Potala Palace རི་བོ་གྲུ་འཛིན་ཕོ་བྲང་པོ་ཏ་ལ།
Lhasa, China UNESCO World Heritage Site
Potala Palace is a Buddhist temple, sacred place, and palace in Lhasa. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level in China.
Planning a visit
The best time to visit is during the spring or autumn months. April has highs of 12 °C and lows of -2 °C with about 2 rainy days, while October has highs of 13 °C and lows of 0 °C with about 2 rainy days. Summer months like July and August are warmer, with highs around 19 °C, but they are also the wettest, seeing about 20 to 22 rainy days. Winter is cold, with January seeing lows of -13 °C.
Visitors can reach the site via Lhasa Gonggar International Airport, which is 45 km away. The palace is located 2,563 km from Beijing. While visiting, you can also see Jokhang, which is 1.6 km away, Norbulingka, located 2.2 km away, or Sera Monastery, which is 4.6 km away. Admission to the palace is ¥100.
Weather by month
The warmest month is June, with an average high of 20 °C. The wettest is August, with about 144 mm of rain.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high, °C | 2 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 6 | 3 |
| Average low, °C | -13 | -9 | -5 | -2 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 0 | -8 | -11 |
| Rainfall, mm | 2 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 35 | 83 | 142 | 144 | 81 | 10 | 2 | 2 |
| Rainy days | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 22 | 20 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Temperatures and rainfall: 1981–2010 averages for this spot (4 km grid), from CHELSA. Rainy days: 2015–2024, NASA POWER.
