Travel in Xian

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How to Plan a Trip to Xian

Reading Guideline:

Why Visit Xi’an
Best Places to Visit in Xi'an
What to Pack for Xi'an Tour
How to Get to Xi'an
When to Visit Xi'an & Best Time to Visit Xi'an
Hong Long to Stay in Xi'an
Where to Stay in Xi'an
Getting around in Xi'an
Notes for Solo Travelers
Quick Q & A about Xian Tour

Why Visit Xi'an

Xi’an, a famous historical and cultural city granted by UNESCO in 1981, has six attractions marked as world heritage sites: Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, Terracotta Warriors, Big Wild Goose Tower, Small Wild Goose Tower, The Site of the Daming Palace, The Site of Weiyang Palace, and Xingjiao Temple Pagoda.

Xi’an, reputed as an ancient city, has a history of thousands of years, and serves as the capital of the Zhou Dynasty(1046 BC-256 BC), making it the oldest of the Four Great Ancient Capitals in China. Due to this, Xi’an is rich in historical and cultural attractions, and has unearthed tremendous valuable relics. In Xi’an, ancient buildings, like palace, city wall, temple, tower, and precious artistic works are all what you want to see. Wanna get known about China in a deep sense? please start from Xi’an.

Xi’an, the starting point of ancient Silk Road, links China to its west side. Through the road, and goods like silk and china, go to western countries, and various things to Xi’an, to the ancient China. Starting from Xi’an, you could have a silk road tour, and enjoy great views in central and western China.

Best Places to Visit in Xi'an

Xi’an never fails you, only surprise you in its wonders and greatness.

Do not miss, Terracotta Warriors-world wonder. Terracotta Warriors, known as the eighth wonder of the world, is buried with the First Qin Emperor, Yingzheng, and it is a collection of clay soldiers as a symbol of its armies which helped him to unite China. In here you can see terracotta soldiers with lifelike facial expressions, chariots and weapons, made 2000 years ago.

Conquer it, Mount Huashan- the most dangerous hike. Mount Huashan is one of the famous Five Great Mountains in China, marked as the most dangerous one, and famous for its steepness and beautiful scenery. It has five main peaks, and each peak has an altitude about 2000 meters with gorgeous sceneries, challenging to hike and climb.

Leisure tour, Xi’an City Wall- See Xi’an old building and city view. Xi’an City Wall, built at the Ming Dynasty (1368 AD-1644 AD), is the best preserved and largest ancient city wall existing in China. Xi’an City Wall is located in the downtown of Xi’an, and you can have a great view of Xi’an city from the top of the City Wall.

Discover mystery, Shaanxi History Museum, get close to valuable relics and treasures. Shaanxi History Museum has 7 galleries, and in those galleries, you can see plentiful historical and cultural items, like terracotta warriors, china, paintings, and calligraphy works.

What to Pack for Xian Tour

Must bring:

Passport, tourist visa, credit card（MasterCard or Visa card）, mobile phone or other electronics , notes of emergency contact

What to pack:

Spring and Autumn: sweater, coat, long sleeve shirts, trousers, sneakers

Summer: T-shirt, shorts, sunglasses, hat, sandal, slipper

Winter: down jacket, beanie, mittens, boots.

Notes: Xi’an is located in the middle of China, 34°N /108°E. It has a hot summer, and a cold, dry winter. December, January and February are the cold months, and its cold temperature could be -10℃ to -5℃(14℉-23℉). June, July and August happen to be hot summer days, with a temperature around 30℃(86℉). It has a mild temperature in Spring and Autumn days. Xi’an does not rain a lot, but has a small peak in July and September, in January, it will have some snowy days. Please check X’an Climate & Weather.

How to Get to Xi'an

Xi’an is convenient for tourists and visitors to come with modern infrastructure, one international airport, and three railway stations, and several bus stations.

►By flight. Xi’an Xianyang International Airport, located in Xianyang, 25 kilometers to Xi’an downtown, has international and domestic flights coming and leaving. Non-stop international flights are available from Seoul(3h) , Hong Kong(3h), Singapore(5.5 h) to Xi’an, flights from other international cities to Xi’an may have stops in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. And most big cities in China have non-stop flights to Xi’an, within 3 hours, such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, Guilin, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Sanya, Urumqi, Lhasa.

Recommendation: Beijing to Xi'an & Beijing Flight to Xi'an: within 3 hours.

►By train. Xi’an has three railway stations, Xi’an Railway Station, Xi’an South Railway Station, Xi’an North Railway Station High speed train and high speed bullet train are highly recommended to you, for its high speed and comfortable environment. Xi’an is one of the biggest transport centers, where you can catch a train and go to anywhere in China.

HIGHT SPEED TRAIN from Xi'an North Railway Station to

Price for a First-class Seat(CNY)

Duration

Beijing West

824.5

4.5-6 h

Chengdu East

421

3-4 h

Shanghai Hongqiao

1095

6.5-7.5 h

Hangzhou East

1067.5

7-7.5 h

Guangzhou South

1301.5

7.5-9 h

►By bus: bus is usually used when having a short trip to counties in Xi’an and cities around Xi’an. But it is not recommended to you.

When to Visit Xi’and Best Time to Visit Xi'an

Best time to visit Xi’an is April, May, September and October, while the peak season of Xi’an tour is from March to November.

April, May, September & October	perfect to visit Xi’an suitable to visit all attractions in Xi’an the weather is not cold, and not hot, cool for outdoor travelling
June, July& August	not cold on Mount Huashan, especially you want to see sunrise on the mountain.
December, January & February	freezing, but to see snow mountain

How Long to Stay in Xi'an

How Many Days in Xi'an

One day tour	Plan A-Terracotta Warriors & Xi’an City Wall Plan B-Mount Huashan
Two day tour	Terracotta Warriors, Xi’an City Wall, Mount Huashan
Three day tour	Terracotta Warriors, Xi’an City Wall, Bell Tower, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Shaannxi History Museum, Mount Huashan

Notes: this does not count your arrival time and departure time.

Where to Stay

Xi’an center area is enclosed by Xi’an City Wall, and Bell Tower is in the center of this center area.

Close to the center： hotels around Bell Tower

Hotels where airport shuttle bus has a stop: Xi’an Hotel(西安宾馆), Orient Hotel Xi’an(西安东方大酒店), Longhai Hotel(陇海大酒店)，Tangcheng Hotel(唐城宾馆)

Getting Around in Xi’an

Taxi: available in anywhere & anytime

Metro: Line 1, Line 2 & Line 3

Line 2: Xi’anbei station(西安北站) to Xi’an North Railway Station, Bell Tower station(钟楼站) to Bell Tower, South Gate station(南门站) to Xi’an City Wall, Nanshao Gate station(南稍门站) to Xi’an Hotel

Bus: too many lines & buses, only 2 yuan for one person

Notes for Solo Travelers & Independent Travelers

Easy to go. Travelling on your own in Xi’an won’t be a problem to you, in that you will find modern facilities and English-speaking staff to meet you need.
English will do. Airport, railway station, metro use both Chinese and English signs, attractions has English-speaking tour guide.
Smart phone, big helper. Most staff on flights, trains, and in hotels, stores and restaurants can speak English, still body language, and smart phone will do you a big favor.
If online booking of flight, train, attraction entrance ticket won’t work, please go to the ticket office.
If you are in need of a single tour service, like car rental, please contact us. We offer tour packages, and also single tour service.