Tibet Transportation

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Although it was difficult to get to Tibet, the desire to visit Tibet always exists in lots of people’s heart. Now, it is easier to get to Tibet with different access, including air, road and rail. Since the Qinghai-Tibet Railway put into operation, it has become the most popular way to enter Tibet by train.

Getting There & Away

By Air

There are three main airports in Tibet, including Lhasa Airport, Qamdo Bangda Airport and Linzhi Airport.

Lhasa Gonggar Airport manages non-stop flights with Chengdu, Chongqingm Diqing, Xian, Bamda (a town of Chamdo), and Kathmandu (capital of Nepal). At the same time, it also manage direct flights with Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Kunming which will make stops at Chengdu, Chongqing, Xining, Xian and Diqing.

Qamdo Bangda Airport owns the longest runway of the world, having flights connecting with Lhasa, Chongqing and Chengdu. But as the weather is too bad here, which makes the flights often arrive delayed.

Linzhi Airport is the lowest airport in Tibet which is less than 3,000 meters. It only manages flights with Chengdu, Chongqing and Lhasa which makes it hard to take.

Lhasa Gonggar Airport

By Train

Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the only railway that links Tibet with other cities in China, stretching 1,956 kilometers from Xining to Lhasa. At present, there are direct trains to Tibet from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xining, Chongqing and Guangzhou, and the train from Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou will stop at Xian. It is suggested to take train to Tibet, which will help you get accustomed to the high altitude slowly and enjoy the spectacular scenery along the way.

Tibet Train

By Road

Getting Tibet by road is also convenient as there are five highway connecting Lhasa with the neighboring cities, including Qinghai-Tibet Highway, Xinjiang-Tibet Highway, Sichuan -Tibet Highway, Yunnan-Tibet Highway and Sino-Nepal Highway. But for foreign travelers, it is not recommended get to Tibet via road. Because it is a long and hard journey.

Sichuan Tibet Highway

Getting Around

1. By City-Bus

Bus is a quick and convenient way to get across Lhasa city. The charge are fixed with CNY 2 per person.

2. By Taxi

It is easy to catch a taxi on the street. Usually it will take CNY 10 to get to anywhere within the city. For far places, you need to negotiate the price with driver in advance.

3. By Pedicab

It will be a unique experience to get around Lhasa by pedicab. The prices are not fixed, so you need to negotiate a price with the driver.

4. By Bicycle

It is a leisure way to get round the city. Bicycle rental service is available from many hostels along Barkhor Street. Usually, it will take about CNY 20 per day or CNY 2 per hour.