Things to do in Xi'an
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Xi'an
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring, joint best. April is the golden window, with blossom and mild weather.
Summer, hot, humid and crowded, with sights best at opening and the wall after 6pm.
Autumn, joint best and locals favourite, clear skies and best Huashan and Qinling hiking.
Winter, cold, dry, quiet and cheapest, with hot spring season and the lantern festival.
What's on
- Chang'an Lantern Festival Usually from mid January, for about three months
Split between the City Wall at Yongning Gate and Tang Paradise, with Tang costume crowds and a poetry market.
- Silk Road International Film Festival mid-September
An autumn film festival worth timing a trip around; check dates, as they shift each year.
- National Day Golden Week 1-7 October
Peak crowds and hotel prices, avoid unless you love crowds.
Best things to do in Xi'an
Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum
Thousands of life size soldiers with individual faces in three pits, the essential Xi'an sight and worth several hours.
Xi'an City Wall
Ride a complete Ming dynasty wall loop by bike for active sightseeing and sunset views over the old city.
Shaanxi History Museum
Huge Zhou to Tang collection that gives context for all of China, and the one museum to add besides the Warriors.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Tang pagoda built for Xuanzang, best late in the day before walking into the lit Grand Tang Mall night strip.
Muslim Quarter
Hui food lanes behind the Drum Tower plus a peaceful courtyard mosque, with better eating away from the main drag.
Han Yangling Museum
Han tomb pits viewed through glass floors, filled with miniature daily life figures and far quieter than the Warriors.
Forest of Stone Steles Museum
Over 3000 carved stone tablets in a Confucian temple, paired with brush and scroll shopping on Shuyuanmen.
Small Wild Goose Pagoda
The calmer pagoda, with a free museum and a superb scale model of Tang Chang'an for a relaxed visit.
Where to stay in Xi'an
Bell Tower / Drum Tower
first trip, all round base
Centre of everything inside the Wall, walk to dinner and metro to Xi'an North for trains.
South Gate (Yongningmen) / Shuyuanmen
calmer centre, wall lovers and light sleepers
Same wall with less crush, by the Steles Museum, calligraphy street and wall access.
Qujiang / Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Dayanta)
families and luxury stays
Modern spacious district by Grand Tang Mall and Shaanxi History Museum, a ride from the Muslim Quarter.
Near the Terracotta Warriors / Huaqing, Lintong
one night only for early Warriors entry and the Huaqing show
Useful for that single early start, otherwise isolated and quiet at night.
Think twice about
- Xi'an North Station area
Sterile and far north with nothing to walk to, fine for an early train but miserable as a base.
- Deep inside the Muslim Quarter main drag (Beiyuanmen)
Not unsafe, just relentless touting, smells, delivery scooters and noise until late. Stay on its edge.
- Around Xi'an Railway Station (old station)
The classic pickpocket and fake tour tout bottleneck. Pass through alert and base at Bell Tower instead.
- Lintong / Warriors site as a multi-night base
Isolated and dead at night, and traps you into site restaurants for more than one night.
Best restaurants in Xi'an
Tong Sheng Xiang
The locals paomo benchmark since the 1920s, where you tear the bread yourself before it returns in mutton broth.
Lao Sun Jia
Paomo institution since 1898 with a bigger halal menu, the sit down Muslim dinner choice.
De Fa Chang
Dumpling banquet since 1939 with many tiny shaped courses, tourist famous and genuinely good once per trip.
Jia San Soup Dumplings
Reputed as the city number one soup dumpling shop, serving beef and mutton guantang bao in the Muslim Quarter.
Fan Ji Roujiamo
The roujiamo locals argue for, slow braised pork in a crisp bun, best with liangpi and a Bingfeng soda.
Lao Li Jia Mian
Belt wide biangbiang noodles with hot chilli oil poured over at the table, the connoisseur pick for the dish.
Sajinqiao
West Quarter food street where Xi'an eats breakfast and late night, cheaper and less performed than Beiyuanmen.
Yongxingfang Food Street
One lane tasting hall for snacks from across Shaanxi, useful for a first night orientation by East Gate.
Outdoor things to do in Xi'an
Mount Huashan
Sheer granite peaks, chained steep steps and an optional cliff plank walk make this the headline day trip.
Xi'an City Wall
The wall top bike loop or the moat park at its base is the easiest in city workout, best early or late.
Huaqing Palace
Tang hot spring palace pools and pavilions at the foot of Mount Li, easily paired with the Warriors in one day.
Huaqing Yutang Hotel
Hotels using the Huaqing spring source give private soaking rooms, unlike the historic pools which are view only.
Taiping National Forest Park
Forest parks and hermit country trails at the city southern edge are the standard green escape in spring and autumn.
Xi'an Yajian International Golf Club
Established 18 hole Nicklaus attributed course at a Qinling foothills resort, with lakes, bunkers and club rental.
Xi'an Qinling Valley Golf Club
Canyon course with large elevation change and natural waterfalls woven through the layout, the scenic round.
Hukou Waterfall
The Yellow River great waterfall is spectacular at high water in summer and early autumn, weak and icy in winter.
Best hotels in Xi'an
Sofitel Legend People's Grand Hotel Xi'an
Heritage hotel on Renmin Square with butler service, a ten minute walk from the Bell Tower.
Four Points by Sheraton Xi'an Bell Tower
Family tested mid range pick by the Bell Tower, the reliable all round base in the centre.
Eastern House Boutique Hotel
Boutique hotel about five minutes from the Bell Tower, a quieter mid range option in the centre.
Atour Hotel Bell & Drum Tower Square
Domestic chain hotel by Bell and Drum Tower Square, noted for clean modern rooms and good value.
Campanile / Ibis Styles Huimin Street
Budget stay at the edge of the Muslim Quarter in the 300 to 450 yuan range.
Grand Park Xi'an
Mid range hotel facing the Wall by South Gate, good for wall access and lighter sleepers.
Yun He Ye Bo Hotel
South Gate mid range pick in a calmer inside the Wall area near Shuyuanmen and the Steles Museum.
Xi'an See Tang Guesthouse
Budget guesthouse on Shuyuanmen calligraphy street itself, a short walk from South Gate.
Is Xi'an expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CN¥350 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CN¥750 a person |
| Splurge | CN¥1,600 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum: a few days ahead
- Shaanxi History Museum: weeks ahead
- Song of Everlasting Sorrow: a few days ahead
- Mount Huashan: a few days ahead
- Xi'an Yajian International Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Xi'an Qinling Valley Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Cai Feng Lou: a few days ahead
- Terracotta Warriors use real name timed tickets, book days ahead in season and bring the booked passport.
- Shaanxi History Museum free tickets release in batches and go in minutes in holidays.
- Huashan cable car and Plank Road are weather dependent and queue heavy on weekends, go weekday on the first train.
- Hotels spike for May Day, National Day Golden Week and summer holidays, book one to three months ahead then.
Is Xi'an safe?
- Pickpockets work the Warriors, railway station and festival crushes.
- Watch e-bike and scooter traffic when crossing, even on a green light.
- Summer heat on the wall and Huashan causes exhaustion, and winter air quality can be poor, check AQI in December to February.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Xi'an travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Fake Terracotta factory, jade and silk stops baked into cheap Warriors bus tours.
- Warriors site exit souvenir market charges many times city prices for replica warriors.
- Yongxingfang bowl throwing wine and Beiyuanmen novelty skewers are photos, not the food to judge Xi'an by.
- Tang Paradise by day is pretty, pricey and thin, while Grand Tang Mall gives the Tang night hit for free.
Getting around Xi'an: public transport and more
- Metro Lines 2, 3 and 4 cover most stays and are cheap.
- DiDi is very cheap and solves Lintong and Hanyangling better than buses.
- Airport is about one hour northwest, use the airport metro or express and avoid unmetered touts.
- Set up Alipay with a foreign card before landing, and use AMap or Baidu instead of Google Maps.
Who Xi'an suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Xi'an your trip
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