Asia
China
Qinghai
Huangzhong County
Huangzhong County Attractions
Ta'er Monastery
See all things to do

Ta'er Monastery

See all things to do
See all things to do
Ta'er Monastery
4.5
#1 of 12 things to do in Huangzhong County
Religious Sites
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Write a review
About
Duration: 2-3 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view

Plan your visit

Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
210 reviews
Excellent
101
Very good
90
Average
16
Poor
2
Terrible
1
Travelgirrl
Shenzhen, China2 contributions
Beautiful Monastery
Aug 2022 • Couples
It was our first stop on our Silk Road tour. Just landed and headed straight to the beautiful Monastery. It is one of the six great Monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism. The place was clean and wasn’t very crowded. It was a wonderful visit.
Written 13 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KodoDrummer
Buenos Aires, Argentina64,824 contributions
Magnificent & massive Kumbum Monastery
Jul 2021
Ta'er Monastery (aka, Kumbum Monastery) is the largest and beautiful Tibetan monastery, and recognized as the second most important in China.
Written 13 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joe
Budapest, Hungary3,376 contributions
Disappointed
Jul 2021 • Friends

Was a little underwhelmed with this spot. Probably because it was a Saturday and so was incredibly busy.

The buildings date back to 1700s and are impressive.  I liked the carvings and colours on the doors, buildings and walls. Very beautiful and very photogenic

The most beautiful decorative works are inside the buildings, but pictures are forbidden.

It's a bit of a hassle having to get a shuttle bus from the parking lot and lots of lines to get tickets etc.  Also constant harrassment to buy things
Written 27 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zarza's Travels
London, UK457 contributions
A great place for a spiritual afternoon stroll!
Jul 2021 • Friends
A lovely place to spend a few hours walking amongst the different temples. Some beautiful sights to see, really intricate art work and religious ornaments. Lots of people there worshipping, it was quite busy but not in an unpleasant way. Monks of all ages can be seen walking around, going about their daily business. Highly recommend coming here, everyone was friendly and helpful.
Written 19 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JPJKK
Warsaw, Poland25 contributions
Silk Road trip organised by China Highlights
May 2021
Ta'er Monastery is one of the six largest monasteries of the Gelug Sect (or Yellow Hat Sect, a branch of Tibetan Buddhism). The monastery is also one of the most popular sightseeing spots in Qinghai Province. I recommend it very much.
Written 13 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WorldGlutton
London, UK20,856 contributions
Building architecture was worth the visit !!
Sep 2019
After our tour bus parked at the car park, it was a bit of walk to an escalator that leads us to a very long street of building with numerous souvenir shops and restaurants. After this street, we need to take the battery car to reach the Ta’er Monastery also known as Kumbum Monastery.

The Monastery has a very large complex, it consists Buddha Halls, scripture repository, Pagodas, Lama Residences as well as Colleges for Lamaist Monk. The structure of the buildings are a mixure of Tibetan and Han Chinese architectural style.

At the entrance, one could see Ta’er Monastery is awarded the status of 5A National Tourist Attraction and an Introduction Board written with details on the history of this Monastery.

The Halls are all very packed with Tourists, many are prostating flat on the floor to show their devotion to worship Buddha which crowded the entrance, make it very difficult to enter. Even when we enter the hall, many worshipers or tourists would be blocking!!! As we have very limited time, we just see whatever we can. It would be great to see the Yak Butter sculptures !!!

We were told that photo taking is strictly forbidden inside the temple , they said this is a place of worship !!!! I do not understand why so when a Monk is seen taking picture with his mobile phone inside the crowded Hall.

Outside the Monastery lots of people trying to sell souvenirs & stuff, best is not to engage with them as they are rather aggressive.

Overall the building architecture was worth the visit.
Written 31 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HINDONG
Singapore, Singapore40 contributions
Top of the list for Xining
Sep 2019 • Couples
From a small shrine built by the parents of Tsongkhapa at his birth place in 1360s, it was expanded into a large monastery 200 years later on request of the Third Dalai Lama. Tsongkhapa was the founder of Gelugpa Sect, a branch of Tibetan Buddhism, and teacher of first Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama. Its still an important monastery for Tibetan Buddhists outside Tibet. Kumbum Monastery is also known as Ta'er Si in Chinese. The monastery is about 25 km from Xining Railway Station. There are 3 ways to visit the monastery. 1. Join a day tour. 2. Take a public bus from the bus interchange next to the Xining Railway Station. 3. Arrange with a taxi driver to take you there and fetch you back. The car ride is about 30 to 45 min depends on traffic conditions. This will cost you about RMB 200 to 250. The monastery is a sprawling complex which requires about 3 to 4 hours to cover. There are English information boards in front of each building. You can also hire a guide there if you can communicate in Chinese. Not sure there is any English speaking guide there.
Written 22 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cindyrina
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia42 contributions
Day Trip to Ta'er Monastery, Toluo Temple, Dongguan Mosque
Jul 2019 • Solo
A must visit to Ta'er Monastery a Tibetian temple around 2 hours car ride from Xining. Spend around 2 - 3 hours there then head back to city. On the way back swing by Toluo Temple near Beishan Mountain and spend around less 1 hour. Continue journey to Dongguan Mosque in the city and spend around one hour before shop around the area for some Muslim community snacks and foods. I hire a private driver Mr Ma for 260 Yuan. You can contact him via WeChat ID: MHW626
Written 4 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Panduka d
5 contributions
Serene
Jul 2018 • Friends
Visited early morning.. a serene and beautiful monastery with many monks and worshipers. Gets crowded by mid day.
Written 28 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LauraDragon
Hong Kong, China173 contributions
Worth a visit!
May 2019 • Friends
Nice walk inside the Monastery. You can see Monks, people praying and many temples. The place is clean and big.
Written 20 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2
…
Showing results 1-10 of 51
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Ta'er Monastery, Huangzhong County

Frequently Asked Questions about Ta'er Monastery