Barkhor Street

Chinese name: 八廓街
Location: Chengguan district, Lhasa, Tibet
Ticket: Free
Estimated tour time: 1-2 hours
Recommended time to visit: Whole year 
Nearby attractions: Potala Palace, Jokhang Monastery, Sera Monastery, Drepung Monaster etc.

Lying in the Lhasa Old Town, Barkhor Street or Bakuo Street, reputed as the “heart of Lhasa”, is the most famous pilgrimage circuit and bustling bazaar in Lhasa.

To put it simply, Barkhor Street is a lively combination of local neighborhood, pilgrim circuit, marketplace, restaurants and historical sites.

With a special circled street and a public square, Barkhor Street is located around Jokhang Temple in the old district of Lhasa City, featuring with pure city life pattern and unique architectural style. It is not just a holy ritual walk path for pilgrims to worship and do the kora, rather, it also gains its reputation for the paradise in which delicate Tibetan foods and products are served. Every day, crows of traders and peddlers come to the Street and set up their booths to sell exquisite hand-made commodities and a great number of shops with Tibetan characteristics open for business. Gradually, Barkhor Street has been widely accepted as the most vibrant Barkhor Bazaar in Lhasa or even in Tibet.

Originally, Barkhor Street was just the single circumanbulation around Jokhang Monastery and called as “Holy Road” by local Tibetans. But now, it has gradually expended into the large old-fashioned neighborhoods around the Jokhang Temple, consisting of Barkhor East Street, Barkhor West Street, Barkhor South Street and Barkhor North Street. With the circumference of about 1000 meters, this ring road has 35 backstreets and alleys, preserving the traditional appearance and living style of the ancient Lhasa city. Around here, you step into a time warp, catching glimpses of what life must have been like centuries or even a millennium ago.

Whenever you come, you can also encounter the devout pilgrims walking clockwise around Barkhor Kora with pray wheel spinning in hand or prostrating themselves with Buddhist mantras murmuring. Roaming around the street, you must be fascinated by the various kinds of traditional Tibetan costumes and exotic handicrafts from Nepal, India, Bhutan and surrounding countries. Besides, you can find the best Lhasa restaurants and mouthwatering food hidden in Barkhor circumanbulation, such as Makye Ame, Guangming Sweet Teahouse, and so on. 

By the way, apart from the prestigious Jokhang Temple, there are lots of off-the-beaten-track attractions along the Barkhor circuit, like Qing Government in Tibet Grand Minister Administrative City Former Site, Gendun Choephel Memorial Hall, etc.