Potala Palace in Tibet Travel Guide
Scenic spot introduction:
The Potala Palace in Tibet was built in the 7th century AD. It was originally built by the Tubo King Songtsen Gampo to marry Princess Bhrikuti and Princess Wencheng. After the Fifth Dalai Lama Lobsang Gyatso rebuilt the Potala Palace in 1645 (the second year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty), it became the winter residence of successive Dalai Lamas, the venue for major religious and political ceremonies, and the place where the stupas of successive Dalai Lamas are enshrined. It was the ruling center of the old Tibet where politics and religion were combined.The Potala Palace is the world's highest-altitude magnificent building that combines palaces, castles and temples. It is also the largest and most complete ancient palace complex in Tibet. The entire palace has a distinct Tibetan style, built against the mountain, and is majestic. White House and Red Palace The Potala Palace is composed of a number of buildings and its ancillary buildings. The Potala Palace also houses numerous treasures and can be called a palace of art. The Potala Palace is located in the center of Lhasa.
Attractions distribution:
The Potala Palace is mainly divided into White House , Red Palace It is divided into three parts: the Snow City at the foot of the mountain, and there are various buildings around it. White House The East Hall and the Sunlight Hall are the most important. Red Palace Buddhist temples, pagodas, mural Mainly, collection has mural , Thangka , Gold Seal, Gold Book wait Historical relics The Treasure House in the Snow City mainly contains treasures hidden in the Potala Palace that have never been seen. In addition, there are the Dharma King Cave, the East Courtyard, Jinding District , The 13th Dalai Lama's Mausoleum , Potala Palace Square , Tibet Peaceful Liberation Monument , Altitude marking wait.Scenic spot qualifications:
National 5A scenic spot, world cultural heritageScenic spot features:
Photography, sightseeing, cultural tours, leisure, pilgrimage, monuments, religionScenic spot map:
Transportation
Scenic spot location:
China > Tibet Autonomous Region > Lhasa > Chengguan District
How to get there:
The Potala Palace is located in the center of Lhasa. It is recommended that tourists take a taxi from the back mountain to the top of the Potala Palace, and then walk down from the top along the Potala Palace. The taxi fare is about 10 yuan. A tricycle costs 3 to 5 yuan.
Scenic area map:
Click to expand the scenic area map
Tickets
Potala Palace Ticket Price:
The ticket price during the peak season (May 1 to October 31 each year) is RMB 200; the ticket price during the off-season (November 1 to April 30 of the following year) is RMB 100;
The Golden Roof is 10 yuan; the Jewelry Exhibition is 10 yuan; the Lingta Hall is 10 yuan; you can visit the Snow City scenic spot at the foot of the Potala Palace for free.
Reminder: To control the number of tourists, the number of tourists per day is limited to 2,300, of which 1,600 are provided to travel agencies and 700 are provided to individual tourists. Individual tourists need to queue up at the Potala Palace in advance and receive the Potala Palace ticket voucher for free. The next day, they can purchase tickets with the ticket voucher. It is highly recommended to call in advance to inquire about ticket booking during the peak season.
Scenic area opening hours:
Except for major holidays, the opening hours are 9:00-16:00
Travel Tips
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travelling guideline:
1. The best place to take photos of the Potala Palace is on Yaowang Mountain (relative altitude no more than 20 meters) to the southwest of the Potala Palace. After the visit, walk down the mountain and cross Beijing Middle Road to get there. There will be local people at the foot of the mountain to collect fees, about 1-2 yuan. Potala Palace Square of music fountain It opens at 9pm every night and is quite spectacular.
2. The Potala Palace only allows 30 guests to enter every half hour. Please check the visiting time on the ticket voucher before visiting. If it expires, it will be invalid. White House The visiting time is limited to 1 hour, and there will be management staff to urge the visiting progress. Generally, the visiting can be completed in less than 1 hour. The palace is high, so you should walk slowly up and down; it is cold inside the palace, so it is best to prepare a coat even in summer.
3. Prayer circle: On the 5th, 8th, 10th, 15th and 30th day of the Tibetan calendar, you can see large groups of people circumambulating the Jokhang Temple, the Potala Palace and even the larger circle of Lingkor Road in the morning. The largest circle surrounds both the Jokhang Temple and the Potala Palace, which is very spectacular. Every year from the end of September to the end of October, people in farming and pastoral areas will go to the Potala Palace for pilgrimage after the autumn harvest. They worship Buddha, circumambulate the prayer wheels and bow their heads, which is also a very spectacular sight.
4. Saga Dawa Festival: It starts on April 15th of the Tibetan calendar and lasts for one month. It is the most famous festival in the area. Especially in the evening, you will see all kinds of people, young and old, men and women, circumambulating prayer wheels, nodding their heads, and burning incense around the Potala Palace. The crowds flow continuously until midnight.
Tour route:
1. Recommended route: West Sunlight Hall → East Sunlight Hall → Qamba Buddha Hall (Qiangkang) → Mandala Hall (Lulangkang) → Special Three Realms Hall (Sasonglangjie) → Longevity Joyful Collection Hall (Qimei Danji) → The 13th Dalai Lama's Mausoleum → Guru Hall (Lama Lakang) → Stupa Hall of the 7th Dalai Lama → Holy Avalokitesvara Hall (Paba Lakang) → Stupa Hall of the 8th Dalai Lama → Stupa Hall of the 9th Dalai Lama → Kalachakra Mandala Hall (Duikou Lakang) → Shakya Nengren Hall (Tuwang Lakang) → Amitabha Hall (Cibalakang) → Dharma King Cave (Qujie Zhuqiu) → Samantabhadra Follower Hall (Gongsang Zhongzhukang) → Xiangtong Hall (Limalakang) → The second corridor of the Red Palace （ mural )→West has the Jiyuanman Hall (Coqen Nusi Pingcuo)→Bodhi Path Gradual Hall (Nangren Lakang)→Vajra Hall (Renseng Lakang)→Fifth Dalai Lama's Stupa Hall (Sedongkang)→Hall of Succession (Chongre Lakang).
Note: The Holy Avalokitesvara Hall, the Dharma King Cave, the Western Jiyuan Hall, and the Fifth Dalai Lama's stupa are the top places to visit.
2. If you don’t want to climb the mountain, you can enter from the west gate; take a car to the top of the mountain first, and then visit from the top down. However, this is not the usual route for visiting the Potala Palace. Usually people go from the bottom up and climb all the way to the Potala Palace.
Best time to visit:
July-September
Shopping recommendations:
Highland barley wine, Galo shoes, Tibetan incense, Tibetan waist knife, wooden bowl, ginseng fruit, Tibetan Fritillaria, snow lotus, cordyceps, tsampa and butter, Tibetan apple, Lhasa sleeve dog, Tibetan yak, light-bellied snow chicken, musk, cordyceps, air-dried beef and mutton, butter tea
Scenic spot map:
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