To enter Tibet, most travelers choose the major hub cities of China as a starting point. You can start your trip to Tibet from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hong Kong and Guangzhou which are popular international flight hubs as well as convenient transport hubs to Tibet and popular tourist destination cities in their own right. If you have more time, you can also add in other hot tourist destinations into your China Tibet tour, such as Xian, Guilin, Yangtze River, Lijiang, Shangrila, etc. If you are unsure of how to plan the ideal China Tibet trip, just let us know which cities you would like to visit and leave the rest to us!
There are flights to Tibet from many entrance cities in China Mainland, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xian and Changsha. If you plan to travel to Tibet from abroad, it is suggested to choose 1 of these 7 cities as your landing city to China Mainland.
If you plan to take a train trip to Tibet, the best starting station is Xining, because it takes only 22 hours for the train ride from Xining to Lhasa, and the sceneries between Xining and Lhasa stations are excellent. There are also trains from other cities to Lhasa, but you need to spend much more time on a train. It needs 41 hours to take a train from Beijing to Lhasa, 48 hours from Shanghai to Lhasa, 53 hours from Guangzhou to Lhasa, 36 hours from Chongqing to Lhasa, 36 hours from Chengdu to Lhasa and 28 hours from Xian to Lhasa.
No matter you plan to take a train or flight, please make sure you have applied for the Tibet travel permit before departing for Tibet.
Tourists need to apply for China visa and Tibet Entry Permit in order to travel to Tibet.
Politically, Tibet is an autonomous region of China and is administrated by the central government of China, so there is actually no Tibet visa. In order to travel to Tibet, you need to apply for a Tibet Entry Permit, which is issued by the Tibet Tourism Bureau. The application for the permit is only acceptable if you book a Tibet tour package with a local travel agency.
Tibetcn.com is an authorized travel agency in Lhasa to arrange your Tibet tour. We have been working in tourism industry for over 10 years, and we are confident in arranging a satisfactory Tibet tour for you. What you only need to do is sending us the photocopy of your passport and China visa and confirming your travel schedule. If you have not applied for a China visa, we can send you an invitation letter, which is helpful for your application for China visa. We can also book China domestic flights or train tickets for you, including the section between China Mainland and Tibet.
Most tourists spend 8 days in Tibet. They can visit the highlights in Lhasa, Lake Yamdrok and Mount Everest Base Camp in 8 days.
The Potala Palace and Jokhang Monastery are the must-visit highlights in Lhasa. Initially built in the 7th century A.D, the Potala Palace is a piece of masterwork of architecture and art. Usually, it takes around 2 hours to visit the palace.
With a history of over 1300 years, the Jokhang Monastery is even older than the city of Lhasa. It is said that the Jokhang Monastery is the reason why Lhasa is a sacred city for Tibetan people.
The Lake Yamdrok is a sacred lake in Tibet. Local people believe the water in the lake can wash away their sins. You can never know how clean the lake is unless you see it with your own eyes.
With an altitude of 5200 meters, the Mount Everest Base Camp offers tourists the best view terrace to admire the highest mountain in the world.
Most travelers spend 8 days visiting 3 major tourist cities in China, Beijing, Shanghai and Xian. Some of them may spend even more time discovering the less-known parts of these 3 cities.
Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China, and was the capital of China’s last two feudal dynasties – Qing (1636- 912) and Ming (1368-1644). Lots of relics of Qing and Ming Dynasties, such as the Forbidden City, Great Wall, Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven and Hutongs, are preserved very well. Tourists can learn about the real royal life by visiting these relics.
Shanghai is the magical city and center of economy of China. At the beginning of the 20th century, lots of foreign companies constructed over 50 buildings as their branches on the Bund of Shanghai. Nowadays, the most popular activities in Shanghai is strolling on the Bund to admire the view of Huangpu River and these historical buildings. Besides the Bund, the Former French Concession is also a good place to lean about old Shanghai.
As the capital of two strongest feudal dynasties, West Han (202 BC–8 AD) and Tang (618-907), it is no overstatement to say Xian is the best classroom to learn about the history of China. The Terracotta Army, Ancient City Wall and Shaanxi Historical Museum are must-visit places in Xian.
Compared to its neighbors, such as South Korea or Japan, China tour is cheaper. Compared to Vietnam, Burma or Thailand, China is more expensive. Compared to all the other countries of the world, China is at middle level.
Tibet is politically a part of China. Compared to other parts of China mainland, Tibet is more expensive, because it is more difficult to maintain the tourist facilities in high-altitude area, especially on giant mountains like the Mount Everest.
The price also depends on seasons. Generally speaking, April to October are high season for tourism, both the transportation and accommodation will be more expensive than low season, November to next March.
As you know, China is the 4th largest country in the world, so It is impossible to say when is the best time to visit every part of China. Generally speaking, China’s climate is mild in April, May, September and October. The natural scenery is the most beautiful during these 4 months.
However, many tourists like to visit China in winter (December to next February), because they want to see the snow views. The Yellow mountain and Great Wall sections in Beijing are the best places to admire snow views in mainland China.
Tibet is almost the same with China Mainland, however some places, such as the Mount Kailash, are not accessible during winter due to the frozen road. Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, are available for tourists all the year round. In a word, the best months to visit Tibet are June, July, August, September and October.
