Xi’an is a modern city that has developed within the ancient city walls. As one of the four ancient capitals of China, it was the capital of several of the most important dynasties in Chinese history, including the Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties. Here you can feel the “most Chinese” culture, experience the glory of the Tang Dynasty more than 1,000 years ago, and admire the Terracotta Army made more than 2,000 years ago. If you are planning to enjoy a vacation in Xi’an, this article will be your best guide.
What you need to travel to Xi’an
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Transportation from XIY Airport to Xi’an
Metro (Recommended)
Line 14 Airport Express: Direct connection to downtown
Travel Time: 45-60 minutes
Operating Hours: 06:00-22:00
Fare: 7-10 RMB (~$1-1.5)
Stops: Connects to Line 4 at “Xi’an Beizhan” (North Railway Station) and Line 2 at “Xi’an Railway Station”
Frequency: Every 8-12 minutes
Airport Shuttle Buses
Routes: 7 different lines serving major downtown areas
Operating Hours: 07:00-20:00 (last bus departs 1 hour after last flight)
Fare: 25 RMB (~$3.5)
Popular Lines:
Line 1: To Bell Tower (City center)
Line 2: To Xi’an Railway Station
Travel Time: 60-90 minutes, depending on traffic
Taxi (Most Convenient)
Fare: 100-150 RMB (~$15-22)
Travel Time: 40-60 minutes
Tips: Use the official taxi queue (follow signs)
Have your hotel address written in Chinese
Insist on meter use (or agree on price beforehand)Night Taxis: 20% surcharge after 23:00
Didi (Chinese Uber)
Fare: Similar to taxis (sometimes 10-20% cheaper)
Pickup: Designated ride-hailing area (follow signs)
App: Requires Chinese phone number/Alipay
Recommend Hotels
Sheraton Xi’an North City Hotel
This hotel is the perfect choice for those seeking the ultimate in luxury. Its opulent and sophisticated atmosphere provides the ideal setting for a luxurious escape. Breakfast had a lot of options. In addition to Chinese and Western food, Roujiamo is a must-try when visiting Xi’an.
Other Hotels in Xi’An:
Trip.com | Expedia
Discounted Air Tickets:
Trip.com | Expedia
Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum Site Museum and Hua Qing Palace 秦始皇陵博物院和华清宫
Hui Fang (The Muslim Quarter) 回民坊
Hui Fang has a long history, dating back thousands of years. Today, it has developed into a famous food and cultural district, where all Shaanxi specialty foods can be found. There are also many souvenir shops and Instagrammable shops. An Instagrammable shop means many scenes worth taking pictures of in the shop. Young people in China will pay to enter and upload photos to Social Media such as Rednotes and TikTok to get likes and comments. There are more than ten shops of this type in Hui Fang, all of which have exaggerated decorations at the door. If you are interested, you can pay to visit on-site.
Roujiamo 肉夹馍
The most famous specialty food in Xi’an is Roujiamo. Roujiamo originated in the Qin Dynasty. It is easy to carry and can replenish physical strength, so it became the food of ancient soldiers. Simply put, it is the Chinese burger, or more accurately, the ancestor of the burger. The meat is most commonly pork, stewed for hours in a soup containing over 20 spices and seasonings.
Grilled Lamb Kebabs 烤羊肉串
Hui Fang’s kebab is also a major feature. Although kebabs originated in Xinjiang, after the changes of the times and the improvements in Xi’an, the homemade kebab sauce and the addition of fat to each skewer of barbecue make the kebab juicy and delicious, which has long formed the unique flavor of Xi’an kebabs.
Zeng Gao 甑糕
Zeng Gao is a specialty snack in Xi’an that originated in the Zhou Dynasty. The deep pot for steaming Zeng Gao was called “Zeng” in ancient times, hence the name. Zeng Gao is more like a dessert, which uses glutinous rice and red jujube as raw materials, sometimes also adding red kidney beans, azuki beans, honey-preserved dates, and raisins to enrich the flavor. Zenggao has a sticky, sweet texture and is very filling, making it a favorite food among the locals.
There are many delicious foods in Huifang, such as Hulu Chicken, Persimmon Cake, Biangbiang noodles, and Liangpi Cold Noodles. There must be food suitable for you. I won’t introduce them one by one here; the food you discover yourself is the most delicious.
Address: West side of Zhonggulou Square, Lianhu District
How to get there: Xi’an metro line 2, get off at the Bell & Drum Tower Station, and walk for about 5 mins.
Xi’an Drum Tower & Bell Tower 西安鼓楼&钟楼
Drum & Bell Tower is a series of traditional ancient East Asian buildings. The function of the two buildings is to tell time, with bells ringing in the morning and drums beating in the evening. Usually, the bell tower and drum tower are built respectively, with the bell tower on the east and the drum tower on the west.
Xi’an Drum Tower is located next to Hui Fang. The Drum Tower is built on a square base, made of a mixture of bricks and wood, with a total height of 36 meters. When you reach the upper level, you will see 28 drums placed there. Among them, 24 drums have the traditional Chinese 24 solar terms written in small seal script.
The Bell Tower is located to the east of the Drum Tower, right in the center of Xi’an, inside the Ming Dynasty city wall, at the intersection of four main streets. This is the largest and best-preserved bell tower in China. Like the Drum Tower, it is also built on a square base, made of a mixture of bricks and wood, with a total height of 36 meters. You can also enter the bell tower, but the drum is replaced by a replica bell.
The Bell Tower and the Drum Tower are more beautiful when photographed from the outside, especially at night when the Bell Tower is lit up and the sidewalks are filled with tourists taking photos and Chinese live streamers. There is a cultural street called Shuyuanmen Street of Culture near the bell tower. The shops mainly sell books, calligraphy, and paintings, and the appearance is full of ancient Chinese style. It is a leisure spot to experience the atmosphere of Chinese culture.
Xi’an Drum Tower Address: No. 74, North Courtyard, Lianhu District
Xi’an Bell Tower Address: Intersection of the East, West, and North Sizhi Streets in Beilin District
Opening hours: 08:30-18:00
How to get there: Take the Xi’an metro line 2 and get off at the Bell & Drum Tower Station.
Shuyuanmen Street of Culture
Address: No. 24, Shuyuanmen, Beilin District, Xi’an
Datang Everbright City 大唐不夜城
Datang Everbright City stretches from the Great Wild Goose Pagoda in Yanta District, Xi’an, all the way to the ruins of the Tang City Wall 2,100 meters away. This is the only pedestrian street in China with a Tang Dynasty-style architectural complex based on the prosperous Tang culture. Everbright City is livelier at night. There are many themed sculptures in the block. There are also resident performances, usually between 7 pm and 10 pm, in various areas of the pedestrian street.
You will find that Chinese tourists rent Tang Dynasty costumes and have professional photographers and photography equipment around them. At the same time, some well-known Chinese video shooters perform street performances on the pedestrian street for a long time. Datang Everbright City is a trendy pedestrian street that attracts Internet celebrities, as well as a group of Chinese cultural sculptures that attract tourists.
Address: Yanta Road, Yanta District, Xi’an City
How to get there: Take Xi’an Metro Line 3 & Line 4, and get off at Dayanta Station.
Great Wild Goose Pagoda 大雁塔
During the Tang Dynasty, there was a Buddhist monk named Xuanzang. To preserve the hundreds of Buddhist scriptures he obtained from the Western Buddhist Kingdom, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, built a seven-story square pagoda. In 2014, it was successfully listed as a World Heritage Site in Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor.
It has now become a famous historical site and landmark building in Xi’an. The Great Wild Goose Pagoda is in Da Ci’en Temple. Inside the pagoda are some Buddha statues and spiral staircases. Climbing the pagoda, you can overlook the entire Xi’an. Every dynasty attached great importance to the Great Wild Goose Pagoda. Even though it was once tilted during the Qing Dynasty, it was repaired and restored. After 1,400 years, it is still open to the public. It is highly recommended to enter and experience the charm of this ancient building.
Address: Yanta Road, Yanta District, Xi’an City
How to get there: Take Xi’an Metro Line 3 & Line 4, and get off at Dayanta Station.
Small Wild Goose Pagoda 小雁塔
The Small Wild Goose Pagoda is in the Dajianfu Temple Scenic Area. It is a brick-and-wood structure with dense eaves. Because the pagoda is like the Great Wild Goose Pagoda but smaller in size, it was later named Small Wild Goose Pagoda. The tower was originally 15 stories high, but the top was destroyed in an earthquake. Currently, only 13 stories remain, with a remaining height of 43.3 meters.
This pagoda, along with the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and other sites along the Silk Road, was inscribed in 2014 on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor World Heritage Site.
The existing ancient buildings in Dajianfu Temple were rebuilt during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The ancient buildings in the temple generally continue the layout of the reconstruction during the Zhengtong period of the Ming Dynasty. The temple buildings are concentrated on the central axis of the mountain gate directly facing the Small Wild Goose Pagoda.
Xi’an Museum 西安博物馆
Xi’an Museum and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda are both located in the Dajianfu Temple scenic area. The museum houses 130,000 cultural relics from various historical periods in Xi’an, including more than 14,400 national level III cultural relics and a considerable number of cultural relics unearthed in the Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang, and other dynasties that had an important influence on Chinese history.
Address: No. 72 Youyi West Road, Beilin District, Xi’an
How to get there: Take Xi’an Metro Line 2 and get off at Nanshaomen Station. Leave from Exit A1 or A2. Walk west for about 6 minutes and get in through the North Gate.
Fortifications of Xi’an 西安古城墙
The Xi’an City Wall was built in the early Ming Dynasty based on the Tang Dynasty Chang’an City. It was repaired many times to form a strict defense system. It is one of the most complete ancient city walls in China.
It was built under the rule of the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang as a military defense system. It exhibits the complete features of the rampart architecture of feudal society. The Xi’an City Wall is on the tentative list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Site under the title “City Walls of the Ming and Qing Dynasties”.
Yongxing Fang 永興坊
Yongxing Fang is located next to the Fortifications of Xi’an. It is another food paradise in Xi’an besides Hui Fang. This place was once one of the 108 wards in Chang’an City during the Tang Dynasty. The so-called 108 wards in the Tang Dynasty can be understood as the 108 residential areas divided in ancient Chang’an City. It is composed of antique buildings. The lit lanterns and the style of the buildings make people feel as if they were in a night market in the Tang Dynasty.
Yongxing Fang is very lively and has a lot of intangible cultural heritage. Although it is smaller than Hui Fang, it also includes more than 50 stores selling a variety of special snacks and folk cultural relics. If you go to Yongxingfang, please note that the shops here do not accept cash payments, only WeChat Pay and Alipay. Or you can buy a consumption card near the entrance and top up cash to the card.
Bowl-smashing Wine is a special rice wine that can be found in Yongxingfang. This is a kind of rice wine from Shaanxi. It tastes light of osmanthus and has a low alcohol content. Its charm lies in the bowl. After drinking, you can go to the square and smash the bowl with all you might, experiencing the ancient Chinese generals breaking their bowls.
Address: Dongxin Street, Xi’an City, Shanxi Province
How to get there: Take Xi’an Metro Line 1 and get off at Chaoyang Gate Station. Walk towards Chaoyang Gate. Once you pass Chaoyang Gate, walk left along the city wall.
Daming Palace National Heritage Park 大明宫国家遗址公园
The Daming Palace is the largest of the three main palace complexes in Tang Chang’an City and the most magnificent building of the Tang Dynasty. Since Emperor Gaozong of Tang, most of the emperors of the Tang Dynasty lived and handled state affairs here. It served as the country’s ruling center for over 200 years. Until the end of the Tang Dynasty, the entire palace was destroyed by war.
Daming Palace National Heritage Park has restored the original historical appearance of the Daming Palace in the Tang Dynasty and embodies the elements of tourism based on cultural relic protection. This is also the largest city central park in Xi’an. Listed together with Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor.
Address: Taihua South Road, Weiyang District, Xi’an City
Opening hours: 08:30-18:00
How to get there: Take Xi’an Metro Line 2 to Daming Palace West Station or Anyuanmen Station, then walk or transfer to a bus to reach the park.
Danfengmen Ruins Museum 丹凤门遗址博物馆
Danfengmen is the main gate of Daming Palace. It is a representative work of gate architecture of the Tang Dynasty and was built in 646 AD. Since 1957, archaeologists have conducted investigations, explorations, excavations, and protection work in the Daming Palace and Danfengmen Ruins. Although destroyed in the many wars at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Danfengmen Ruins are relatively intact and have extremely important archaeological and cultural value. They are precious physical materials for the study of Tang history and ancient architecture.
Daming Palace Site Museum 大明宫遗址博物馆
The Daming Palace Site Museum is situated on the ground floor of the Central Axis Landscape Center of Daming Palace National Heritage Park. It is composed of a semi-underground structure. This is an extensive historical center with the theme of showing the history and culture of the Daming Palace in the Tang Dynasty. The presentation corridors, the Palace of the Thousand Palaces, the Rising Sun, the Kingdom of the World, and the Watching Splendid Halls showed the social relics uncovered from the site of the Daming Palace, related materials, machines, utensils, and so on utilized by the Datang Royal. The museum has interactive games, such as wearing Tang Dynasty costumes through AR.
The Microcosm of Daming Palace 微观缩影
Chinese archaeologists have built a 1:15 scale reconstruction of the Daming Palace complex, an imperial palace that witnessed the glory of the Tang Dynasty 1,300 years ago. In addition to various palaces, there are also supporting houses and walls within the palace. Even the tiles on the palace were fired according to the original Daming Palace tile craftsmanship, with real emphasis on details. All the buildings were equipped with electrical wires and colored lights. Light up the lights to present a realistic miniature version of the prosperous Tang Dynasty palace.
Qujiang Pool Heritage Park 曲江池遗址公园
Qujiang Pool Heritage Park is in the southern suburbs of the ancient city of Xi’an. It has been the emperor’s imperial garden since the Han Dynasty. Now, after replanning, many imitation Tang-style ancient buildings and sculptures depicting life in the Tang Dynasty have been built here, and it has become a city park where all citizens can enter for free. Citizens like to come here to run and row along the pool. You can also find many Shaanxi handicrafts such as shadow puppets and paper-cuts here.
Sightseeing Light Rail
The Sightseeing Light Rail route is 6.8 kilometers long, starting from Great Wild Goose Pagoda North Square Station, around Qujiang Pool Heritage Park to Tang City Wall Ruins Park West Station.
The highest point of the light rail track is 12 meters, and the lowest point is 2 meters. The average speed is 15 kilometers per hour, and it is a fully sealed bullet train.
Water recreation facilities are also available: Wupeng boats, Pedal boats, Electric boats, Yacht
Address: Qujiangchi West Road, Yanta District, Xi’an City
How to get there: Take bus No. 22, 161, 212, 609, or Qujiang Tourist Bus and get off at Qujiangchi Yizhi Gongyuan (Qujiang Pool Park) Station.
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