without rushing.

A possible itinerary is:

• Day 1: Arrive in Lhasa, check in to your hotel, and rest for acclimatization.
• Day 2: Visit Drepung Monastery, Norbulingka and Sera Monastery.
• Day 3: Explore Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Barkhor Street.
• Day 4: Visit Ganden Monastery and Drak Yerpa.

If you have more time, you can extend your trip from Lhasa to destinations such as Namtso Lake, Samye Monastery, Yamdrok Lake, Nyingchi, or Everest Base Camp. For a longer Tibet journey that includes some of these destinations, we recommend planning a trip of around 10 days.