Xi'an
西安 · Xī'ān
The Terracotta Army, a city wall you can cycle and the Muslim Quarter food street.
2–3Days
Mar–May, Sep–OctBest time
78Foreigner-friendliness
Photo: lin qiang lqzhishui · CC0
Best for a first trip
Best time to visit
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
From the airport or station to the city
Where you land, the ways into the city centre, how long each takes and what it costs.
From Xi’an Xianyang Airport (XIY)
西安咸阳国际机场
From Xi’an North Railway Station
西安北站
Getting around
Most sights inside the city wall are walkable from the Bell Tower. Metro Line 2 runs north–south through the centre and Line 9 heads east towards the Terracotta Army area. For the Terracotta Army, take the tourist bus from the railway station east square or a DiDi (about an hour). Pay with Alipay or WeChat transit codes.
Book these before you fly
These sights need a reservation with your passport. Walk-ups are usually turned away.
- Terracotta ArmyReal-name tickets with your passport on the official site bmy.com.cn, its WeChat account, or Trip.com. Timed entry; book several days ahead in summer and holidays.
- Shaanxi History MuseumFree timed booking only through the museum’s official WeChat account, released 5 days ahead at 17:00. Slots go in seconds; many foreign visitors fail to get one. Paid guided tours through agencies are the fallback, and the museum’s Qin-Han branch lets passport holders in without booking.
- Xi’an Museum & Small Wild Goose PagodaFree timed booking on the museum’s official WeChat account or website (passport number for foreigners), up to 5 days ahead, released daily at 18:00. Foreign visitors without a booking can also get in with a passport at the ticket office.
- Beilin Museum (Forest of Stone Steles)Real-name timed booking on the museum’s official WeChat account, website or Alipay, up to 5 days ahead.
- Hanyangling MuseumReal-name tickets online through the museum’s official WeChat accounts, Trip.com or Meituan.
- Qinglong TempleFree real-name booking on the 西安市青龙寺遗址 WeChat account; one ticket per ID per day.
Top sights
秦始皇帝陵博物院（兵马俑）Terracotta ArmyThousands of life-size clay soldiers guarding the tomb of China’s first emperor.
西安城墙Xi’an City WallThe best-preserved Ming city wall in China, 14 km around, which you can cycle on top.
陕西历史博物馆Shaanxi History MuseumOne of China’s best museums, covering the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang capitals.
大雁塔Big Wild Goose PagodaA Tang dynasty pagoda built for scriptures brought back from India, with a fountain show at night.
回民街Muslim QuarterBusy lanes of Hui Muslim street food behind the Drum Tower.
钟鼓楼Bell Tower and Drum TowerTwo Ming towers at the heart of the walled city, with drum performances.
化觉巷清真大寺Great Mosque of Xi’anA 1,300-year-old mosque built entirely in Chinese temple style.
华清宫Huaqing PalaceTang imperial hot springs at the foot of Mount Li, near the Terracotta Army.
华山Mount HuashanA granite mountain of sheer cliffs and plank walks, one of China’s five sacred peaks.
大唐芙蓉园Tang ParadiseA recreated Tang dynasty royal garden with a lake and an evening show.
西安博物院（小雁塔）Xi’an Museum & Small Wild Goose PagodaA free city museum and a slender Tang dynasty pagoda in a quiet temple garden.
大唐不夜城Datang Everbright CityA 2 km Tang-style pedestrian boulevard south of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, lit up with street shows every night.
西安碑林博物馆Beilin Museum (Forest of Stone Steles)Halls of carved stone tablets, from Confucian classics to masterpieces of Chinese calligraphy, plus Buddhist sculpture.
大明宫国家遗址公园Daming Palace National Heritage ParkThe vast site of the main Tang dynasty imperial palace, now a park with a museum and marked-out hall foundations.
汉景帝阳陵博物院（汉阳陵）Hanyangling MuseumThe tomb of a Han emperor, where glass walkways take you over pits full of small clay figures.
乾陵Qianling MausoleumThe hillside tomb of Tang Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian, reached by a long spirit road of stone statues, with two painted royal tombs nearby.
西安半坡博物馆Banpo Neolithic VillageA 6,000-year-old Neolithic village site with house foundations and burials preserved under a roofed hall, plus painted pottery.
法门寺文化景区Famen TempleA huge Buddhist complex west of Xi’an that keeps a finger-bone relic of the Buddha, with a museum of Tang dynasty treasures found in its crypt.
永兴坊Yongxingfang food streetA rebuilt Tang-style quarter just inside the city wall, packed with snack stalls from all over Shaanxi province.
青龙寺Qinglong TempleA Tang dynasty temple site where the Japanese monk Kūkai studied, now the ancestral temple of Shingon Buddhism and famous for its cherry blossoms.
大唐西市博物馆Tang West Market MuseumA museum built over the ruins of the Tang capital’s West Market, the eastern end of the Silk Road, with its excavated streets and trade goods.Map
Further out, not on this map: Mount Huashan, Famen Temple
What to eat here
肉夹馍RoujiamoFlatbread stuffed with chopped braised meat; beef or lamb in the Muslim Quarter.
羊肉泡馍Lamb and bread soupYou tear flatbread into small pieces, then it is cooked in rich lamb broth.
biangbiang面Biangbiang noodlesWide hand-pulled belt noodles with chilli and hot oil poured over.
凉皮Liangpi cold noodlesChewy cold noodles with vinegar, chilli oil and cucumber.胡辣汤Hulatang pepper soupThick peppery breakfast soup with beef and vegetables.
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Routes that include Xi'an
Good first tripBeijing → Xi'an → ShanghaiFirst trip classic: Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai in 10 daysThe Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Army and the Bund, linked by fast trains. The route most first-timers should start with.
Good first tripBeijing → Xi'an → Chengdu → Guilin → ShanghaiChina highlights in 12 days: palaces, pandas and karst peaksThe classic five: Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guilin and Shanghai. Busy but doable with trains and two short flights.
Xi'an → Zhangye → DunhuangThe Silk Road: Xi’an, Zhangye and Dunhuang in 8 daysFrom the old capital to the desert: rainbow mountains, Buddhist cave art and sand dunes around an oasis lake.Travel guides
Using the metro in China: tickets, QR codes and bank cards (2026)Bag checks, single tickets, Alipay and WeChat ride codes, tapping a foreign bank card, English signs, rush hours and how each big city differs.
Terracotta Army tickets and tour: booking, transport and pits (2026)How to book the ¥120 real-name Terracotta Army ticket with a passport, get there by bus, see Pits 1–3 in order, and add Huaqing Palace.
How to book museums in China as a foreigner (2026)Most top museums in China are free but need a timed booking with your passport. Release times, where WeChat is required, and what to do if you miss out.Stories about this place
HistoryThe well that found an armyIn 1974 farmers digging a well near Xi’an hit pieces of clay. They had found the First Emperor’s army, and the tomb it guards is still sealed.
Travelers of the pastThe monk who walked to IndiaIn 629 a young monk slipped out of Chang’an against an imperial ban. He came home years later with 657 texts, and a pagoda rose to keep them.Nearby cities
1–2 daysLuoyang洛阳The Longmen Grottoes, with Shaolin Temple within reach.
1–2 daysPingyao平遥One of China's best-preserved Ming and Qing walled towns.
2–3 daysYinchuan银川Western Xia royal tombs, Helan Mountain rock art and the Shapotou desert on the Yellow River.
2–3 daysChongqing重庆A vertical mountain city with neon nights and fiery hot pot.