Potala Palace Private Tour from Lhasa

Four days for the palace and the monasteries

The 4-day private tour at 906 USD per person is built around the palace. You get a licensed English-speaking guide, three nights in a 4-star Lhasa hotel with oxygen in the room, breakfast plus five main meals, and first-entry tickets for the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Drepung, Norbulingka and Sera. The Tibet Travel Permit is arranged for you, and the agency needs your passport details at least 20 days ahead. It suits couples and first-time visitors who want everything sorted in one price.

The 4-day group-price tour covers monasteries and palaces for 1,218 USD per group of up to seven. That is 609 USD each for two, 304.50 USD for four and 243.60 USD for five. At seven travellers it falls to 174 USD per person. It includes admission tickets, 3-star hotels with breakfast, a private vehicle with driver, a welcome dinner with afternoon tea, oxygen in the vehicle and free airport or station transfers. Families and groups of friends get the most from it.

The private Lhasa tour costs 1,580 USD per person. It covers a private vehicle, a driver and a professional local guide, entrance fees, lunch on days 2 and 3, and hotel pickup and drop-off.

Lake and long-route private tours

The 5-day tour at 1,000 USD per person adds Yamdrok Lake to Lhasa. Entrances to the Potala Palace, Jokhang, Drepung, Sera, Samding and Yamdrok are included, along with a Lhasa-born guide, a 3-star hotel with breakfast, a welcome dinner on day 1 and a farm-style lunch on day 4.

The Namtso tour runs 4 days at 995 USD per person. Pickup from Lhasa airport or railway station is included, along with three hotel nights, Namtso admission on 2 visits, 3 breakfasts, 1 dinner and a portable oxygen bottle per person. It is the pick for travellers who want the lake more than the palace.

For the longest route, the 11-day train tour from Beijing and Xi'an costs 2,300 USD per person. It uses private transport throughout Tibet, an overnight soft-sleeper train to Lhasa, 3 to 4-star hotels with breakfast and all entrance fees. Prices are as of November 2026.

Private tour or small group

Sharing is the cheaper way in. A 4-day small-group tour in Lhasa starts at 509 USD per person, and a 4-day group tour with airport pickup at 605 USD. Compared with 906 USD for the private palace tour, a couple saves 794 USD on a shared departure. The group-price tour changes that picture: a party of five pays 243.60 USD each for a private vehicle, well under the shared prices.

Choose a small group if you travel alone or as a couple on a tight budget and are happy with a fixed itinerary. For longer multi-day routes see the Tibet tours page, and for ticket details the Potala Palace tickets page.