Historic site · TIBET AUTONOMOUS REGION · UNESCO
Potala Palace
布达拉宫 · Bùdálā Gōng
About
Former winter palace of the Dalai Lamas (founded 7th century, current structure 17th century). 1,000+ rooms, 13-storey palace on a 130m hill in central Lhasa. UNESCO-listed.
The Potala Palace, the former winter residence of the Dalai Lamas until the 14th's exile in 1959, is one of the most identifiable structures in Asia. The current 13-storey complex, with around 1,000 rooms, was begun in 1645 by the Fifth Dalai Lama on the foundations of an earlier 7th-century palace. The Red Palace (the upper, central, religious section) holds reliquary stupas of the past Dalai Lamas. The White Palace (lower, secular) was the administrative seat. UNESCO-listed since 1994.
Visits are tightly managed: the daily visitor cap is around 4,000, and time inside is limited to one hour — enough to walk a fixed route through the major halls. The Tibet Travel Permit is required to be in Lhasa at all; a separate Potala ticket is required to enter, and ticket allocation runs through the agency you arrange your trip with.
How to get there
Walking from central Lhasa hotels. Foot traffic only in the surrounding plaza.
When to visit
April–June; September–October. Avoid mid-summer crowds and altitude-stress on first days.
Gallery
Other attractions in Lhasa
Itineraries featuring this site
- Tibet — 8 days with permit guidance
8d · Lhasa, Yamdrok, Shigatse and Gyantse — the standard agency-tour Tibet circuit.
- Beijing to Inner Mongolia by Rail, 10 days
10d · Overnight train from Beijing north through Zhangjiakou and Hohhot to the Mongolian steppe — combining Great Wall railway heritage, Inner Mongolia grasslands, and the ruined Xanadu of Kublai Khan.
- Tibetan Plateau — Lhasa, Shigatse and Everest Base Camp, 10 days
10d · Ten days on the Tibetan Plateau visiting Lhasa's monasteries and palaces, the Tashilhunpo at Shigatse, and the Rongbuk Monastery approach to Everest Base Camp — with practical permit guidance.
- Overnight train romance — soft-sleeper journeys across China, 10 days
10d · Ten days structured around China's overnight soft-sleeper trains — Beijing to Xi'an, Xi'an to Chengdu, Chengdu to Lhasa — experiencing the transition from one landscape to the next at a human pace, through the night.
Other historic sites in China
- Ancient City of Ping Yao — Heritage Overview平遥古城—文化遗产综览
UNESCO · The walled city of Pingyao, inscribed by UNESCO in 1997, preserves the most complete example of Ming-Qing urban planning in China — its banking heritage, city wall, temples and courtyard residences forming a cohesive historical ensemble.
- Ancient Villages of Southern Anhui — Xidi and Hongcun皖南古村落—西递、宏村
UNESCO · UNESCO-listed pair of Ming-Qing Huizhou merchant villages in southern Anhui, renowned for whitewashed walls, inky horsehead gables and moon-shaped ponds.
- Anqing Zhenfeng Pagoda安庆振风塔
A seven-storey Ming Dynasty pagoda standing on the bank of the Yangtze River in Anqing, considered one of the finest riverside pagodas in southern China and long used as a navigation landmark by Yangtze river pilots.
- Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City良渚古城遗址
UNESCO · UNESCO-listed archaeological site in Hangzhou preserving the remains of a 5,000-year-old city with a sophisticated water-management system, jade ritual culture and social hierarchy — regarded as one of the earliest state-level societies in East Asia.
- Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom高句丽王城、王陵及贵族墓葬
UNESCO · UNESCO-listed capital cities and royal tombs of the Koguryo Kingdom in Jian, Jilin — the Chinese portion of a transnational heritage property shared with North Korea, representing one of the most powerful states of ancient East Asia.
- Classical Gardens of Suzhou (UNESCO)苏州古典园林
UNESCO · UNESCO-listed collection of private gardens in Suzhou — four inscribed in 1997 and five more added in 2000 — representing the pinnacle of Chinese garden design through the refined integration of architecture, water, rock and plant.
- Danba Tibetan Watchtowers丹巴碉楼
Clusters of ancient stone watchtowers rising above Tibetan village complexes in the Dadu River valley, said to be among the oldest surviving examples of Tibetan defensive architecture.
- Drum Tower and Bell Tower鼓楼钟楼
Yuan-dynasty drum and bell towers that kept official time for imperial Beijing. Climbable; daily drum performances.
Other UNESCO World Heritage sites in China
- Ancient City of Ping Yao — Heritage Overview平遥古城—文化遗产综览
The walled city of Pingyao, inscribed by UNESCO in 1997, preserves the most complete example of Ming-Qing urban planning in China — its banking heritage, city wall, temples and courtyard residences forming a cohesive historical ensemble.
- Ancient Villages of Southern Anhui — Xidi and Hongcun皖南古村落—西递、宏村
UNESCO-listed pair of Ming-Qing Huizhou merchant villages in southern Anhui, renowned for whitewashed walls, inky horsehead gables and moon-shaped ponds.
- Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City良渚古城遗址
UNESCO-listed archaeological site in Hangzhou preserving the remains of a 5,000-year-old city with a sophisticated water-management system, jade ritual culture and social hierarchy — regarded as one of the earliest state-level societies in East Asia.
- Badain Jaran Desert — Lakes and Dunes巴丹吉林沙漠—沙山湖泊群
UNESCO Natural World Heritage site in Inner Mongolia — the third largest desert in China, featuring some of the world's tallest stationary dunes and a unique network of freshwater and saline lakes sustained by a still-unexplained subterranean water system.
- Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom高句丽王城、王陵及贵族墓葬
UNESCO-listed capital cities and royal tombs of the Koguryo Kingdom in Jian, Jilin — the Chinese portion of a transnational heritage property shared with North Korea, representing one of the most powerful states of ancient East Asia.
- China Danxia中国丹霞
UNESCO Natural World Heritage site — a serial property of six Danxia landscapes across six provinces, representing China's defining red-cliff-and-pillar sandstone landform type, including Danxia Mountain, Zhangye, Taining and Langshan.
- Classical Gardens of Suzhou (UNESCO)苏州古典园林
UNESCO-listed collection of private gardens in Suzhou — four inscribed in 1997 and five more added in 2000 — representing the pinnacle of Chinese garden design through the refined integration of architecture, water, rock and plant.
- Couple's Retreat Garden耦园
UNESCO-listed Suzhou garden organised symmetrically around a central residence. Less crowded than the four most-visited gardens.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does Potala Palace cost to visit?
- Adult entry to Potala Palace is ¥200, ¥100 for children. Plus mandatory tour-agency arrangement; July–October can charge premium.
- When is Potala Palace open?
- Potala Palace opening hours: 9am–4pm; ticketing in advance via the licensed agency.
- How long do you need at Potala Palace?
- Allow 3–4 hours for Potala Palace. Add buffer time if you plan to visit at peak season or include nearby sights in the same trip.
- When is the best time to visit Potala Palace?
- April–June; September–October. Avoid mid-summer crowds and altitude-stress on first days.
- How do you get to Potala Palace?
- Walking from central Lhasa hotels. Foot traffic only in the surrounding plaza.
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