Skip to content
Voykit
Set your trip — dates, party, bagsPlanner

Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

Major city · China

Lhasa拉萨

Go only as a permit tour: 4–5 nights, May–Jun or Sep–Oct, based in Barkhor old town; allow 1–2 days to acclimatise at 3,650 m before the Potala.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
CNY
Best months
May–Jun, Sep–Oct
avoid Dec–Feb (cold, thin air), Jul–Aug (rain and peak domestic crowds)
Airport
LXA
Nights
4–5
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7
  • East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
  • East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
  • China ↗Most nationalities need a visa, a unilateral visa-free entry (the list and end dates change) or the transit exemption below. Confirm your route on the official sites before you buy a ticket.
  • China ↗Transit stay without a visa: up to 240 hours (10 days) for citizens of about 55 listed countries who pass through China to a third country or region, with a confirmed onward ticket and a stay inside the permitted area (Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei count as one area). It replaced the 144-hour rule in December 2024, which some older pages still quote. Use the transit lane at immigration, show the onward ticket, and check the current nationality list. Hong Kong and Macau count as separate regions; check whether your ticket qualifies.
  • China ↗Foreign visitors must register their address with the police within 24 hours; hotels do it at check-in with your passport. Carry the original passport at all times: hotels, trains, museums, Tiananmen Square and police checks ask for it.
  • China ↗Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before you fly. QR payment is the default in shops, taxis and many stalls, and some places refuse cash or a foreign card. Carry cash as a backup.
  • China ↗Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and many news sites are blocked. Use an eSIM with roaming (it routes through your home network) or install and test a VPN before you fly; VPN sites and app stores are hard to reach inside China, and only government-approved VPNs are officially permitted.

Lhasa is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, 3,650 m up in a valley on the Lhasa River, and the only way in for non-Chinese passport holders is a guided, permitted tour booked through a licensed agency. The old town around the Jokhang and Barkhor is the atmospheric half; the western half is modern Han Chinese Lhasa with banks and malls. Budget 4–5 nights: two of them are acclimatisation, not sightseeing.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Lhasa, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Sit-down mealRestaurant meal with a drink¥40–120 (≈ US$6–17)
  • Street or quick mealPlate of momos or a noodle bowl¥20–40 (≈ US$3–6)
  • Taxi, about 5 kmCity taxi anywhere in townFlat fare; expect sharing.¥10 (≈ US$2)
  • Metro or bus ridePublic bus ride¥1 (≈ under US$1)
  • Museum or sight ticketPotala Palace admission¥100 (≈ US$14) (check)
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per personCN¥80 (≈ US$12)
  • Mid-range bedMid-range double room, a night, per roomCN¥450 (≈ US$65)
  • High-end bedMid-range double room, a night, per roomCN¥900 (≈ US$130)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget CN¥400 (≈ US$60) · Mid CN¥800 (≈ US$120) · High CN¥1,800 (≈ US$300)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Potala PalaceJokhang Temple and Barkhor koraSera and Drepung monasteriesNorbulingka summer palace
Airports
LXA Lhasa Gonggar Airport (About 61 km southwest of the city; 40–60 min by road. Non-Chinese nationals are met at the airport by their tour guide.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Lhasa: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

8°C

−9°C

1 rd

Feb

10°C

−6°C

1 rd

Mar

13°C

−3°C

2 rd

Apr

16°C

1°C

3 rd

May

20°C

5°C

6 rd

Jun

23°C

9°C

12 rd

Jul

22°C

10°C

16 rd

Aug

21°C

9°C

16 rd

Sep

20°C

7°C

11 rd

Oct

17°C

1°C

4 rd

Nov

13°C

−5°C

1 rd

Dec

9°C

−9°C

1 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The core sights — Potala, Jokhang, Barkhor, Ramoche — are walkable. City taxis run about ¥10 flat anywhere in town and drivers often pick up extra passengers; Didi works. Public buses cost ¥1 and non-Chinese nationals may ride them. Your tour normally supplies a private vehicle for monastery days.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Drepung Monastery

go

Door to door: About 1 h each way

Private vehicle or minibus from the city, about 8 km west

Once Tibet's largest monastery; go in the morning and take the stairs slowly.

Sera Monastery

go

Door to door: About 30 min each way

Taxi or tour vehicle, about 5 km north of the centre

Monk debates in the afternoon courtyard are the draw.

Ganden Monastery

caution

Door to door: 1.5–2 h each way

Private vehicle, about 47 km east on Wangbur Mountain

A long half-day at higher altitude; only if you are already acclimatised.

Yamdrok Lake

overnight

Door to door: 3–4 h each way

Guided vehicle south over the Kamba La pass

Too far for a comfortable return day; most tours sleep near Shigatse.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Barkhor old town

Walk to Jokhang, Ramoche and the kora; the most atmospheric area to stay and where most tour hotels sit.

West Lhasa (Beijing Middle Road)

Modern hotels, banks and malls; 10–15 min by taxi to the old town.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
¥350–600 (≈ US$50–85) excl. bed
Mid
¥600–1,200 (≈ US$85–170) excl. bed
High
¥1,200 (≈ US$170)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Mid-range double room1 × 4 nights × CN¥450CN¥1,800
Food, local transport, entries2 × 4 days × CN¥800CN¥6,400
Airport shuttle, one way2 × CN¥25 · checkCN¥50
City taxi, typical hop1 × CN¥10 · checkCN¥10
eSIM, about a week of data2 × CN¥150CN¥300
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeCN¥856
Trip total≈ CN¥1,177 per person per day, bed includedCN¥9,416≈ US$1,400

2026 estimate in yuan; flights, the permit tour and guide fees are separate. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Sweet tea or butter tea in a teahouse¥5–20 (≈ US$1–3)
Plate of momos or a noodle bowl¥20–40 (≈ US$3–6)
Restaurant meal with a drink¥40–120 (≈ US$6–17)
City taxi anywhere in townFlat fare; expect sharing.¥10 (≈ US$2)
Public bus ride¥1 (≈ under US$1)
Potala Palace admission¥100 (≈ US$14) (check)
Norbulingka admission¥50 (≈ US$7) (check)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Lhasa is low-crime, but altitude is the hazard: acclimatise before the Potala, keep the first day empty, and carry your passport and permit — they are checked at sites and checkpoints.
  • Non-Chinese passport holders need a Tibet Travel Permit arranged through a licensed agency, plus a guide for the whole stay; you cannot book flights or trains into Lhasa without it.
  • Altitude is the real risk: 3,650 (≈ US$550) m. Fly in, rest day one, no alcohol, no stairs on arrival, and treat headache plus breathlessness as a signal to stop.
  • The Potala is a climb of many stairs; do it after you are acclimatised, not on day one.
  • Many ATMs reject foreign cards; Bank of China machines generally work.
  • Some monasteries and the Potala cap daily visitor numbers and require timed entry through your guide.

Emergency numbers

Police
110
Fire
119
Ambulance
120

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Lhasa拉萨

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

请到这个地址To this address, please

Emergency

  • Police110
  • Fire119
  • Ambulance120

Embassy

Most countries have embassies in Beijing and consulates in Chengdu; check your own government's advice before booking a Tibet tour.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Gonggar Airport → Lhasa, shuttle: about ¥25 (≈ US$4), 40–60 min (check)
  • Taxi anywhere in the city: about ¥10 (≈ US$2) flat
  • Train station → city centre, taxi: about ¥30 (≈ US$5) flat; agree the price first

Say or show

  • བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས། — Hello (tashi delek)
  • ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཆེ། — Thank you (thuk je che)
  • 多少钱？ — How much is it? (duōshao qián)
  • 洗手间在哪里？ — Where is the toilet? (xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ)
  • 我有高原反应 — I have altitude sickness (wǒ yǒu gāoyuán fǎnyìng)
  • 请慢一点 — Please go slower (qǐng màn yīdiǎn)

Carry your passport and Tibet permit at all times; they are checked at sites and on the road.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Lhasa. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: May–Jun, Sep–Oct · avoid Dec–Feb (cold, thin air), Jul–Aug (rain and peak domestic crowds) · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 2 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Permit and guide logistics page: agency, documents, lead time, what the permit does and does not cover.
  2. Altitude plan: arrival day, sleep, hydration, when to descend.
  3. Place pages for Potala, Jokhang, Sera, Drepung and Norbulingka with timed-entry rules.
  4. Eat pages for Barkhor and Beijing Middle Road with last orders.

Meanwhile

Back to China

Sources