China Lhasa travel and hotels guide: CITY TRANSPORT

By far the easiest way to get around the city and its environs is by minibuses which have a ¥2 flat fare and run from around 7am to 10pm. Simply flag them down when you want one and pay the conductor before you get off. Cycle-rickshaws , a very few taxis and, on the outskirts, tractors also carry passengers - bargain for the fare before you get in; ¥5 should get you from the bus station to the centre of town on a tractor, or from the Potala to Barkhor Square in a cycle-rickshaw, but you'll pay at least double that in a taxi, if you can find one. Bike rental is available at some of the hotels; expect to pay about ¥2 per hour and to leave a deposit, up to ¥300. Apart from the altitude there are few problems with cycling in Lhasa; roads are wide and while there are no cycle lanes the traffic isn't overwhelming and is controlled by traffic lights and traffic police at the main junctions. There are a few cycle parks outside department stores and the post office, but without the cycle density of other large cities there is less regulation than elsewhere in China.

Useful minibus routes in Lhasa

#2 West from the small minibus stand opposite the cinema on Yuthok Lu north up Kharnga Dong Lu and then west along the front of the Potala. Some head west on Beijing Zhong Lu and Beijing Xi Lu and then turn south at the Lhasa, past the Norbulingka, while others follow the old road, Yuan Lin Lu, to the Norbulingka. All pass the bus station and then head west out of the city on Chingdol Xi Lu.

#3 From Beijing Dong Lu at the junction with Dosengge Lu, then loops north at Nyangrain Lu, west along Lingkor Bei Lu, down to the Golden Yaks Statue, then east along Beijing Zhong Lu and Beijing Xi Lu past the Lhasa and out to Drepung and Nechung monasteries.

#5 From the stand opposite the cinema on Yuthok Lu, north up Dosengge Lu, then west along Beijing Dong Lu and north up Nyangrain Lu to Sera Monastery.