Potala Palace

The Potala rises 13 stories above Lhasa, a white-and-red fortress of 1,000 rooms that served as the Dalai Lama's winter palace for three centuries. The interior - golden stupas, silk tangkas, libraries of sutras - is one of the great treasure houses of Buddhism.

Entry is strictly timed and capped; book tickets a day ahead and arrive early. The view from the roof terrace over Lhasa is worth the climb alone.