Palace of the Chogyal - This palace opens only once in a year for the Pang Lhabsol festival in December. Below this is the Tsuklakhang or Royal Chapel, standing on a high ridge. This is the major place of worship and houses a large and impressive collection of scriptures. It was the site for the royal marriages and coronation ceremonies. The interior is lavishly decorated with woodcarving and murals and houses a number of Buddha images.

Namgyal: A must visit in Gangtok, the Namgyal Institute was built in the year 1958 to promote research in Mahayan Buddhism and Tibetan language and traditions. Built in a traditional style, this institute has the world's largest collections of books and rare manuscripts on Mahayan Buddhism, in addition to the works of art and silk embroidered Tankhas. Moreover, it also houses relics of monks, samples of Lepcha scripts, masks and sacred objects like Kapali, a bowl made from a human skull, and the carku, a flute made from a thigh bone.

Do-drul Chorten - Do Drul Chorten is one of the many important attractions of Gangtok. Regarded as the most important 'stupa' of Sikkim, it was built in 1945 by Trulshi Rimpoche, head of the Nyingma order of Tibetan Buddhism. This stupa also has a sacred gold-topped shikhara with 108 prayer wheels. This highly revered Chorten is also characterised by complete mandala sets of Dorjee Phurba (Bajra Kilaya), a set of Kan-gyur relics (Holy Books), complete 'Zung'( mantras) and other religious objects. The Chorten also has two huge statues of Guru Rinpoche (Guru Padmasambhava) around it.

Research Institute of Tibetology - About a kilometre downhill from the main market of Gangtok, amidst a small forest of Oak, Magnolia and Birch trees stand the Institute of Tibetology. The building accommodating the Institute is an example of Tibetan architecture. It is world-renowned and is one of the few of its kind. Its library is well stocked with rare books and documents on Buddhism. There are about 30 thousand volumes, documents that are printed using wooden slabs that have the matter imprinted on them, translations of the original teachings of the Lord Buddha, and treatises by distinguished Buddhist scholars from different parts of the world. The museum at the Institute consists of a rare collection of antiques like statues, coins and Thankas (Buddhist paintings). This institute is a premier institute in the world that conducts research in the language and culture of Tibet.