The rooftop of the world: the Potala rising white and red above the city, pilgrims turning prayer wheels around the Jokhang, and thin, brilliant high-altitude light over everything. Sacred, singular — and the trip that needs the most planning.
Tip Two things make or break a Lhasa trip: the permit and the altitude. Foreign travellers need a Tibet Travel Permit arranged through a registered agency in advance — visa-free entry (or a visa) gets you into China, but the permit comes on top — and you should spend your first day or two doing almost nothing while your body adjusts to 3,650 m.
Planning guideThe Tibet Travel Permit, why you need a registered agency and guide, and the train-vs-flight call into Lhasa.
Sights guideBooking the Potala's timed entry, the pilgrim circuit around the Jokhang, and temple etiquette that matters.
Altitude guideHow to acclimatise, what altitude sickness feels like, and the food and sweet-tea houses that ease you in.
Tibet needs a Travel Permit arranged ahead through a registered agency, plus a guide — and the 240h visa-free scheme does NOT apply here. Sort it weeks in advance.
At 3,650 m, rest on arrival — no hikes, no alcohol, drink water. Most agencies build in an acclimatisation day. Take it seriously.
Join the pilgrim circuit around the Jokhang — always clockwise — and ask before photographing people. It's a living holy place, not a set.
Months of paperwork, a day of feeling woozy, and then — that. Stood on the square at dawn and just stared.
Planning for autumn. How many weeks of lead time do agencies actually need, and can I combine it with a wider China trip?