In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · China
Luqu
Spend a half‑day visiting Shitsang Monastery and the town centre; stay one cheap night if you arrive late – total 1 day.
Luqu is a small Tibetan town on National Road G213, best explored in a few hours for its monastery and local market, with cheap lodging for overnight stays.
- Country
- China
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Dec–Feb (cold, limited services)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥120–200 excl. bed · Mid ¥200–350 excl. bed · High ¥350+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Tea in a local tea house | ¥15–30 |
| Noodle soup | ¥20–35 |
| Bottle of water (500 ml) | ¥2–5 |
| Simple guesthouse bed | ¥50–120 |
| Bus Luqu → Langmusi | ¥40–60 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- GXH · Gannan Xiahe Airport (Hezuo)
- About 100 km (62 mi) north by road on G213; bus or private car, 2–2.5 hAbout 62 mi (100 km) north by road on G213; bus or private car, 2–2.5 h
Typical fares
- Hezuo → Luqu bus
- about ¥60 one way, 2–2.5 h (check)
- Luqu → Langmusi bus
- about ¥40–60, roughly 3 h (check)
- Private car, half day
- about ¥300 per car (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The town is small enough to walk end to end in about 20 minutes. There are no public taxis; for Shitsang Monastery or anywhere outside the centre, arrange a private car through your guesthouse.
See and do
Known for
- Shitsang Monastery
- Tibetan culture
- River of the Dragon God
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Langmusi | Bus north on G213, about 130 km (81 mi)Bus north on G213, about 81 mi (130 km) | About 3 h |
| Hezuo | Bus north on G213, about 100 km (62 mi)Bus north on G213, about 62 mi (100 km) | 2–2.5 h |
| Xiahe (Labrang Monastery) | Bus or shared car north via Hezuo, then west | 3.5–4 h |
| Maqu | Bus or shared car east on G213 | 3–4 h |
Sleep
- Luqu Binguan
- New, cheap rooms; basic facilities
- Qinglong Hotel
- On Leduo West Road, budget option
- Dongzhi Hostel
- On Leduo East Road, dormitory style
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | 对不起duìbuqǐ |
| Thank you | 谢谢xièxiè |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duōshǎo qián? |
| Where is the bathroom? | 厕所在哪里？cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ? |
| I don't eat meat | 我不吃肉wǒ bù chī ròu |
| Please stop here | 请在这里停车qǐng zài zhèlǐ tíng chē |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Altitude about 2,900 m: take the first day easy and skip alcohol.
- Limited medical facilities; carry basic supplies and any prescription medicine.
- Mobile data and card payment coverage is patchy; carry cash and set up an eSIM before arrival.
- Buses to Hezuo and Langmusi are few; confirm the day's departures at the station the evening before.
A small, quiet Tibetan town on the G213; the real risks are altitude (about 2,900 m, so take the first day easy), long gaps between clinics, and cold nights even in summer. Carry cash: card and mobile payment coverage is patchy outside the main guesthouses.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Luqu yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Shitsang Monastery
- Tibetan culture
- River of the Dragon God
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Luqu, revision 4312055 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4312055
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Luqu
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No foreign mission in Gannan. US citizens: consulate-general in Chengdu; UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: embassy in Beijing. A Chinese visa is required for most nationalities — check before you book.
Altitude about 2,900 m. Cash is more reliable than cards outside the main guesthouses.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/luqu). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.