Sadly most people use SHIGATSE , Tibet's second city, as an overnight stop on the way to or from Lhasa. While one day is long enough to see the two main sights, Tashilunpo Monastery and Shigatse Dzong , it's worth spending at least an extra night here simply to do everything at a more leisurely pace, take in the market and spend a bit of time absorbing the atmosphere and wandering the attractive, tree-lined streets. Basing yourself here also gives you the opportunity to explore some of the sights along the old southern road to Lhasa.

Although the city is fairly spread out, about 2km from end to end, most of the sights and the facilities that you'll need are in or near the north-south corridor around Jiefang Tong Lu and Beijing Bei Lu, extending north along Kesang Ke Lu to the market and Dzong. The main exception is Tashilunpo Monastery which is a bit of a hike west. Shigatse offers an adequate range of accommodation, a variety of shops and some pleasant restaurants, and the dramatic Drolma Ridge rising up on the northern side of town helps you get your bearings easily. The pace of life here is unhurried, but there's a buzz provided by the huge numbers of Tibetan pilgrims and foreign visitors. Although most of the city is modern, you'll find the traditional Tibetan houses concentrated in the area west of the market where you can explore the narrow alleyways running between high whitewashed walls.

Attractions in Shigatse

Neighboring areas: Qinghai province , Sichuan province , and Yunnan province; Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Climate: Summer is usually mild and wet, and brings most of the annual rainfall. Winter is cold, dry and windy

Average Temperature: 6C

Rainfall: average annual of 300 to 450 mm