Why visit Leh
Townapedia lists 25 museums and landmarks, 3 parks and trails, 126 places to eat, 279 places to stay and 10 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Leh, Shey Palace, Leh Palace and ICE Hockey Rink.
Weather in Leh
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Leh
Leh (Ladakhi: སླེ་) is a city in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir region. It is the largest city and the joint capital of Ladakh. Leh, located in the Leh district, has been the capital of Ladakh since the medieval period and was historically capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh.
From the Wikipedia article Leh (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Leh on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do10
Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Leh
School · 6.8 km
Deemed university in Ladakh, India
Amphitheater
Cinema and theater · 11.5 km
An open-air venue used for entertainment, performances.
5F95+28R HIAL, Fiang, Leh
Museums and landmarks25
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13 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds3
ICE Hockey Rink
Sports field and stadium · 11.5 km
5F95+28R HIAL, Fiang, Leh
sunrise-sunset
Restaurants and cafes126
Corretto
Cafe · Italian, Italian Pizza, Korean, Cake, Coffee Shop, Pasta, Sandwich
Old Leh Road
Mo-Su 09:00-23:00
Shangrila
Restaurant · Chicken, Curry, Indian, Thai · 6.2 km
Agling Spituk, Road, Leh, Ladakh 194101
Mo-Su 10:30-22:30
HAPPY LEH
Restaurant · Chicken, Chinese, Coffee Shop, Curry, Diner, Fine Dining, Fish · 1.8 km
24/7
Gesmo
Restaurant · Pizza, Coffee Shop, Indian, International, Italian, Italian Pizza, Breakfast, Burger, Sandwich
Fort Road
Babylon
Restaurant · Breakfast, Cake, Coffee Shop, Indian, Italian · 0.6 km
Changspa Road
Himalayan Cafe
Restaurant · Coffee Shop, Asian, Beef Bowl, Pasta, Noodles, Chicken, Italian Pizza, Curry, Indian, Breakfast, Tea, Local, Chinese
Main Bazaar
Kharlam Cafe & Restaurant
Restaurant
Local Ladakhi Cafe, must try Khambir and Ngamphy Shake.
114 more on the map.
History
Leh was for centuries an important stopover on trade routes along the Indus Valley between Tibet, Kashmir, India and China. The main goods carried were salt, grain, pashm or cashmere wool, charas or cannabis resin from the Tarim Basin, indigo, silk yarn and Banaras brocade.
Although there are a few indications that the Chinese knew of a trade route through Ladakh to India as early as the Kushan period (1st to 3rd centuries AD), and certainly by the Tang dynasty, little is actually known of the history of the region before the end of the 10th century, when Tibetan prince Skyid lde nyima gon (or Kyide Nyimagon), a grandson of the anti-Buddhist Tibetan king, Langdarma (r. c. 838 to 841), founded the kingdom. He conquered Western Tibet, although his army originally numbered only 300 men. Several towns and castles are said to have been founded by Nyimagon, and he apparently ordered the construction of the primary sculptures at Shey. "In an inscription, he says he had them made for the religious benefit of the Tsenpo (the dynastical name of his father and ancestors), and of all the people of Ngaris (Western Tibet). This shows that already in this generation Langdarma's opposition to Buddhism had disappeared." Shey, 15 km east of modern Leh, was the ancient seat of the Ladakhi kings.
From the History section of Leh on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay279
Churches and places of worship48
Yungdrung Lhatse Bön Gonpa
Place of worship · 7.5 km
Manali-Leh highway Keylong Leh Road
Shopping22
Gas and EV charging8
Schools, colleges and libraries24
Healthcare10
Map of Leh
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Leh Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport (IXL) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 5 km away.
- Pituk 5 km southwest, about 5 min by car
- Choglamsar 6 km south, about 6 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Openverse (see each image): photos
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Leh, Ladakh, India, Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0
- Leh Old Town 16 (Friar's Balsam Flickr), Christopher John SSF from Stroud, NSW, Australia, CC BY 2.0
- Leh Old Town 17 (Friar's Balsam Flickr), Christopher John SSF from Stroud, NSW, Australia, CC BY 2.0
- Rabbit fur mittens in Leh in 2009, Kiran Jonnalagadda from Bangalore, India, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Leh Old Town 15 (Friar's Balsam Flickr), Christopher John SSF from Stroud, NSW, Australia, CC BY 2.0
- Leh Old Town 29 (Friar's Balsam Flickr), Christopher John SSF from Stroud, NSW, Australia, CC BY 2.0
- Leh - Main Bazaar Road, Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leh city and mountains in 2009, Kiran Jonnalagadda from Bangalore, India, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Leh Old Town in 2009, Kiran Jonnalagadda from Bangalore, India, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Lala's café in Leh in 2009, Kiran Jonnalagadda from Bangalore, India, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Leh town and hills in 2009, Kiran Jonnalagadda from Bangalore, India, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Dog lazing at Stanzin Odzer's guest house in Leh in 2009, Kiran Jonnalagadda from Bangalore, India, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Leh Palace in 2009, Kiran Jonnalagadda from Bangalore, India, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Outside Lala's cafe in Leh in 2009, Kiran Jonnalagadda from Bangalore, India, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Leh Palace from Central Asian Museum, Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leh - Soma Goma - Buddhist Monks playing Dungchens (01), Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leh - Soma Goma - Buddhist Monks playing Dungchens (02), Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leh - Soma Goma - Pavillion, Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leh - Soma Goma - Buddhist Monks (02), imehling, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leh - Soma Goma, Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leh - Soma Goma - Buddhist Monks (01), Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leh - Soma Goma - Buddhist Monks (03), ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Manfred U. Street Scene in Leh, Manfred U., CC BY-SA 2.0
- India - Ladakh - Leh - 084 - Ancient archway (3908934223), McKay Savage from London, UK, CC BY 2.0
- Datun Sahib tree in Leh, 2009, Kiran Jonnalagadda from Bangalore, India, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Leh - Soma Goma - Grand Prayer (05), imehling, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leh - Soma Goma - Grand Prayer (03), Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leh - Soma Goma - Grand Prayer (02), Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leh - Soma Goma - Grand Prayer (04), imehling, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leh - Soma Goma - Grand Prayer (01), Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leh 78 (Friar's Balsam Flickr), Christopher John SSF from Stroud, NSW, Australia, CC BY 2.0
- Leh 77 (Friar's Balsam Flickr), Christopher John SSF from Stroud, NSW, Australia, CC BY 2.0
- Leh 76 (Friar's Balsam Flickr), Christopher John SSF from Stroud, NSW, Australia, CC BY 2.0
- Leh 75 (Friar's Balsam Flickr), Christopher John SSF from Stroud, NSW, Australia, CC BY 2.0
- Leh 74 (Friar's Balsam Flickr), Christopher John SSF from Stroud, NSW, Australia, CC BY 2.0
- Zahoor Art Palace, Leh (Friar's Balsam Flickr), Christopher John SSF from Stroud, NSW, Australia, CC BY 2.0
- Spituk, Redtigerxyz, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leh Palace Morning View, RPSkokie, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leh Palace, Leh, Ladakh, Karunakar Rayker from India, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Phyang Monastery 01, Bernard Gagnon Canon EOS REBEL T4i, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Shey Monastery- Shey- Leh District- Jammu and Kashmir- IMG 20190508 184021751, Kmohankar, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sankar Gompah, Bhrigu bayan, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leh, Tsemo Monastery, Tsemo Castle, Ladakh, India, Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0
- Stok Palace 02, Bernard Gagnon Canon EOS REBEL T4i, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Indus Valley, wildxplorer, CC BY 2.0
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Page built November 3, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.