Along the top of Shey's ridge, a series of fortress ruins bracket the three-storey, 17th-century Royal Palace, which has enjoyed a wholesale reconstruction in recent years. The palace temple contains a 7.5m-tall gilded copper Buddha that dates to 1645. The upper-storey door opens to his inscrutably smiling face.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
7.04 MILES
Bearing a passing similarity to the Potala Palace in Lhasa (Tibet), this nine-storey dun-coloured edifice is Leh's dominant structure and architectural…
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2.21 MILES
Glorious Thiksey Gompa is one of Ladakh’s biggest and most recognisable monasteries, photogenically cascading down a raised rocky promontory. At its heart…
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28.27 MILES
The original murals and statues within these four outwardly modest 11th-century temples are considered the crowning glory of Ladakh’s Indo-Tibetan art…
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6.99 MILES
Behind Leh’s central Jamia Masjid, winding alleys and stairways burrow between and beneath a series of old mud-brick Ladakhi houses and eroded chortens…
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7.15 MILES
Founded in the late 14th century as See-Thub (Exemplary) Monastery, impressive Spituk Gompa surveys the Sengye Tsangpo (Indus) Valley, with surreal views…
7.81 MILES
Dominating Leh from a high, rocky ridge, this gigantic white spired pudding of a stupa was built between 1983 and 1991 by Japanese monks to promote world…
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11.85 MILES
Spectacularly viewed across barley fields and buckthorn bushes, Chemrey village is dominated by the beautifully proportioned Thekchhok Gompa covering a…
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11 MILES
Restored by the army in the late 1990s, this tiny white cube of a temple is said to date back to the time of the 'Great Translator' Ringchen Zangpo (10th…
Nearby Ladakh attractions
The greatest attraction in Shey's palace complex is the royal temple, with its splendid 17th-century Buddha statue. The highly revered 7.5m-tall gilded…
0.12 MILES
Just by the roadside, as you round a sharp corner, a group of five ancient carved Dhyani Buddhas stand carved into the rock, 200m before the palace…
0.64 MILES
Though best known for its cameo role in the popular Bollywood film 3 Idiots, this school of more than 700 students has an interesting campus of prize…
2.21 MILES
Glorious Thiksey Gompa is one of Ladakh’s biggest and most recognisable monasteries, photogenically cascading down a raised rocky promontory. At its heart…
2.23 MILES
The museum is unmarked and hidden away beneath the monastery restaurant; staff should be able to unlock it. Displays include well-labelled Tantric…
4.81 MILES
Across from Stok Palace, a short alley leads to the 350-year-old Stok Abagon, the decrepit former home of the royal physician, with a few dusty displays…
4.81 MILES
Over 200 years old, this beautifully preserved traditional house has been in the same family for six generations. Used until 2001, it remains almost fully…
4.85 MILES
This stately three-storey edifice was built in 1820 by King Tsepal Namgyal – a good investment, it turned out, since 14 years later his larger main palace…