Shopping Places
Barkhor Street
It is a famous commercial and commodity-distributing center in Tibet, consisting of more than 120 handicrafts shops and more than 200 stalls at present. Barkhor is a good choice that should never be missed by tourists coming to Lhasa, for the history and present situation of Tibetan handicrafts have been clearly recorded here.
Except for the period of Tibetan New Year that lasts about 15 days, Barkhor is always very busy and swinging during the year. Jokhang Temple opens every day except for important festivals and religious activities. As for food, the Barkhor Cafe and Gangki Teahouse at the end of Barkhor are all good choices for you to enjoy sweet tea, butter tea or yoghurt. Besides, if you want to buy some Tibetan medicine, you can go to the salesroom of the Tibetan Medicine Factory of Tibet Autonomous Region opposite to Barkhor Street. Also, French perfume and Indian incense are available at the National Tourist Shop opposite to the Tibetan Hospital. At the south of Barkhor, there is a Manzha Hostel with special ambience. Furthermore, near the Barkhor, you can taste the mysterious collision of multiple cultures through visiting Dude Monastery Ruins, convent and mosque.
Duosenge Lu (a newly built commercial street) was originally rough and muddy, leading to wilds. Now, on the contrary, Duosenge Lu is a forest of shops, becoming a new choice of the citizens for shopping and entertainment.
Lhasa Department Store
Address: 1#, Yuthok Lu (left of the Potala Square)
Chief line: All kind of merchandise, catering, entertainment, accommodation, bodybuilding and leisure.
Features: The shopping environment is spacious and comfortable. Facilities are full equipped, including central heating, automatic cashier, elevator and so on. Also, prices are mostly moderate.
OZARK Specialty Shop
It is a famous shop specialized in mountaineering and trekking gear in the world.
It mainly deal in mountaineering apparel, equipments, backpacks, shoes, gloves, glasses and other accessories that are of name brands and very expensive.
Address: End of south of the Potala Square
Telephone: 6816379
Tianjie Outdoors Shop
It mainly deals in various traveling bags, gloves, water-proof apparel, tents, muffles, hats, puttees, sunglasses, skin care cosmetic and so on. Among them, the prices of bags and tents are moderate.
Address: Beijing Zhong Lu
Barkhor Thangka Gallery
Its line is mainly painting and selling various Thangkas, absorbing lots of foreign tourists.
Features: It is a very famous Thangka shop. As the descendant of Pengbo School of Thangka, the painter can make exquisite and salable works. And, the shopkeeper can speak both Chinese and English. In addition, people who are interested in Thangka can learn it free here.
Address: 10#, East Barkhor Street
Telephone: 6344930
Manual Thangka Specialty Shop
Chief line: painting and selling manual Thangkas, gilding and polishing Buddha figures, selling craftwork.
Features: Its painter is the son-in-law of Gongsang Longjie, an old famous Thangka painter. The shop is the first Thangka shop on the Barkhor Street, which has always kept a good relationship with temples. Its Thangkas are mainly customized, and its customers even include people coming from places as far as Tibetan region in Yunnan. And the shopkeeper can speak Chinese.
Prices range from 100s to more than 10,000 RMB, and mainly depend on the size and decorations. Most of the shoppers are from Beijing.
Address: 83#, North Barkhor Street
Telephone: 6830690
Shrine Thangka Art House
It mainly deals with painting and selling Thangkas. And, its painter shares the same teacher with the one in 83#. But it started later.
Address: 18#, North Barkhor Street
Lagang Clothes Shop
Chief line: Apparel, footwear, headwear and cosmetic.
Features: Most goods are imported from Nepal and India with new styles, various designs and low prices. So, both local people and tourists like doing shopping here.
Address: 4#, North Barkhor Street
Telephone: 6340099
Tibetan Dapeng National handicrafts development Corp. Ltd
Address: Norbu Lingka Development Corp. Ltd, Lhasa, Tibet
Post code: 850000
Telephone: 6818066
Fax: 6826757
Potala Thangkas Gallery
Address: Administration Office of the Potala Palace in Tibet
Telephone: 6826356
Fax: 6826757
Chief line: Tibetan handmade wool tapestries, carpets, silk carpets, jewelry, Jades, religious artistic works, calligraphy and paintings of celebrities, sculptures and folk craftworks.
Xiamao Gabu Antique Shop
Chief line: Various metal Buddha figures of different ages, period craftworks and Thangkas.
Features: As an old shop on the Barkhor Street with a history of more than 70 years, it has a large collection of goods with high quality, which are all custom-made in Nepal.
Address: 12#, North Barkhor Street
Telephone: 6336518
Saikang Shopping Mall
Chief line: Various souvenirs, electric apparatus, carpets, shoes and hats.
Address: 1#, East Barkhor Street
Gala Shopping Mall
Chief line: Arts and crafts
Address: East Barkhor Street
Tourist Shopping Mall
Chief line: Supplies for a journey and various goods
Address: east end of Yuthok Lu
Fontainebleau Gallery
Chief line: works of famous Tibetan painters (most are oil paintings, together with carvings, sketches and Chinese ink paintings), craftworks and books
Address: inside the gate of the Norbu Lingka Park
There are lots of Tibetan decorations, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings and various strange items in Tibet. Jewelry laid out on the stalls is rarely made of pure gold or silver, to say nothing of the gems inlaid. Although they are coarsely done, the style and color are absolutely Tibetan. So, you can buy a large quantity of them as gifts for friends and colleagues. The prices are reasonable, which range from 1to more then 19 RMB. Since Tibetans call white copper silver, so they seem frank when showing a copper bracelet and telling you it is made of true silver. While, small shops on the street behind the Jokhang Temple trade in real silver jewelry, you would better take an electronic weigher, and the price is about 25 RMB per gram.