Four Days in Xi’an: Capital of Ten Dynasties

For over a thousand years Xi’an was the largest city on earth. Thirteen dynasties ruled from here: including the Han and Tang at their respective peaks: and the Silk Road began at its western gates. The Terracotta Army is the headline attraction and justifiably so, but it is a 40-minute drive from the city centre, and Xi’an rewards the travellers who spend at least a day without leaving the ancient city walls. Four days is enough to do both justice.

Getting There and Around

Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (XIY) is about 45 km northwest of the city centre. The airport shuttle bus runs direct to the Bell Tower area for CNY 30 to CNY 45 and takes 45 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. A taxi costs around CNY 150 to CNY 200. Metro Line 14, opened in 2021, connects the airport to the city’s metro network and is the cheapest option at around CNY 10 to CNY 15 per trip.

The city metro covers most tourist sites well. A single metro journey costs CNY 2 to CNY 6 depending on distance. For the Terracotta Warriors, take Metro Line 9 toward Lintong, then switch to local bus or the tourist shuttle: the full journey takes about 75 minutes from the city centre. Taxis are metered and generally reliable within the city; apps like DiDi work well and are significantly cheaper than flagging down a cab near tourist sites.

Where to Stay

Xi’an’s tourist accommodation clusters in two sensible zones: inside or near the ancient city walls (easy walking access to the Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Muslim Quarter), or near the South Gate (convenient for the Shaanxi History Museum and Giant Wild Goose Pagoda).

Budget: There are good youth hostels inside the city walls from CNY 60 to CNY 100 per night for a dorm bed, with private rooms from CNY 200. Sofitel Xi’an on Renmin Square (mid-to-luxury, CNY 700 to CNY 1,200 per night) is central and well-regarded. The Wyndham Grand Xi’an South is a solid business hotel near the museum district.

Practical note: Book accommodation in advance during Golden Week (early October) and the Spring Festival period. Hotels inside the walls are more convenient for evening exploration of the Muslim Quarter and Bell Tower Square.

Day 1: Ancient City Wall and Bell Tower Square

The Ming Dynasty city wall enclosing Xi’an’s historic core is among the best-preserved in China. At 14 km in circumference and 12 metres high, it is large enough that the most enjoyable way to see it is by bike. Rental stalls on top of the wall charge around CNY 45 per hour for single bikes and CNY 85 for tandems; a full circuit takes 90 minutes to two hours at a relaxed pace. The wall is open daily from 08:00 to 22:00; entry is CNY 54 for adults.

The Bell Tower at the centre of the old city is a fourteenth-century structure moved to its current position in 1582. Entry is CNY 30, and the upper galleries give a good street-level orientation for the city around you. The adjacent Drum Tower (also CNY 30, or a combined ticket for CNY 50) is slightly less visited and has a better interior exhibition on Xi’an’s cultural history.

Where to Eat Day 1: De Fa Chang, a few minutes’ walk from the Bell Tower on Xi Dajie, is the city’s most famous dumpling restaurant and has been operating for decades. A full dumpling banquet is around CNY 100 to CNY 180 per person. For a lower-key introduction, the side streets around the Bell Tower have excellent hand-pulled noodle (biang biang mian) shops where a bowl costs CNY 15 to CNY 25.

Day 2: Terracotta Warriors

Book tickets in advance. The standard entrance fee is CNY 120 and includes access to all three main pits, Lishan Garden, and the shuttle bus between them. During public holidays and peak summer months (July to August), tickets can sell out; the official booking channel is the museum’s WeChat account (up to seven days ahead) or Trip.com (up to 30 days). Entry cutoff is 16:30 to 17:00 depending on season; opening time is 08:30. Arriving at opening gives you the first hour with significantly fewer people in Pit 1.

Pit 1 is the main hall: the one shown in every photograph: with thousands of infantry figures in eleven parallel corridors. What most visitors do not fully register at first is that the vast majority of figures are still buried. The excavated and restored section represents a fraction of the total; archaeologists have intentionally left most of the pit unexcavated because modern conservation technology cannot yet prevent the painted pigment from oxidising when exposed to air. The original warriors were painted in vivid colours: red, green, black, white: and the pigment fades within seconds of exposure. Research into preservation methods is ongoing.

Pit 2 has more variety: cavalry, archers, mixed infantry: and is partly unexcavated, giving a clear sense of how the figures were originally packed into their underground formation. Pit 3 is smaller but contains the command structure: higher-ranking officers, with more elaborate armour and positioning.

The Qin Emperor’s actual mausoleum is 1.5 km to the west under a hill that has not been excavated. Historical records describe a tomb filled with flowing mercury rivers, palaces in miniature, and ceilings inlaid with pearls as stars. Soil surveys have confirmed elevated mercury levels consistent with the ancient accounts. It has not been opened, officially because conservation technology is not ready, though political and archaeological caution also play a role.

Getting there: Metro Line 9 (from Xi’an North Railway Station area) toward Huaqing Station, then Tourist Bus 613 or a taxi to the museum. Total from city centre: about 75 minutes. Return taxis from outside the museum entrance are metered and cost around CNY 60 to CNY 80 to the city centre.

Day 3: Muslim Quarter, Great Mosque and Shaanxi History Museum

Xi’an has had a Muslim community continuously for over 1,300 years, descended from Arab and Persian traders who arrived along the Silk Road during the Tang Dynasty. The Muslim Quarter: centred on Beiyuanmen Street, Xiyangshi and the lanes off them: is a genuine living neighbourhood as well as a food street, with around 60,000 Hui Muslims still resident in the surrounding area.

The Great Mosque on Huajue Lane is the most significant Islamic site in northwest China and one of the oldest mosques in the world with continuous use. It is built in traditional Chinese architectural style rather than Middle Eastern forms, with a series of courtyards leading to a prayer hall that blends calligraphy, garden landscaping and pavilions. Non-Muslim visitors can enter the courtyards and gardens; the prayer hall itself is restricted during prayer times. Entry is CNY 25.

For food, the two dishes to eat in the Muslim Quarter are:

Yangrou paomo: Thick flatbread (baked in-house) that you break into pieces by hand, placed in a bowl and then filled with a rich mutton or beef broth at the counter. Lao Mi Jia and Lao Liu Jia, both on North Guangji Street, are the most established restaurants for this. Budget CNY 35 to CNY 60 per bowl. It is a filling, slow-eating meal.

Roujiamo: A Shaanxi-style sandwich: braised spiced meat (usually beef or pork, with halal beef versions in the Muslim Quarter) packed into a toasted flatbread. Street stalls charge CNY 10 to CNY 20.

Jia San Guantang Baozi on Beiyuanmen serves soup dumplings (xiaolongbao-style buns) that are widely considered among the best in Xi’an; there is usually a queue.

In the afternoon, the Shaanxi History Museum (South Gate area, Metro Line 3 to Xiao Zhai) is one of China’s best provincial museums and admission to the main exhibition is free (book timed entry in advance online; capacity is limited). The Tang Dynasty treasures, the silk road artefacts, and the Neolithic section are the strongest parts. Allow two to three hours.

Day 4: Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Tang Paradise and Departure

The Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in 707 AD to house Buddhist scriptures brought from India. It is quieter than its larger counterpart (the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, further south) and set in a pleasant park that blends into the Jianfu Temple complex. Entry is free for the park; the pagoda itself charges CNY 30 to climb. The museum on the grounds covers Buddhist art and Tang Dynasty cultural exchange with some depth.

Tang Paradise, a few minutes’ drive west, is a reconstruction of the royal garden of the Tang Emperor Xuanzong and makes for a pleasant morning stroll. It is more theatrical than historical, but the scale is impressive and the lake-garden layout is attractive in good weather. Evening light shows run here, but most visitors with an afternoon departure will skip them.

Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (XIY) requires at least 90 minutes of travel time from the city centre, more in morning rush hour. For flights before noon, budget two hours. The airport metro is reliable and avoids traffic.

Things to Know

Chinese mobile payment (WeChat Pay or Alipay) has become the dominant way to pay everywhere in Xi’an, including street stalls, taxis and ticket windows. Ensure your app is linked before you arrive; some international credit cards now work within WeChat Pay. Cash is still accepted nearly everywhere but declining in use at tourist sites. Xi’an’s main tourist attractions have English signage and audio guides; the Muslim Quarter and local restaurants operate almost entirely in Mandarin.

The city sits at around 400 metres elevation and has cold winters (December to February below freezing) and hot, dry summers. Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) offer the most comfortable temperatures and clearest skies for outdoor sites like the city wall and Terracotta Warriors.