The Potala Palace is the most widely recognized symbol of Tibet and is the symbol for Tibet. The Potala Palace was built to honor the marriage of the 33^rd King of Tibet, Soongtsan Gampo to Princess Wen Cheng of the Tang Dynasty. The original palace was damaged but restored to as it appears today. The white buildings were built more than 300 years ago by the 5^th Dalai Lama and the central, red building was built by the disciple of the 5^th Dalai Lama. The palace is 13 stories and has over ten thousand pillars. Inside the palace are many religious symbols and antiques. Every room of the palace is also filled with colorful murals depicting different scenes associated with Buddhism.

Tashilhunpo Monastery, meaning the Heap of Glory, is located at the foot of Drolmari (Tara's Mountain), Shigatse. It was originally founded by the First Dalai Lama in 1447, and expanded by the Fourth and successive Panchen Lamas. Covering an area of nearly 300,000 square meters (about 74.1 acres), Tashilhunpo is one of the 'Six Big Monasteries of Gelugpa'. Since the Fourth Panchen Lama took charge in the monastery, it has been the seat of Panchen Lama for hundreds of years.

  Situated at the foot of the Mountain Gambo Utse, 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the western suburb of Lhasa, the Drepung Monastery is known as the most important monastery of Gelugpa in Tibetan Buddhism. It is considered one of the 'Three Great Monasteries' (the other two are the Ganden Monastery and the Sera Monastery. Covering an area of 250,000 square meters (299,007 square yards), it held 7,700 monks in total and possessed 141 fazendas and 540 pastures in its heyday, and is the largest-scale monastery among the ones of the same kind. Seen from afar, its grand, white construction gives the monastery the appearance of a heap of rice. As such, it was given the name 'Drepung Monastery' which, in the Tibetan language, means Monastery of Collecting-Rice.

  The monestary was established in 1416 by Tsong Khapa's disciple Jamyang Qoigyi, who was versed in both Esoteric and Exotoric Buddhism and became the first Kampo there. With the support of plutocrats, it developed as the richest monastery of Gelugpa and became the mother temple of Dalai Lamas. In 1546, the third Dalai was welcomed as the first Living Buddha into the monastery. At the invitation of Mongolia's king, he went to Qinghai Province to preach. He was dignified with the title 'the third Dalai Lama' the first and second Dalai were entitled, too. It is the very place that the second, third, and the fourth Dalai Lama held the Sitting-in-Bed Ceremony, as well as the residence of the fifth Dalai before his nomination by the government of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911).

  The Sera Monastery at the foot of Tatipu Hill is located in the northern suburb of Lhasa City. It is one of three famous monasteries in Lhasa along with the Drepung Monastery and the Ganden Monastery. The Sera Monastery is dedicated to the Gelugpa or Yellow Hat Sect, a branch of Tibetan Buddhism, founded by Tsong Khapa. Jamchen Chojey, one of Tsong Khapa's disciples built the monastery in 1419 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The monastery was named Sera which means wild rose in the Tibetan language, because the hill behind it was covered with wild roses in bloom when the monastery was built.

  The monastery is magnificent and covers an area of 114,946 square meters (28 acres). Its main buildings are the Coqen Hall, Zhacang (college) and Kamcun (dormitory). Scriptures written in gold powder, fine statues, scent cloth and unparalleled murals can be found in these halls. Colorful debates on Buddhist doctrines are held here and these employ a style distinctive from those at Lhasa's other famous monasteries.

  Construction began in the 1740s. The area used to be wasteland with wild animals, weeds and scrub which the Seventh Dalai Lama liked and often visited, and, as a result, the Qing magistrate had a palace built. Years later, Kelsang Potrang was built by order of the Seventh Dalai Lama. Later it was used as the Summer Palace for successive Lamas, where they solved the political problems and held festive celebrations. After a series of expansions and renovations, the appearance was improved with potrangs, pavilions, gardens and woods. It has now been turned into a park open to the public.

  Norbulingka consists of several palace complexes, such as the Kelsang Potrang, Tsokyil Potrang, Golden Linka and Takten Migyur Potrang. Each palace complex is divided into three sections - the palace section, the section in front of the palaces and the woods.

  Located about 90 kilometers west of Gongbo'gyamda County, the Basum Lake is an alpine lake at the middle and upper reaches of the Ba River, which is the largest tributary of the Nyang River. The lake surface is on average about 3,538 meters above sea level. The lake covers an area of 25.9 square kilometers. The deepest part is about 60 meters from the surface. The blue, limpid lake water and the verdant mountain around the lake combine into a charming scene that can be compared with those in Switzerland.

  In summer and autumn, when flowers bloom and the air is filled with their fragrance, bees and butterflies are seen shuttling and fluttering among them. Bears, leopards, goats, musk deer, Tibetan snow roosters and other wild animals look for food and sport in the forest. An islet in the center of the lake is an enormous "sheep-back stone" left by glaciation eons ago. Following the direction of the glacier's movement, one can discern distinct traces. On the islet stands a monastery of the Yellow Sect, which was built in the 17th century.

 Going upstream from the Basum Lake to the source of the mainstream and the tributaries, one can see large mountain glaciers. With abundant snow, the long tongues of the lakes often stretch into the lush and green forest, the white snow shining through green trees. The bank of the lake is dotted with small villas of unique shapes, making a beautiful and comfortable holiday village.

In 1997, the Basum Lake was listed by the World Tourist Organization as one of the world's best tourist spots.

  Namco is the largest lake in Tibet, the second largest salt water lake in China, and the world's highest lake. It is located between the Damxung County of Lhasa and the Bango County of Nagqu region.

  In the Tibetan language, Nam Co is means Heavenly Lake. In the Mongolian and Manchurian languages, the lake is called Tenggeli Hai or Heavenly Sea. The lake surface is at 4,7040 metres above sea level, measuring about 70 kliometres long and 30 kilometres broad, with a surface area of 1,920 square kilometres. The melted snow and ice of the Nyainqentanglha Mountains form the main water supply of Namco. With lush grass growing on the vast land near the lake, the place is the best pasture land of northern Tibet.