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Travel guide
Xi'an
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to May, and September to October
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Welcome
Xi'an, in a few days
Once Chang'an, capital of many Chinese dynasties and starting point of the Silk Road, Xi'an still has 13.7 km of intact Ming walls around its centre. About 35 km to the east, the pits of the Terracotta Army hold close to 8,000 soldiers buried since 210 BC.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Terracotta Army · 2 to 3 hFound by farmers digging a well in March 1974, three pits hold some 8,000 life-size soldiers, each face different, with chariots and horses.
- Afternoon · Han Yangling Mausoleum · about 2 hThe tomb of Emperor Jingdi, who died in 141 BC, with pits of small armless terracotta figures that once had wooden arms and silk clothes.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Mercure Xian on Renmin Square€70 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Great Mosque of Xi'an · about 1 hFounded in 742 in the Hui quarter and rebuilt under the Ming and Qing, entirely Chinese in style, with courtyards and a pagoda minaret.
- Afternoon · The Bell Tower · about 45 minBuilt in 1384 and moved to the central crossroads in 1582, the 36-metre tower once rang to open the city gates at dawn.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Bell Tower Hotel Xi'an€60 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Forest of Stone Steles Museum · about 1 h 30Founded in 1087 in a Confucian temple, with around 3,000 carved steles, including the Kaicheng Stone Classics of 837: 114 slabs of Confucian texts.
- Afternoon · Xi'an's Ming city walls · about 2 hA 13.74 km circuit built between 1370 and 1378, 12 metres high and wide enough on top to walk or cycle the whole loop.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Holiday Inn Express Xi'an Qujiang Center€50 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Big Wild Goose Pagoda · about 1 h 30Raised in 652 for the sutras the monk Xuanzang brought back from India, rebuilt in 704, seven storeys and 64 metres high.
- Afternoon · Mount Hua (Huashan) · a full dayOne of Taoism's five sacred mountains, 120 km east of Xi'an: five granite peaks linked by steps cut into near-vertical rock and fixed chains.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Melody Hotel€55 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Dim sum: small steamed and fried dishes shared over tea, a Cantonese morning ritual.
- Peking duck: lacquered, roasted until the skin cracks, and carved at the table.
- Hot pot: a simmering pot of broth, often fiercely spiced in the Sichuan style, to cook your own meat and vegetables.
- Jiaozi and hand-pulled noodles: dumplings and noodles made to order, cheapest and best in the north.
- Tea and baijiu: green, oolong or pu'er depending on the region, and a very strong grain spirit for toasts.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Google, WhatsApp and most Western apps are blocked: sort out a roaming eSIM or a VPN before you arrive.
- Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with your foreign card before you go: cash is accepted less and less.
- Carry your hotel's address written in Chinese characters for taxi drivers.
- Stay away from political topics in conversation.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Mandarin
| English | Mandarin |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好 (nǐ hǎo) |
| Thank you | 谢谢 (xièxie) |
| Please | 请 (qǐng) |
| Yes | 是 (shì) |
| No | 不是 (bù shì) |
| Excuse me | 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) |
| Goodbye | 再见 (zàijiàn) |
| Do you speak English? | 你会说英语吗 (nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma) |
| I don't understand | 我不懂 (wǒ bù dǒng) |
| How much is it? | 多少钱 (duōshǎo qián) |
| Where are the toilets? | 厕所在哪里 (cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ) |
| The bill, please | 买单 (mǎidān) |
| Help! | 救命！ (jiùmìng!) |
| Cheers! | 干杯！ (gānbēi!) |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyChinese yuan (CNY, ¥)
BudgetAbout €78 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to May, and September to October
PlugA/I/C · 220V
Tap waterBoiled or bottled only
TippingNo tipping, it is not the custom
Emergency110 / 120
EntryUntil 31 December 2026, UK, Canadian, Australian and most EU passports (not Czech or Lithuanian) enter visa-free for up to 30 days. US citizens need a visa, unless they qualify for the 240-hour visa-free transit with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. China has been certified free of malaria since 2021. Dengue occurs in the south in summer, and Japanese encephalitis in some rural areas: use repellent.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/xian
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.