Off the beaten path

Lhasa & Tibet

拉萨／西藏 · Southwest China

The roof of the world — a spiritual bucket-list destination, but foreigners must arrange a permit and guided tour in advance.

April–October

5–8 days

Fly in or take the Qinghai–Tibet railway.

Tibet requires a permit and an organized tour for foreign passport holders — arrange through a licensed agency several weeks ahead.

Don't miss in Lhasa & Tibet

The experiences Western travelers rate highest here.

The 13-storey, 1,000-room winter palace of the Dalai Lamas, perched at 3,700 m above Lhasa.

Tibet's holiest temple, circled clockwise by pilgrims along the Barkhor — the beating heart of Lhasa.

A turquoise sacred lake ringed by 7,000-m peaks on the road between Lhasa and Shigatse.

More destinations at the same level of the journey.

China's best-preserved walled city — a complete Ming-Qing county town of banks, courtyards and lantern-lit lanes.

The Silk Road's desert gateway — painted caves and singing dunes at the edge of the Gobi.

Colonial island charm plus the Hakka earth castles of the countryside — a favorite of returning visitors.

China's tropical island — white-sand beaches and rainforest, visa-free for most Western passports via Hainan's special scheme.