Tibet (西藏) · 5 places · 4 cities
5 places in Tibet, grouped by city. Under each one are two figures from the survey: how much daily life still goes on there, out of 100, and how far it has been turned over to visitors, out of 6.
Most common here: Old quarter of a city (3), Walled city (1), Old town (1). See all provinces, or the background on old towns.
2 places
Shigatse (日喀则)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Shigatse Old Town (日喀则扎什伦布寺周边老城)Tibet’s second city, a 600-year-old Panchen Lama seat with a giant golden Maitreya Buddha (26m, recorded as the world’s largest gilded copper Buddha). Around Tashilhunpo Monastery, 50,000 Tibetan residents live in traditional whitewashed courtyard homes, shopping at the old bazaar and drinking butter tea in tiny alley tea houses.Lived-in 78/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · little known abroad · some effort to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, quiet |
| Gyangze Ancient Town (江孜古城)Tibet’s”Hero City”, a 600-year-old fortress town at 4,040m, famous for the 1904 British invasion resistance (the”Tibetan Alamo”). The old town holds the 10,000-Buddha Pagoda (Kumbum, 1427), a stupa holding 77 chapels, and 3,000 Tibetan families living in whitewashed courtyard homes with yak dung stacked on walls.Lived-in 76/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · little known abroad · hard to reach | Walled city | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Chamdo (昌都)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Qamdo Tea-Horse Town (昌都茶马城)The cultural heart of Kham, a 1,000-year-old Tea-Horse Road hub where the Mekong and Lancang rivers meet, with the 1444 Galden Jampaling Monastery (2,500 monks), Tibetan nomads trading horses and tea, and 50,000 Khampa Tibetans living in one of the least changed regions of Tibet.Lived-in 74/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · hard to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Lhasa (拉萨)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Lhasa Barkhor Old Town (拉萨八廓街与老城巷弄)The 1,300-year-old Barkhor kora (pilgrim circuit) around Jokhang Temple, the spiritual heart of Tibet. Beyond the tourist main street, 35+ narrow alleys hold 20,000+ Tibetan residents, butter tea houses, scripture-printing shops, and incense makers.Lived-in 90/100 · Commercialised 4/6 · well known abroad · some effort to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, busy |
1 place
Shannan (山南)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Shannan Zedang Town (山南泽当镇)The cradle of Tibetan civilization, a 2,000-year-old town where the first Tibetan king (Nyatri Tsenpo) descended from heaven in 127 BC, with Tibet’s first palace (Yumbulagang, 200 BC), first monastery (Samye, 779 AD), and Tibetan farmers still cultivating barley in the Yarlung Valley exactly as their ancestors did.Lived-in 74/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · hard to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
Which of These Is Still a Town
The two scores narrow the list, and the last step is local: which lanes are worth the walk, which day of the week the place is itself, and where to stay inside the walls. Tell our local team the provinces you will be in and they will say which of these hold up.