Where to stay in Lhasa: Barkhor or the Potala side

Choose between two patches of the city: the Barkhor, the pilgrim circuit around the Jokhang, or the newer streets around the Potala Palace. Your agency has the final say, though. Foreign passport holders cannot travel Tibet independently — a licensed Tibetan agency applies for the Tibet Travel Permit, supplies a guide, and books a hotel licensed to receive foreign guests.

What the two areas give you

The Barkhor is old Lhasa: whitewashed stone lanes, courtyard buildings, pilgrims starting the kora before dawn. The Jokhang is minutes away on foot. Taxis cannot enter most of the alleys, so you walk the last stretch with your bags, and the dawn chanting is not optional.

The Potala side has wider roads, bigger buildings and the international chains. You are a short taxi ride from the Jokhang rather than a walk, but heating, lifts and oxygen systems are more dependable.

Hotels that take foreign guests

Hotel	Where	Oxygen in the room	Lowest rate quoted
The St. Regis Lhasa Resort	Potala vicinity	Diffused in premium rooms, concentrator in standard	from CNY 1,226
Shangri-La Hotel, Lhasa	Potala vicinity	Concentrator in rooms, diffused lounge on the ground floor	from CNY 913
Thangka Hotel	Next to Jokhang Temple Square	Diffused in premium rooms, concentrator in standard	—
House of Shambhala	Barkhor	Not listed	CNY 400–800
Shambhala Palace	Barkhor	None	—

InterContinental Lhasa Paradise, also on the Potala side, diffuses oxygen from 8pm to 8am. For Tibetan-style rooms rather than a chain, Songtsam Lhasa Linka diffuses oxygen in every room and is quoted from CNY 1,212. Rates move hard in peak season.

Altitude decides more than style

Lhasa sits at 3,650 m. Ask exactly what the oxygen setup is: diffused into the room, a concentrator you switch on, or a lounge downstairs. Ask about lifts too — some older guesthouses have none, and a fourth-floor room with luggage is a different proposition here.

Booking it

Give your agency a shortlist instead of taking the first quote, and check their rate against what the room sells for publicly — compare the main booking sites before you accept. Expect to submit passport and visa scans 20–30 days ahead; the permit itself is free but agencies typically charge around CNY 1,000 to handle it, and peak season from May to October runs slower. The original permit, not a scan, is checked at the airport and railway station, so it must reach you before you fly.

Last checked: 2026-11-01