Must-visit attractions when visiting Lhasa

Lhasa is a mysterious and ancient city. It has buildings with great national cultural characteristics and the most special religious ceremonies. Below are the must-visit attractions I shared when visiting Lhasa. Everyone is welcome to browse!

1. Potala Palace

This is the highest and most majestic palace in the world and the most splendid symbol of Tibetan culture. During the more than 1,300 years from Songtsen Gampo to the 14th generation, 9 Tibetan kings and 10 lamas administered and preached here. The Potala Palace also has some ancillary buildings, including the monks' residence on the mountain, the school for monks and officials, Langjie Dracang, the East and West courtyards, the Xuelao City at the foot of the mountain and the Tibetan Sutra Printing House, Xueba Liekong, Majikang and Prison, stables, Dragon King Pond in the back garden of Potala Palace, etc.

The visiting route of the Potala Palace is relatively fixed, and the guide signs along the travel route generally will not go astray.

Address: No. 35, Gongqian Lane, Beijing Middle Road, Chengguan District, Lhasa City

Fee: 200 yuan (May 1st - October 31st); 100 yuan (November 1st) -April 30). You can visit the Snow City attractions at the foot of the Potala Palace for free. During the peak season, you need to go to the west gate 1 day in advance to collect the reservation ticket with your ID card. On the second day, you can enter from the main entrance (south gate) according to the time marked on the reservation ticket (20 minutes in advance) to buy tickets. There is a limit of 2,300 tickets per day.

Opening hours: Except for holidays and major events, the Potala Palace is open to tourists from 9:00-16:00 every day.

Transportation: The Potala Palace is located in the center of Lhasa. It can be reached on foot from Beijing East Road, where tourists gather for accommodation. It costs 10 yuan by taxi and 3-5 yuan by tricycle.

Time reference: 3 hours (excluding ticket collection and waiting time)

2. Barkhor Street (Bajiao Street)

It is a whole area This old-style neighborhood with a strong flavor of Tibetan life is also the place with the largest daily passenger flow in Lhasa. There are many shops here, with more than a thousand mobile stalls. Almost all the houses facing the street are shops, selling prayer wheels of various sizes, Tibetan robes, Tibetan knives, vivid and simple religious instruments and other daily necessities. There are also various products from as far away as India and Nepal. Travel products of various nationalities are concentrated in Barkhor Street, which is only more than 1,000 meters in circumference. It can be said that it is of high quality and low price. In addition, near Barkhor Street there are religious and cultural holy sites such as Xia Mi Yuan, Sutra Printing Yuan, Xide Temple Ruins, Canggu Nunnery, and Moslem. You can fully appreciate the mysterious collision of multiple cultures.

3. Yaowang Mountain

It is 3725 meters above sea level. There is a path to the peak. Yaowang Mountain is a better angle for photographing the Potala Palace, especially halfway up the mountain. In the early morning of the travel season, there are often dense crowds of photographers and photography enthusiasts gathering on Yaowang Mountain waiting for the first ray of light to illuminate the Potala Palace. There is a small cave-like temple on the east side of Yaowang Mountain. It is a unique grotto temple located on the steep mountainside at the eastern foot of Yaowang Mountain, called Chalalup. If you go to see it, don’t forget to bring a headlamp or flashlight. Behind Yaowang Mountain is the famous Wall of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Lhasa, and there are many homes nearby that carve Mani stones. You can find it by walking south along a small road east of the Tibet Tourism Bureau.

Address: On the right side of the Potala Palace

Cost: 10 yuan fee

Getting there: The path up the mountain is on the right side of the Potala Palace, across the road , Behind the White Pagoda

4. Norbulingka

Norbulingka is commonly known as the Summer Palace in Lhasa. It means "treasure park" in Tibetan and is the summer palace of lamas of all generations. Whenever summer comes, the lama will move from the Potala Palace to Norbulingka to work. Its buildings are mainly composed of Kelsang Phodrang, Golden Phodrang and Darden Mingjiupodrang, with 374 rooms. It is the largest, most scenic and most historic garden among Tibetan man-made gardens. It has been turned into a people's park. There will be a wealth of performances during the Shoton Festival.

Address: No. 21 Norbulingka Road, Chengguan District, Lhasa City

Fee: 80 yuan/person

Opening hours: 9:30-18:00 < /p>

Time reference: 3 hours

Transportation: Take the No. 2 minibus to the Tibetan Hospital directly to the door. The fare is 2 yuan per person. You can walk to the city center and take a tricycle for about 4 Yuan, a taxi is 10 Yuan.

5. Jokhang Temple

The Jokhang Temple is located in the center of Lhasa. It was built in the mid-7th century. It is the earliest wooden building in Tibet and the most glorious one in the Yefan period. of buildings. The Jokhang Temple is majestic, solemn and gorgeous, and is surrounded by people turning around every day. The Jokhang Temple has always been the center of major Buddhist activities in Tibet, and is also known as the "Eye of Tibet".

Address: Bajiao Street, Chengguan District, Lhasa City

Cost: Free for Tibetans, 85 yuan for tourists; there will be a lama debate on the second floor platform in the afternoon, which is worth watching. The off-season ticket price is 35 yuan from October 20th to April 20th of the following year. If you take pictures in the main hall, you need to pay an additional 90 yuan to buy a photography permit, but photography is prohibited in some halls. It is best to keep your tickets after buying them for the first time, as they will still be valid when you go again in the next few days. Ask the master in the temple to explain it, 50 yuan/time.

Opening hours: 9:00 - 18:00. In the morning, Jokhang Temple is mainly occupied by Tibetan people who pray to Buddha. Although it is also open to tourists, they have to wait for a long time. All Buddhist temples are open in the morning, but only the main Buddhist temples are open in the afternoon. They are also locked with iron chains and cannot be visited. But it is relatively quiet in the afternoon, and there are often lamas introducing the history and cultural relics of the Jokhang Temple to tourists, which is indeed worth listening to. There will be monks chanting sutras in the main hall around 19:30 until 21:00. If you are interested, you can say hello to the staff at the ticket office in advance and go to watch at that time.

Time reference: 2 hours

Transportation: Located in the city center, you can walk there, or take a minibus and get off at the Tibetan Hospital. If you take a tricycle, it costs 4 yuan.

6. Drepung Monastery

It is one of the three major temples of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism and the largest temple in the world. There are many buildings in Drepung Monastery, among which the famous ones include "Ganden Phodrang" and "Tsochen Hall", as well as the four major "Dracangs" and the affiliated Kangcun. In addition, it is worth mentioning that there is the largest kitchen in Tibet next to the Tsoqen Hall. Drepung Monastery had more than 10,000 monks in its heyday. They drank butter tea during morning classes every day and had meals every day. You can imagine how big the pots must be to boil water and cook for so many people. Most of the lamas in Drepung Monastery are very friendly. If you can invite them to accompany you on a tour of the temple, you will definitely gain a lot.

Address: Genpewu Mountain (3,800 meters above sea level) 10km away from the western suburbs of Lhasa

Cost: 120 yuan, student ticket 80 yuan, free for Tibetans

< p> Opening hours: 9:00 - 13:00, most Buddhist temples are closed in the afternoon

Transportation: You can take a taxi from Lhasa city, 20 yuan to the foot of the mountain, 30 yuan to the mountain . You can also take minibus No. 3 from the city, which can only reach the foot of the mountain. Sometimes there are tractors at the foot of the mountain that take passengers up the mountain for 1 yuan/person. Otherwise, you have to walk up the mountain, which takes about half an hour.