4 Days Lhasa Sightseeing Small Group Tour
Fixed dates, guaranteed to run
The group meets in Lhasa on the date you choose below and travels with one Tibetan guide and one vehicle, never more than 8 people. Holding a seat is free; you pay the US$100 permit fee only when you confirm, 30 days before departure. The same tour also runs as a private trip on your own dates.
Hold a seat — no deposit →2027 departure dates
Each date is Day 1, the day the group meets. Fly in from Chengdu that day, or board the train in Xining the day before. Click a date to hold a seat on it.
farewell 30 December 2026 2 Jan 2027New Year Departure
farewell 6 January 2027 27 Mar 2027Easter Weekend Departure
farewell 31 March 2027 1 Apr 2027Easter Departure
farewell 5 April 2027 29 Apr 2027Spring Departure
farewell 3 May 2027 16 Jun 2027Saga Dawa in Lhasa
farewell 20 June 2027 27 Jun 2027Early Summer Departure
farewell 1 July 2027 30 Jul 2027Gyantse Horse Racing Departure
farewell 3 August 2027 28 Aug 2027Shoton Festival Departure
farewell 1 September 2027 4 Sep 2027Golden Autumn Departure
farewell 8 September 2027 9 Oct 2027October Departure
farewell 13 October 2027 23 Oct 2027Late October Departure
farewell 27 October 2027 26 Dec 2027Christmas & New Year in Lhasa 2027
farewell 30 December 2027
Overview
Four days in Lhasa is the simplest way to see Tibet: the Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple and the Barkhor, the Tibet Museum, the afternoon monk debate at Sera Monastery, and an evening in a Tibetan home. Everything is in or near the city, the pace is slow, and the altitude is handled by a quiet first day.
It is also the shortest tour on our fixed-date calendar, and it leaves on every date, so it fits a short holiday or the end of a longer trip in China. Travellers on the 5-day and 7-day tours share the first three days with you and go on when you leave.
Tour highlights
- ✓Potala Palace, the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas, on a timed ticket your guide books
- ✓Jokhang Temple, the holiest temple in Tibet, and a walk around the Barkhor with the pilgrims
- ✓The Tibet Museum and the view of the whole city from Nanshan Park
- ✓The monks' debate at Sera Monastery, daily except Sundays
- ✓Butter tea and tsampa at a Tibetan family home
- ✓A quiet first day to get used to 3,650 m
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1Arrive in Lhasa — rest and acclimatise
Your guide meets you at Lhasa Gonggar Airport or the railway station and drives you to the hotel, about an hour through the wide Lhasa River valley. Spend the rest of the day doing as little as possible: rest, drink plenty of water and let your body adjust to 3,650 m. A short walk near the hotel in the early evening is fine; Barkhor Street can wait until tomorrow. Lhasa hotel.
Meals: none
Day 2Tibet Museum · Nanshan Park · Lhasa River · Jokhang Temple · Barkhor Street
Start at the Tibet Museum, the clearest single introduction to Tibetan history, religion and daily life; allow a good hour and a half. Then up to Nanshan Park on the south edge of the city: a gentle climb through pines to a view of the whole Lhasa basin, with the river below and the Potala Palace in the middle. On still days the palace is mirrored in the water.
In the afternoon, the Jokhang Temple, built in 647 and the most sacred place in Tibet: golden roofs, the smell of yak butter, pilgrims prostrating on the flagstones outside. End the day on Barkhor Street, the old pilgrim circuit around the temple, among stalls of prayer flags, silver and dried yak meat. Lhasa hotel.
Meals: breakfast
Day 3Potala Palace · Sera Monastery monk debate · a Tibetan family
The morning is for the Potala Palace. Entrance is by timed ticket, booked in advance by your guide. The 365 steps are steady going after two days at altitude. Inside are the tombs of eight Dalai Lamas in the Red Palace and the living quarters and halls of the White Palace, and from the upper terraces the city spreads out in every direction.
After lunch, Sera Monastery, where the monks debate from 3 to 5 pm (not on Sundays). This is not a show for visitors but the daily practice of six centuries: monks in pairs arguing points of philosophy, one seated, one standing and clapping to drive the point home. The day ends at a Tibetan family home, with butter tea, tsampa and conversation about ordinary life in Lhasa, your guide translating. Lhasa hotel.
Meals: breakfast, dinner
Day 4Lhasa departure
Breakfast, then your guide takes you to the airport or railway station in time for your flight or train. If you leave in the afternoon there is time for one last hour on Barkhor Street.
Barkhor Street is the best place in Lhasa for gifts: Tibetan jewellery, wool textiles, thangka paintings and butter-tea thermoses.
Meals: breakfast
What's included
✓ Tibet Travel Permit and all other permits for the route
✓ English-speaking Tibetan guide
✓ Tourist vehicle with driver for the whole tour
✓ 3 nights in a Lhasa hotel, twin share, with breakfast
✓ Entrance fees for every sight in the itinerary
✓ Lhasa airport or railway station pick-up and see-off
✓ Oxygen in the vehicle and an oxygen canister per person; travel accident insurance
✗ Flights or trains to and from Lhasa
✗ Lunches and dinners not listed
✗ Single room supplement (free for 5 rooms or 10+ travellers)
✗ Tips for the guide and driver
✗ Personal expenses and anything not listed
Questions travellers ask
What can you see in Lhasa in four days?
The main sights, at an easy pace: the Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple and the Barkhor, the Tibet Museum and Nanshan Park, the monk debate at Sera Monastery and an evening with a Tibetan family. The first day is kept free for rest. It is the tour we suggest most often to first-time visitors with little time.
Is four days in Lhasa enough to adjust to the altitude?
For most healthy travellers, yes. Lhasa is at about 3,650 m; you rest on arrival, everything is in the city, and your guide keeps an easy pace with plenty of breaks. Anyone with a heart or lung condition should check with a doctor first. Read our altitude advice before you come.
Which permits do I need?
Only the Tibet Travel Permit, which every foreign visitor needs and which we arrange for you; it is included in the price. A Lhasa-only tour needs no other permit. Send us your passport and China visa details at least 15 days before departure.
How many people are in the group, and who are they?
Between 3 and 8 travellers, usually from several countries, with one Tibetan guide and driver for the whole tour. The same dates and prices are offered on our sister site tibettravel.com, run by the same office in Lhasa, so guests from both sites travel together in one group.
What if my dates do not match a departure exactly?
If you are a day or two early or late, you can join the group for the days that overlap and we arrange a guide and vehicle privately for the days you miss, so you still see everything. If no date fits, the whole tour runs as a private trip on your own dates; ask us for a quote.
Do I pay a deposit to hold a seat?
No. Holding a seat is free. To confirm it, you pay the US$100 permit fee at least 30 days before departure, which starts your Tibet Travel Permit; the permit is included in the price. The rest is paid later, as explained on our how-to-book page.
How do I get to Lhasa for Day 1?
Most guests fly in from Chengdu, which has more flights to Lhasa than any other city; we book that flight for you together with the permit, because the airline needs the permit to issue the ticket. If you prefer the train, board in Xining the day before — the journey takes about 20–21 hours — and we meet you at Lhasa Railway Station. Your guide meets you at arrivals with a name board.