Gyantse Travel Guide

Gyantse is an important transportation hub, which is the joint of Lhasa Yadong Highway, Shigatse Yadong Highway, and Shigatse Gyantse Highway. Currently, it is very convenient to get to Gyantse by driving.

Lhasa to Gyantse
Gyantse is about 260 kilometers from Lhasa in the east, and 223 kilometers from Lhasa Gongga Airport, the largest airport in Tibet. It's about a six-hour drive from Lhasa to Gyantse. Now, there are direct buses between Lhasa and Gyantse on the China-Nepal Friendship Highway. If you join us, our local driver and guide will accompany you to Gyantse. On the way, we will stop and visit Yamdrok Lake, one of the three holy lakes.

Shigatse to Gyantse
Gyantse is located in the east of Shigatse, about 90 kilometers from Shigatse. It takes about two hours from Shigatse to Gyantse by bus. You can also take a minibus to Gyantse starting from Qomo Langzong Hotel, Shanghai Middle Road of Shigatse. There are no amazing sights on the way, so you can rest and prepare for the rest of the journey.

Gyantse belongs to the plateau temperate zone, also semi-arid monsoon climate zone. The dry and wet seasons in Gyantse are distinct. In summer, rain is abundant and concentrated, so the climate is warm and humid; In winter, the climate is dry and cold but the sunshine is sufficient and the solar radiation is strong. The daily temperature difference is large, the annual temperature difference is small, and the frost-free period is short. The annual sunshine hours are 3189.8 hours, the annual frost-free period is about 110 days, and the annual precipitation is 291.1 mm. Generally speaking, you can travel to Gyantse all year round. The best time to visit Gyantse is from April to October, during which the weather and scenery are very nice.

Gyantse is one of the cities less affected by modernity. The accommodation is not as good as in Lhasa. At present, the better hotels in Gyantse are Gyantse Hotel and Nyangchu Manor House Hotel, which are favored by many foreign tourists. The price is around 350 yuan. We suggest our customers stay near the center of the ancient city of Gyantse because it is only about a 15-minute walk from major attractions. View more >>

In Gyantse, you can taste all kinds of Tibetan food, such as sausage, barley wine, butter tea, beef and mutton, sweet tea, yogurt, and so on. There are many restaurants in various grades. Whether it is a high-end or simple decoration, it has Tibetan ethnic styles and characteristics. Alternatively, you can also have Sichuan food as there are many Sichuan restaurants for your choice.