Gateway cities to Tibet. Initially, when Tibet was open for the international traveller in the 1980’s, there is only two daily flight from Chengdu and Xian. In addition, travelers can take an overland journey either from Golmud in Qinghai or from Nepal. However, there is no train service to Tibet.

Now there is an increasing number of Gateway cities to Tibet as we progress in development. Kathmandu, Chengdu, and Xining are the major gateways to travel to Tibet. Besides these gateways, now you can travel to Tibet from multiple cities in China.

Mode of Transportation to Tibet

Your choice of gateway cities to enter Tibet depend heavy upon your choice of mode of transportation to get you to Tibet. For example, If you are going to take a flight to Lhasa. Chengdu has the most flight to Lhasa each day, and it is easier to organise your Tibet travel permit delivery to Chengdu than any other cities in China.

1) Flights to Tibet

At the beginning of Tibet Tourism in the early 1980s, there were only two daily flights from other parts of China to Tibet, Mainly Chengdu and Xi’an. However, as gradually as the economy of Tibet and China developed, there is an increasing number of flight from most of the big cities in China.

Nowadays, there are dozens of daily flights to Lhasa from all the major cities in China, and there is one daily International flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa.

There are about five airports in Tibet, yet all the International tours will start with a flight to Lhasa as all travel agencies and tourism facilities concentrate in Lhasa.

It is important to remember you will need to have the original Tibet travel permit in hand before boarding your flight to Lhasa.

You can find more about a flight to Tibet on this Link.

2) Train to Tibet

Qinghai Tibet railway line was inaugurated in the year 2006, with it Tibetan Autonomous region is finally connected with China Railway lines. So now there are dozens of daily train service from different cities of China to Lhasa. You can even choose to travel right up to Shigatse in Train.

Since the Qinghai-Tibet railway line is the world highest railway line, it is often called the sky train journey. Many websites will tell you the benefit of acclimatisation to the high elevation of Tibet by taking the train. However, it is false as the train is pressurised and has little effect when you arrive in Lhasa.

Soon there will be a new railway line from Chengdu to Lhasa called Sichuan Tibet Railway line. When this new line is complete, it will reduce the travel time from Chengdu to Lhasa from 48 to 13 hours. This new line is designed to travel at speed from 120 to 200 kilometres/hour. When complete, Chengdu will become the preferable gateway city to Tibet for International Travellers.

The benefit of Tibet is you don’t need the original Tibet travel permit while taking a train to Lhasa. Instead, you can show a copy of your permit at the check. Additionally, it is the most economical way to reach Tibet from China.

3) Overland journey to Tibet

Travelling overland to Tibet is a great way to reach Lhasa. You can either choose to drive your vehicle or Motorcycle or hire our private vehicle to travel overland to Tibet. 

The most popular overland travel route to Tibet is from Nepal to Lhasa via the Sino-Nepal friendship highway. You can also travel overland to Tibet like:

Following are the Gateway cities to Tibet

A) Kathmandu, Nepal

Kathmandu is one of the most popular gateways to Tibet. Since in the early days of Tibet tourism, many travellers would prefer to merge their journey to Tibet and Nepal because of the proximity.

Additional, Kathmandu is the first and only international destination to have a direct flight to Lhasa. There are two flights in the summer month and only one in the rest of the year.

If you are coming to Tibet from Kathmandu, it is mandatory to get a Chinese Group Visa from the embassy in Kathmandu. It will take three business days to get the Visa, so you will have to spend three days in the city to get it.

Additional to flight to Lhasa, you can also choose to travel overland to Tibet via the Sino-Nepal Friendship highway. You will meet your tour guide and private driver at the border custom checkpoint with your Tibet travel permit. For those taking flight, you will meet them at the border custom checkpoint in Lhasa airport.

Read More about how to travel to Tibet from Nepal

B) Chengdu, Sichuan, China

Chengdu is the most recommend gateway to visit Tibet if you are planning to fly to Lhasa. There are dozens of daily flight to Lhasa from this city. It is even more convenient to deliver your permit at the Chengdu airport as you will need the original permit in hand while boarding a flight to Lhasa.

If you are planning to fly from other cities of China, we will have to send the permit to your hotel in those cities, and sometimes it could prove to be confusing in receiving a permit at the hotel. As many people in China will not speak or understand Chinese.

You can also choose to take the train from the city to Lhasa. The train journey currently only takes 48 hours and Change to train specially design for the high elevation of Tibet. Soon there will be a new railway line between two cities, and the journey will be 12 hours instead of 48 hours now.

Another highly recommended tour is an overland journey from Chengdu to Lhasa. This overland route will cross over some of the most beautiful regions of entire Tibet. For this overland tour, you will meet your tour guide and private driver in Chengdu city. You can also choose to do a self-drive tour with proper licences and car document.

C) Xinning, Qinghai, China

Xining is probably the most significant gateway city to Tibet if you are taking the train to Tibet. In this city, the train bound for Lhasa merges on one railway line, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway line. Hence it at this city that you will most choice of trains to Lhasa.

This city is also the capital city of Qinghai province of China, which houses a chunk of Tibetan Inhabitat area called Amdo in the Tibetan Language. You can explore an authentic Tibetan Nomadic way of life, and additionally, Tibet travel permit is not require a Tibet travel permit and travel agency to visit the area. Independent is allowed in this region.

You can also choose to take a flight from Xining city to Lhasa, yet it is not ideal.

Conclusion of Gateway cities to Tibet

Besides gateways mentioned above cities to Tibet, you can also travel to Tibet to other cities of China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Kashgar and Guangzhou. However, travelling from these cities would require long hours for train journeys or multiple stops over your flight before reaching Lhasa.

If you are expat living those cities, you will have to travel on these long distances. Otherwise, it is not ideal to choose those cities as your stopover before travelling to Tibet. Read more about how to travel to China to Tibet.

Please do write us to know more about Tibet travel Information, Tibet travel permit, Tibet tours, Tibet tour packages, and General Information about Tibet from I-Tibet Travel, a Tibetan Travel agency in Tibet.