Lhasa is Tibet's traditional capital and the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. Lhasa contains the world heritage site the Potala Palace and Norbulingka, the residences of the Dalai Lama. Lhasa contains a number of significant temples and monasteries which are deeply engrained in its history including Jokhang and Ramoche Temple.

Located at the bottom of a small basin surrounded by mountains, Lhasa has an elevation of 3,650 meters and lies in the center of the Tibetan Plateau. The mountains around it rise to 5,500 m. The Kyi (or Kyi Chu) River, a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo River, runs through the city. The city stands by the Lhasa River known to local Tibetans as the "merry blue waves". It runs through the snow-covered peaks and gullies of the Nyainqentanglha mountains, extending 315 km. The river empties into the Yarlung Zangbo River at Qüxü, forming an area of great scenic beauty.

With its flat land and mild weather, Lhasa is free of both frigid winters and unbearably hot summers, having an annual average daily temperature of 8 degrees C (43 degrees F). It enjoys 3,000 hours of sunlight annually, so much more than most other cities; it is sometimes called the "sunlit city."

Lhasa has an annual precipitation of 500 mm. It rains mainly in July, August and September. The rainy seasons in the summer and fall are widely regarded the "best" seasons of the year, when it rains mostly at night, and is sunny in the daytime.