Xi'an

Great tower with drums to toll the time to the old city. Short musical performances every hour or so.

This is, first of all, a huge park with both green spaces and an enormous open square with an equally-impressive ancient palace gate (the palace is Tang dynasty, built in 634 AD). There's a model of the palace next to the gate. The square sometimes hosts public performances. The park even has an IMAX theatre. The park, gate and square are accessible for free. If you pay for admission, you can actually go into the partially restored palace ruins and other sections of the park protected by a moat. Worth seeing for the sheer size of it - it's more than 4 times the size of the Forbidden City, and a very surreal effect compared to the crowding in the rest of Xian.

The Eighth Route Army was a Communist-controlled group army that was created from the Red Army in 1937 when the Communists and the Nationalists formed the Second United Front against Japan. From 1937 to 1946, this site served as the army's official liaison office for coordinating communications with the Nationalist authorities in Xi'an.

Built over 400 years ago during the late Ming Dynasty, this 86-room courtyard mansion is the former residence of a famous scholar-official by the name of Gao Yuesong (高岳崧). The mansion has been fully restored and turned into a museum. It also functions as a venue for puppet shows. The Gao Family Compound should not be confused with Gao Peizhi's former residence on Xinglong Lane, another traditional residence which is sometimes also referred to as 'the Gao Family Compound'.

One of two heritage properties administered by the Xi'an Incident Museum (西安事变纪念馆). the other being General Zhang Xueliang's Official Residence (listed below). Generals Yang Hucheng and Zhang Xueliang were the leading conspirators behind the Xi'an Incident.

The Xi'an Incident Museum's main exhibition halls are at this site.

Said to be China's first privately run on-site archaeological museum. The museum is located at the site of the excavated ruins of the West Market, probably the most important market in China during the Tang Dynasty. Thousands of artefacts have been unearthed at the site, including not only Tang Dynasty artefacts, but also artefacts from earlier and later dynasties.

The world's largest city wall, it has been restored and is 12 m high, 18 m wide at the bottom, 15m wide on the top, and 13.7 km long. Bikes (including two- or three-person models) can be rented for ¥40 per 120 minutes/bike (or ¥80 for a tandem) plus a ¥200 deposit. You can hire one at the top of the South or East gate; you may return it to other stations on the wall (there is one at each of the four main gates), but be sure to verify this before starting your ride, and remember that most gates close at 18:00 or 19:00 and the Zhongshan Gate shuts at 21:00. Only the south gate is open till 23:00. Bikes will not be rented if there is any chance of rain, because the top of the wall becomes slippery. Check the weather forecast before you buy a ticket to enter the wall. If you want to foot it though, a complete loop of the walls takes 4-5 hours. The landscaped park around the base of the exterior walls and moat also makes for a pleasant stroll and gives a different perspective on the battlements and towers. The wall is lit up at night and makes for a pleasant stroll. The present city wall was built in the Ming dynasty (AD 1368-1644) on the foundation of the Chang'an Imperial city wall of Tang dynasty (AD 618-907). The Xi'an City Wall International Marathon is held each year in November since 1993, with athletes from more than 50 countries running on top of the wall. Also, the Xi'an city wall Cycling Race is held on top of the wall since two years ago. There is a small museum inside the city wall at Hanguang Gate, about halfway between the southwest corner and the South Gate, accessible from the top of the wall. Look for a staircase down inside a covered structure. Inside are the unrestored remains of a gatehouse and a calligraphy collection.

Built by Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi (高宗李治) in 652 AD. Emblem of the city of Xi'an. In the fountain in front of the pagoda there are various water and music show sometimes during the day with pleasant parks and western eateries nearby.

A Taoist temple dedicated to the city god of Xi'an, the protector god of the city whose earthly incarnation was the Han Dynasty general Ji Xin. The temple was established in 1387 at a site near the city's east gate. It was moved to the present location in 1432 and rebuilt in 1723 after being destroyed in a fire. It is one of the largest city god temples in China.

Established in 266 AD during the Jin Dynasty, the Daxingshan Temple was one of the most influential temples in China during the Tang Dynasty, being the place where the eminent monks Śubhakarasiṃha, Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra translated sacred Buddhist texts from India and disseminated Chinese Esoteric Buddhism. In the 9th century, Emperor Wuzong ordered the temple to be destroyed as part of his campaign against Buddhism. It was rebuilt during the 15th century.

An active Daoist temple built for the famous Eight Immortals, including the Eight Immortals Bridge, lots of steles in the walls with text and illustrations, and multiple worship halls.

Uniquely built in a traditional Chinese architectural style during the Ming Dynasty, with room for 1,000 worshipers. Built by the Muslim community who is settling in China for the Silk Trade. It is still an active place of worship for the local Hui community, and only Muslims are permitted entry to the main prayer hall. As with all mosques, visitors should dress conservatively and avoid revealing clothing, though non-Muslim women are not required to wear the hijab.

Established by the Kangxi Emperor in 1705. The temple is noteworthy for being the only Tibetan Buddhist temple in Shaanxi Province.

Completed in 709 AD. Now administered by the Xi'an Museum.

It was established in the 6th century AD. The Qinglong Temple rose to prominence during the Tang Dynasty when the eminent Vajrayana master Huiguo served as the temple's abbot. Huiguo's most famous disciple was the Japanese monk Kūkai who upon his return to Japan founded the Shingon school of Buddhism. After being destroyed during the 11th century, the temple was largely forgotten about until the 20th century when it was finally rebuilt with funding from local governments in both China and Japan. During the rebuilding, hundreds of cherry blossom trees were planted in the surrounding garden, and these days many people come here just to see the cherry blossoms (which usually bloom in March and April).

This active Buddhist temple dates back to 200 BC. It has been restored, and is vibrant and busy.

The temple was founded in 705 AD, it is one of the oldest mosques in Xi'an.

Opened in 2022, this new museum displays artefacts from several important archaeological sites in Shaanxi Province. Visitors are required to make a booking on the Shaanxi Archaeological Research Institute's WeChat account before visiting the museum. The WeChat account name is 陕西考古 (Shaanxi Archaeology).

This mighty army of terracotta warriors and horses, found in three vaults, is perhaps the most popular tourist attraction of Shaanxi and one of the most popular in all of China. An in-site museum has been built over these pits, covering a floorspace of 20,000 m² and housing 8,000 lifelike terracotta warriors, 100 or so chariots, and 40,000 weapons, allegedly crafted to replace actual human sacrifices that had been commonplace in previous dynasties. Not all of these are on display, and the site is still an active archeological dig. There are 3 pits (numbered and clearly signposted 1, 2, 3), and only 3 pits open to tourists — if touts claim that they can guide you to pit 4 (and bypassing the queue), this is a scam. Going from pit 3 to pit 2 to pit 1 means that each pit gets more impressive and ensures a grand finale. The assemblage has been billed by the tourist industry as the Eighth Wonder of the World and a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO in 1987.

The ticket office is next to the parking lot, which is a 5- to 10-minute walk away from the entrance to the museum. Buy your tickets at the ticket office or you can also buy them from resellers at the entrance for a ¥5 fee. For ¥5, you can opt to take a small bus from the ticket counter to the entry to the site, which saves you about 10 minutes of walking. On the way back, however, you are forced to walk in order not to "miss" the countless opportunities to buy small terracotta warriors, other tourist articles and food.

When buying your ticket you are likely to be approached by a 'guide', especially if you look foreign. The normal asking price is ¥200 (per person) but you should be able to bargain them down to around ¥75-100. ¥100 is reasonable for the 2 - 3 hours they will accompany you. When talking to them, take the time to evaluate how they speak, because if you can't understand them at the start it'll just get worse. Inside Pit 1 there is a 'photo spot' to the left of the entry when you can be escorted to one of the nicer places. However it costs ¥200 for ~15 min (but includes a picture). You won't miss much by not doing it, but you will have 15 min with no-one jostling you on either side and an uninterrupted view of the warriors.

Mausoleum of the First Emperor of China. You can visit the surrounding gardens and mountains, but the massive burial chamber has not been excavated, so the Mausoleum itself is very unassuming. There is a low quality museum with a reconstruction of the mausoleum. Optional carts available at a fee to go directly to the museum. Taking pictures in the dimly lit museum is forbidden, although staff will not control it too much. There are two small excavation pits in the area.

6,000-year-old ruins of a village site including residential and pottery-making areas, ancient tools, and a burial ground. You should also visit the Shaanxi History Museum to see some of the best examples of the pottery found at Banpo.

Built by the Tang emperor Xuanzong near hot springs at the foot of Li Shan (Mount Li) so he could frolic with his favoured Imperial Concubine Yang to his heart's content. You may also take the nearby cable car (¥35 return) to catch a Birdseye view of the area. Most of today's structures date not from the Tang Dynasty, but from later dynasties. The exception is the ruins of the Tang Dynasty baths, which have been excavated and are open to public viewing. Also of interest is a residential compound dating from the late Qing Dynasty that was briefly home to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek. This was the site of the Xi'an Incident in 1936 and the bullet holes from the incident can still be seen.

In 1964, at this site in Lantian County, the cranium of a hominid was discovered. The discovery came just one year after a mandible belonging to a similar individual had been found in another part of the county. The two individuals were later classified as belonging to a subspecies of Homo erectus known as Homo erectus lantianensis or Lantian Man. A small museum at the site displays both the cranium and the mandible, as well as a collection of stone tools and animal fossils, which were also found in the area.

It is a Daoist temple complex. This is supposedly the place where Laozi preached and composed the classic Taoism book, Dao De Jing. Upon entering, some drivers may offer you a ride to the main temple at the back of the complex for ¥10.

Xingjiao Temple was built in AD 669 to reinhume Xuanzang and was one of eight famed temples in Fanchuan in the Tang dynasty. The five-storied Buddhist relic pagoda, preserving the remains of Xuanzang.

Originally, it was the Water and Land Hall within the Beiputuo Lanzhu Nunnery of Wuzhen Temple. Wuzhen Temple was first built during the Northern Dynasties, but the temple was later destroyed, leaving only the Water and Land Hall. The main hall contains more than 3,700 statues, making it the largest existing group of painted sculptures in China.

Covering an area of 639 km², the Qinling National Botanical Garden lays claim to being the largest botanical garden in the world.

Famous for its waterfall and the largest area of wild Zijing flower (the city flower of Hong Kong) in north China.

A large (67 ha, 165 acres) theme park based on the royal gardens of the Tang Dynasty. It claims to be the first theme park for all five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell). It includes a large fragrance garden and the largest movie-on-water screen in the world.

Sitting the foot of Guanyin Mountain, next to the Xiang River, the park features pine, poplar and bamboo forests as well as waterfalls, caves and different scenic spots.

The Zhongnan Mountains are a branch of the Qin Mountains located south of Xi'an. the range's highest point is Cuihua Mountain. Other notable peaks and places in the Zhongnan Mountains include Lou Guan Tai, where Taoist sage Laozi is said to have dwelt and conveyed the Dao De Jing. Later this was also a place of dwelling for Nan Wutai and Guifeng.

Walk through the Muslim quarter sampling food and buying souvenirs. The Hui Muslim Quarter (回民街 Huí mín jiē, hwei-min-jyeh) is a series of small alleys located in a high-density Hui community (very much like Chinatown in North America) inside the city walls, where the residences open up small restaurants and food shops like street food. Some of these restaurants are among the most famous ones in the city, regarded as the "true Xi'an cuisine" by the locals. However, visitors from outside the city may dislike the environment while the locals may not, because garbage can be seen almost everywhere on the street. Price is high here (some time more doubled) without matching the quality. It is recommended to try only the Huimin food here while keeping other Xi'an delicacies elsewhere in the city.

Walk along the city walls and see the South Gate (南门 Nánmén, literally translated as "The Southern Gate"), which is illuminated at night. The area outside of the "Gate" is full of big shopping malls that are popular among the locals, marked with the iconic glass-curtain walled buildings. The area is one of the busiest places of interests in the city.

Bicycling around the city walls will take about 2 hours leisurely and just over an hour if you only stop a little. Bicycles can be rented on each of the four main gates for 180 minutes, ¥45 per person (=¥90 for a tandem), and it may to be returned to any of the other stations (however, be sure to verify this before starting your ride or if they are still open as the other gates close at ~20:00). Remember to take your passport with you as a deposit for the bike that you rent, or ¥200. Make sure that you keep the deposit ticket, as the bike vendor will not give you the deposit back without it! Also, the bikes are generally relatively new and well maintained, but check the tire pressure and whether the brakes work before choosing yours. It's good to enjoy the scenery while biking the City Walls, but the biking experience may not be very pleasant. Because the City Wall's top-floor is very bumpy in nature, most people give up in midway because they can't bear the uncomfortable riding experience. Also choose a day when the weather is friendly, usually in Spring or in Fall.

An elevated 6.8 km sightseeing monorail looping around the Qujiang cultural district. The ~45-minute ride offers aerial views over Qujiang Pool Heritage Park (Nanhu), Tang Paradise, and surrounding Tang-style parks.