Tibet Autonomous Region · China
Where to stay in Lhasa
Lhasa is a city in Tibet Autonomous Region, China, home to about 868,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- LXA45 km · Lhasa Gonggar International Airport
- Currency
- CNYrenminbi
- Time zone
- Asia/Urumqi
- Language
- Chinese, Putonghua, Standard Chinese
About
About Lhasa
Lhasa is the capital and largest city of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It is a prefecture-level city that covers an area of 29,274 square kilometres (11,303 sq mi) of rugged and sparsely populated terrain.
Lhasa, which means "Land of the Gods" and is over 1,300 years old, sits in a valley next to the Lhasa River. In the eastern part of the city, near the Jokhang Temple and Barkhor neighborhood, Tibetan influence is still strong and evident and it is common to see traditionally dressed Tibetans engaged on a kora (a clockwise circumambulation or walk around the Jokhang Temple), often spinning prayer wheels. Long dilapidated, the area has been given a thorough renovation and is now quite pleasant to wander around, and is also by far the most atmospheric area to stay.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Lhasa
See
- Barkhor Street
- Tibet Museum
- Tibet Museum of Natural Science
- The Yak Museum of Tibet
- Former Site of the Amban's Yamen
- Norbulingka Summer Palace
- Potala Palace
- Drepung Monastery
- Ganden Monastery
- Jokhang Temple
- Sera Monastery
Do
- Kora
- Langma Opera
- Blind Massage
- Lhasa Amusement Park
- Princess Wencheng Live Action Drama
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Lhasa to stay in
Some hotels have branches of KTV (Chinese Karaoke). You should ensure that your room is not above one of these establishments or it may be difficult to sleep!
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Lhasa
4 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Banak Shöl Hotel | 1.1 km | |
| Lhasa Hotel | 1985 | 4.7 km |
| Atour Hotel (Lhasa Potala Palace) | 2.6 km | |
| Minshan Hotel | 2.8 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Lhasa
Lhasa has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. June is the warmest month, with average highs of 18 °C; July is the wettest, with about 99 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Lhasa: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Lhasa Gonggar International Airport (LXA), about 45 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting in
Non-Chinese nationals are required to obtain a special permit and must have a tour guide to visit Tibet.
Getting around
The central area with the main tourist attractions (Potala, Jokhang, Barkhor, Ramoche) is easily navigable on foot.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
LXA · Lhasa Gonggar International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Lhasa
Eat
See Tibet for descriptions of typical Tibetan food. A lot of nice and comfortable restaurants are located near the Jokhang Temple along Beijing Zhong Lu (or called Beijing Road Middle) and its tributary road Zang Yiyuan Lu (or called Tibetan Hospital Road). Some of them serve Western food, Nepali and Indian food. Meals can be as cheap as ¥20 per person, including drinks. The smaller Tibetan restaurants, especially the teahouses, may not be decorated as nicely, but are much cheaper than the tourist restaurants and serve more tasty food. Most of the Chinese restaurants serve Sichuan's spicy cuisine.
Stay safe
Read the article on altitude sickness and study its symptoms, precautions, and treatments before traveling to Lhasa. Altitude sickness can easily ruin a holiday and can even be fatal. Lhasa is 3,650 m above sea level, so there is considerable risk of altitude sickness, especially if you fly in from a much lower altitude and your body does not have time to acclimatize: apparently as many as 2% of visitors arriving by plane are hospitalized. If you must fly to Lhasa, it would be wise to fly via an intermediate destination such as Zhongdian (3,200 m), Xining (2,300 m) or Kunming (1,950 m) and spend several days there to acclimatize before flying to Lhasa.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Lhasa: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Lhasa?
Lhasa has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. June is the warmest month, with average highs of 18 °C; July is the wettest, with about 99 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Lhasa?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Lhasa Gonggar International Airport (LXA), about 45 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Lhasa?
renminbi (CNY).
Nearby
Destinations near Lhasa
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.