Gyantse Town is a town located in Gyantse County, Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was historically considered the third largest and most prominent town in the Tibet region (After Lhasa, and Shigatse), but there are now at least ten larger Tibetan cities.
　　The town is strategically located in the Nyang Chu valley on the ancient trade routes from the Chumbi Valley, Yatung and Sikkim, which met here. In 1952, Gyantse had a population of perhaps 8,000 people, about the same as in 2008. It is 3,977 meters above sea level, and is located 254 km southwest of Lhasa in the fertile plain of the Nyang river valley and on a side branch of the Friendship Highway, which connects Kathmandu, Nepal to Lhasa.
　　The main attraction in Gyantse is the Pelkor Chode Monastery. Pelkor Chode was founded in 1418 and was originally a compound containing 15 monasteries from 3 of Tibet's 4 main sects of Buddhism. The Gyantse Kumbum  is the biggest and most famous chorten (stupa) in Tibet. It rises to 35m high and the inside is covered in endless Buddhist murals.
　　The second attraction in Gyantse is the Gyantse Dzong. The Dzong is an old military fort that was originally built in the 14th century. The top of the Dzong is a 20 minute hike from the gate. The top offers great views of the city and of the plains surrounding Gyantse. Gyantse can be visited all year long. Summer brings in a lot of tourists while winter is quite slow.