Potala Palace 布达拉宫

About Potala Palace

Its former residential and ceremonial spaces trace the history of the Dalai Lamas, while chapels and gilded funerary stupas express the palace’s religious role. The approach is part of the experience: successive stairways reveal the enormous sloping masonry walls before the interior route begins. Allow for the climb and follow the allocated visitor route through this protected palace complex.

Rebuilding began in 1645 under the fifth Dalai Lama (五世达赖喇嘛), Lobsang Gyatso (洛桑嘉措), with the White Palace (白宫) completed three years later. After his death, palace administrator Desi Sangye Gyatso (第巴·桑结嘉措) extended the complex with the Red Palace (红宫) to house his funerary stupa. Craftsmen from the Qing court and Nepal participated, and the complex was substantially complete in 1693.

The palace became a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level in 1961. In 1994 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa. Its granite exterior walls measure two to five metres thick, enclosing rooms constructed from timber and stone.

What to look for

• The contrast between the White Palace’s residential buildings and the central Red Palace’s chapels.
• The rising stairways, thick sloping walls and gilt roof canopies above Red Hill.

The surrounding area

Palaces, monasteries, museums and a working old city with a strong tea-house culture.

Location & getting there

Getting to Potala Palace

Head to the Potala Palace complex on Marpo Ri in central Lhasa; the palace stairways rise from the southern base of the hill.

• Confirm your booking and assigned entrance before arrival, and account for the stair climb when planning the visit.