China · Religious & Spiritual

4-Day Lhasa Spiritual Tour with Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple

4 Days Round trip from 中国西藏自治区拉萨市 Easy pace

The journey

Trip highlights

01 Explore the majestic Drepung Monastery, once home to more than 10,000 monks
02 Wander through the historic halls of Potala Palace, the winter palace of the Dalai Lama
03 Immerse yourself in the spiritual atmosphere of Jokhang Temple and see pilgrims doing kora
04 Stroll along vibrant Barkhor Street and experience real life in Lhasa
05 Discover the tranquil beauty of Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama's summer resort

Embark on a captivating 4-day tour of Lhasa, Tibet, with a warm welcome and transfer to your hotel upon arrival at Lhasa Airport or Railway Station. Take time to acclimatise to the high altitude before exploring the city's spiritual and cultural landmarks, including Drepung Monastery, the Tibet Museum, Norbulingka, Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Barkhor Street. Along the way, immerse yourself in Tibetan history, daily life, and the distinctive atmosphere of this remarkable destination.

You can also see many pilgrims praying in front of the temple and doing kora.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 4 Days

Tour type Private

Activity level Easy

Accommodation Included · Premium

Transport Included

Wheelchair access No

Cities Manas National Park

Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Arrival in Lhasa and Acclimatisation

When you arrive in Lhasa, our staff will pick you up at Lhasa Airport or Railway Station and transfer you to the hotel.
From the airport, the transfer takes about 1 hour.
From the train station, it only takes 20 minutes.
Afterwards, it is better to relax and take it easy on the first day to get acclimatised to the high altitude and alleviate jet lag.
You may go to the local market and wander around the city on your own, but try not to overtax yourself.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Day 02

Drepung Monastery, Tibet Museum and Norbulingka

After breakfast at the hotel, the tour guide will take you to Drepung Monastery, the biggest Tibetan monastery, which housed more than 10,000 monks in the past. Drepung means Rice Heap in the Tibetan language. The entire monastery is large in scale, and its white buildings cluster across the hillsides. It is the highest-ranking monastery in the Gelug Sect.
In the afternoon, you will first visit the Tibet Museum. Here, you can see scenes of daily life, exquisite clothing, house architecture, and festival customs to explore the special and mysterious Tibetan culture.
Then you will visit Norbulingka, a typical Tibetan-style royal garden and the summer resort of the Dalai Lama.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 03

Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Street

On your third day, you will be feeling much more acclimatised to Lhasa's high elevation.
It is an excellent idea to spend the day exploring the Potala Palace, which is the winter palace of the Dalai Lama.
Afterwards, you may walk the pilgrimage route around the Potala Palace.
In the afternoon, you will head to Jokhang Temple, which is well known as the centre of Tibetan Buddhism. It features Buddhist prayer wheels, reclining deer, and golden sutra streamers.
You can also see many pilgrims praying in front of the temple and doing kora.
After visiting Jokhang Temple, you will stroll through the old alleys of Barkhor Street.
Here, you can drink sweet tea, chat with locals, and even bargain with street vendors to understand real life in Lhasa.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 04

Departure from Lhasa

Your tour ends today. After breakfast, you will be free in the morning. Our staff will transfer you to Lhasa Airport or Railway Station.

Meals: Breakfast

Where this trip takes you

Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street, Norbulingka summer resort

The route

Where you'll travel

Tour route map — Round trip from 中国西藏自治区拉萨市 2 cities · 4 Days

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

Lodging: 3 nights in a twin en suite room in a 3/4-star hotel
Meals: 3 breakfasts
Travel-licensed vehicle according to group size and season, as required by the itinerary, including gas and parking fees
Lhasa Railway Station transfer at all times on the first and last day
Pick-up from Lhasa Gonggar Airport to your hotel at 9:30 am, 1:00 pm, and 4:00 pm on the first day
Drop-off from your hotel to Lhasa Gonggar Airport at 8:30 am, 12:30 pm, and 2:30 pm on the last day
Experienced local English-speaking tour guide
All entrance fees mentioned in the itinerary
Tibet Tourism Bureau Permit
Travel agency liability insurance
Government tax
Express delivery fee of the permit (e.g. SF Express)
Food and lodging for the guide and driver
Oxygen tank for emergency use
Two bottles of mineral water per person per day

What's Not Included

International flights to and out of China
Domestic flight or train to and out of Lhasa
If you miss the free transfer schedule due to flight delay or cancellation, you must pay for a private transfer from USD 80 per vehicle per time
Lunch and dinner are not included, but we will recommend some good options for you according to your requirements. Usually, it costs USD 3-10 per person for each meal.
While gratuities for the guide and driver are not mandatory, they are expected. Based on their service, you may tip them on the last day of the tour. You are suggested to tip each of them USD 5-10 per day in total.
All commission and tax charged by PayPal, banks, and the government when making payment (e.g. PayPal - 4.4%, wire transfer - 2%)
Personal expenses
Anything not mentioned in the inclusions

Know before you go

Tibet Tourism Bureau Permit (TTB) usually takes about 12 working days to apply. Failure to provide the required documents and information on time will result in an extra handling fee. For further details, please consult your travel consultant.
We reserve the right to change the itinerary order and attractions in Lhasa without prior notice.
If you prefer to book your own hotels instead of those included in our group tour, please ensure you meet the rest of the group at their daily hotel on time. Transfers to your own hotels are not included.
Transportation will be provided for pick-up and drop-off of all members of the group on the first and last day from Lhasa Airport/Railway Station. However, there may not always be a guide present, only a driver.
Due to the special nature of Tibet travel, unforeseeable and unavoidable circumstances such as natural disasters, war, terrorism, riot, civil commotion, strikes, public health emergencies, government action, major traffic jams, flight/train delays or cancellations, and temporary closures of attractions may necessitate changes to the itinerary. Any increased costs resulting from such changes will be borne by travellers. GTT will not be held responsible for refunds except for certain attraction entrance fees, the decision of which will be solely determined by GTT.
Single Supplement: Our quoted price is based on twin room accommodation. Single travellers are required to pay a single supplement at the time of booking. If we later match you with another traveller to share a twin room, the single supplement will be refunded.
All members of the same group must be accompanied by the same tour guide throughout the trip. Therefore, all members are required to adhere to the same itinerary and visit the same attractions. Requests to change the scheduled arrangement for personal reasons require permission from other members and may incur additional charges.
The most valuable collections of Potala Palace are the gilded burial stupas of former Dalai Lamas and the meditation cave of the 33rd great king of Tibet.
It is best to explore the inside of the Potala in the morning for 2-3 hours.

Logistics