I want to travel to Tibet during the summer vacation and would love to get your itinerary and suggestions.

The latest guide to Lhasa self-guided tour in 2009

The first stop for most people entering Tibet is Lhasa. As the holy capital of this snow-covered plateau, Lhasa has extremely beautiful natural scenery. Its unique culture and history are important reasons for attracting many tourists. Chapters are intended to be practical. Everyone is welcome to add.

Transportation

Aviation

Lhasa Gonggar Airport has international and inter-provincial routes, connecting with Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Xi'an, Xining, Guangzhou, There are air routes between Qamdo, Kunming and Kathmandu, Nepal. Gonggar Airport is located in Gonggar County, 98 kilometers south of Lhasa.

The airport bus runs between the airport and the Civil Aviation Ticketing Center on Niangre Road in Lhasa. The journey takes about one and a half hours and costs 35 to 40 yuan. If there are many people, you can consider chartering a car, which costs 150 yuan. A taxi costs 140 yuan, and the driver is willing to go from the city to the airport in the morning for 100 yuan.

Here are some tips:

1. If 4 people go, it is recommended to charter a car. Gonggar Airport-Lhasa is about 100 yuan/car, and Lhasa-Gonggar Airport is about 120 yuan/car.

2. If you take a civil aviation bus, it is recommended that you take the right hand side of the direction of the bus, because along the right side are the Brahmaputra River and the Lhasa River, and the scenery is beautiful.

3. After arriving in Lhasa, the civil aviation bus stops at the Civil Aviation Hotel east of the Bu Palace, very close to Beijing Road, where hotels and travel agencies gather. If you want to go to Balangxue, Jiri, and International Youth Hostel, it is recommended that you take a taxi, which costs 10 yuan/car. Because it’s a long walk and you have to drag a lot of luggage.

Train

Currently, you can take trains to Lhasa in cities such as Beijing, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xining, Shanghai, Lanzhou, and Guangzhou.

Lhasa Railway Station is located in Liuwu Township, Doirungdeqen County, southwest of Lhasa City. It is more than 3,600 meters above sea level and nearly 20 kilometers away from the Potala Palace. You can take buses 86, 89, and 91 from the city. It only costs 1 yuan to reach Potala Palace Square, which is very convenient and fast. Taking a taxi costs about 40 yuan.

Long-distance buses

Lhasa has two passenger terminals in the northern suburbs and the eastern suburbs. Beijiao Passenger Terminal is located at No. 11 Zhaji Road, Lhasa City. It mainly provides long-distance passenger transportation and has shuttle buses to Nagqu, Shigatse, Shannan, Ngari, Golmud, Shangri-La, Renbu, Sakya and other places;

Dongjiao Passenger Terminal is located at No. 3 Jiangsu East Road, Lhasa City. It mainly provides short-distance passenger transportation to Bayi Town, Damxung, Songba Township, Qushui, Yangpajing, Ganden Monastery, Rezhen Monastery, Lin Shuttle buses to Zhou County, Mozhu Gongkar, Yamdrok Yumcuo, Samye Monastery and other places.

Internal transportation

The main passenger transportation in the city is minibus. The fare is 2 yuan per person, regardless of distance. Bus No. 2 goes to Doilung Deqen; No. 3 and 4 go to Drepung Monastery; No. 5 goes to Sera Monastery, and most of the routes stop at Tibetan Hospital;

Buses mainly run along the Second Ring Road, and No. 101 Xianzu Island - District Party School, Route 102 around the city (two-way), Route 103 Bus Company - Najin Township Government, Route 104 Military Region General Hospital - Bus Company, Route 105 Motor Factory - Zhonghe International City, Route 106 Xinzang Da--Bayi District, No. 107 Stadium--Dazi County, No. 108 Bus Company--Gurong Township, No. 109 Ejietang, No. 111 Brewery--Xinong Group, No. 112 Cijiaolin--Stadium , No. 98 Small Ring Road (one-way), No. 97 Bus Company - Barku, No. 96 Bus Company - Leather Factory. Bus lines 91, 89, and 86 go between the train station and the urban area. Among them, line 91 goes directly to the Lhasa Bridge from the Dongjiao Bus Terminal and goes from the old road to the train station. Line 89 passes through Jiangsu, passing the Potala Palace Square, and then passes through Norbulingka. Road and Jinzhu West Road overpass to the train station. Route 86 takes the Second Ring Road and passes through the overpass to the train station. Bus frequency is relatively small.

Taxis are not metered and cost 10 yuan within the city. Negotiable when going out of the city. In order to crack down on illegal taxis and strengthen the management of taxis, the taxi office uniformly spray-paints taxis operating in Lhasa, with the upper part emerald green and the lower part silvery white. Taxis with uniform "dress" are quite different from other vehicles. You should try to choose these regular taxis.

If the journey is not too far, a tricycle is most suitable, usually 3 yuan, and 5 yuan for tourists. Lhasa's human-powered tricycles are a major attraction in Lhasa as a tourist city. The tricycles stop at the beckoning signal. For 3 to 5 yuan, you can go to any place in the downtown area of ??Lhasa. You can go to the streets to do errands, buy food and rice, and move small or large items. Items, choose at will through the streets and alleys. If you are just for sightseeing, you can take a three-wheeler and drive around slowly. As long as the weather is good, you can see all the Lhasa streets. Many hotels and hostels offer bicycle rental services for 2 yuan per hour. The Lhasa Civil Aviation Ticket Office is connected with the national civil aviation computer ticketing system. Passengers traveling from Tibet can purchase one-way, connecting and return tickets from Chengdu to all parts of the country. Lhasa is the transportation center of Tibet and a distribution center for tourists traveling to Tibet. There are passenger vehicles going to various places.

Many hotels and travel agencies have bicycles for rent.

At the Giant store on Beijing Middle Road, the price of mountain bikes is 20-30 yuan/day (24 hours) depending on the model; the price of ordinary bicycles is 10-15 yuan/day (24 hours) depending on the model. Domestic tourists can rent a car at any time by depositing a deposit based on the car price; foreign tourists can pledge their passport when renting a car.

Accommodation

Lhasa is the capital of Tibet. Accommodation is very convenient. There are various hotels from the lowest-end guest houses to four-star hotels, which can meet the different needs of tourists. However, in the peak season, the supply of hotels still exceeds the demand, so tourists visiting Tibet during the peak season are best to make reservations in advance. Moreover, in an environment that is extremely suitable for altitude sickness, it is not cost-effective to expend physical energy in the process of looking for hotels.

Many backpackers like to stay in small hotels similar to youth hostels. They are usually located near Bajiao Street. They are a good choice for tourists who like the hotel’s exterior scenery in the old city of Sa. But remember, Many of these hotels only accept foreign tourists, so check before you go to avoid getting into trouble. Moreover, due to the good business, these hotels sometimes have a bad attitude.

Let’s take a look at the most IN places to stay in Lhasa first! This is the choice of most backpackers and travel enthusiasts, and Balangxue Hotel has even become one of the "Top Ten Mountain Hotels" in the world!

Of course, some budget hotels including Jinjiang Inn are also good choices for those who are staying for a short time.

Tour

This is a two-day tour of Lhasa mainly focusing on the scenic spots in Lhasa city. A reminder: The number of visitors to the Potala Palace is limited every day, so go early.

The old city of Lhasa is different from our inland old cities. Over the past thousands of years, this lonely old city has become more attractive. The route around the old city is not to be missed.

Food

Lhasa is the place with the best food and accommodation conditions in Tibet. Hotels mainly serve Tibetan and Sichuan cuisine, and several in-hotel restaurants also serve Nepali and Indian cuisine. The prices in each restaurant are similar, but Sichuan cuisine is more expensive than in the Mainland.

Western-style restaurants are mostly concentrated on Beijing Road, where there are more tourists. Almost every hotel restaurant serves Western food. Among them, the Western food served in the restaurant of Balangxue Hotel is of good quality and worth a try; the restaurant of Xueyu Hotel has a very nostalgic atmosphere. Gangji Restaurant, diagonally opposite the Snowland Hotel and facing the Jokhang Temple Square, serves mainly Tibetan cuisine. Although the beef steak here is extremely tough, the incomparable street view of this second-floor restaurant is indeed worth a seat and a pot of black tea. With a bottle of beer and a portion of Tibetan dumplings, the sight of all the living beings in the Jokhang Temple is enough to keep people entertained for a long time. Jokhang Temple Square is the best snack street, with authentic stuffed rice noodles and barbecue.

Some hotels have Tibetan restaurants attached. If you are willing to spend money, the "Snow God Palace" located on Beijing Middle Road, in front of the Potala, is a good choice. An authentic Tibetan meal costs more than 100 yuan. Here The raw beef can be eaten in two ways: mixed with juice and dried. You can also try the local butter tea. There are many tea stalls on the west side of the Potala Palace, but don’t drink sweet ones, as they are just to coax foreigners.

Please go through the portal for the delicious food in Lhasa.

Shopping

Lhasa’s items all have a unique flavor. Lhasa’s most worth-buying specialties, it’s a good idea to pick a few to take back as souvenirs.

The first place to buy these things is Barkhor Street. Barkhor Street is the ancient and sacred prayer street in Lhasa and the most famous small commodity street in Lhasa. The most attractive thing for travelers should be the magical artifacts and thangkas in Barkhor Street. If you purchase thangkas, prayer wheels and other ritual instruments, you can ask the lama of the Jokhang Temple to consecrate them. Of course, you need to pay a small fee. Tibetan carpets, Tibetan knives, card mats, aprons, ethnic costumes, ethnic shoes and hats, gold and silver jewelry and various traditional handicrafts are all traditionally handmade, with exquisite craftsmanship and beautiful shapes, and have strong local style and ethnic characteristics. .

Many tourists like to buy Tibetan medicine because Tibetan medicinal materials are famous all over the world. The most famous ones are saffron, cordyceps, snow lotus, etc. In addition, there are also various magical Tibetan medicines prepared, processed and prepared by Tibetan doctors with secret recipes. Medicines, such as the famous "Pearl Seventy", etc., but you must be careful to identify them when buying Tibetan medicines. Tibetan medicines in many places are fake. If you want to buy with confidence, the best place is the Tibet Tibetan Hospital opposite the Jokhang Temple Square, or the pharmaceutical company in the western suburbs of Lhasa.

There are many thangka shops on Barkhor Street, but the most famous one is the time-honored one: Snowland Thangka Handicraft Shop, located at No. 16, Barkhor South Street. The owner of the shop is named Cidan Langjie, who studied under the famous Jiang Bai Wangjiu. The business of Xueyu Thangka Handicraft Shop is very prosperous now. Those who come to learn painting from him will not charge you tuition fees regardless of their age, ethnicity or nationality. Many foreigners learn to draw thangkas from him. Thangka is also the most profitable handicraft in Lhasa. Because they do not understand the art of Thangka, most tourists spend dozens of times more than the purchase price of the merchants, which may not be good enough. It is recommended that you go to the owner of the Traveler Bar to receive relevant training first. And don’t go to places like Thangka Village to buy it.

There are many shops to buy Nepali silver jewelry and other handicrafts, but many of the silverware are of poor quality or simply fake. Be sure to visit a few more and compare them before making a decision.

When shopping on Barkhor Street, you must learn to negotiate prices with stall owners. The best time to buy things is in the early morning or evening, because Tibetans are accustomed to giving food to the first customer and the last customer. Comparative price. The most outrageously priced items in Lhasa are usually Dzi beads, so be careful when buying them. However, the number of real Dzi beads is quite rare, and it can be said that it is difficult to buy authentic ones on Barkhor Street.