By rail
Xi'an North, ~4.5 h by high-speed rail from Beijing
East Asia · China
Xi'an, China
The Terracotta Army and the Silk Road's start
Getting there
By air
Xi'an Xianyang (XIY), ~40 km
Best time to visit
March to May and September to November — mild
Don't miss
The Terracotta Army
The City Wall
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda
The Bell Tower
Things to do
The Terracotta Warriors
The Muslim Quarter's food streets
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda's fountain show
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0
What to pack
Comfortable shoes
A quieter corner
Cycling the city walls at sunset
Questions travellers ask
When is the weather best in Xi'an?
March to May or September to November, when it's mild. Bring comfortable shoes.
How long is the high-speed train from Beijing to Xi'an?
About 4.5 hours to Xi'an North. By air, Xi'an Xianyang (XIY) is roughly 40 km from the city.
What are Xi'an's must-sees?
The Terracotta Army, the City Wall, the Bell Tower and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, with its fountain show. Cycle the city walls at sunset if you can.
Where should I eat in Xi'an?
In the Muslim Quarter's food streets: roujiamo, biangbiang noodles and yangrou paomo.
About Xi'an
- Inland
Where it is
Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province in north-west China, lies on the Guanzhong plain in the valley of the Wei River, with the Qinling Mountains rising to the south.
History
As Chang'an, Xi'an was the capital of several of China's greatest dynasties, including the Western Han and the Tang, when it was among the largest cities in the world and the eastern end of the Silk Road. Nearby, the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, was buried in the 3rd century BC with an army of terracotta warriors, found by farmers digging a well in 1974. The city walls that stand today were built under the Ming dynasty.
People
Xi'an's people speak Mandarin and the local Guanzhong dialect, and the city is home to a long-established Hui Muslim community around the Great Mosque. Its food is built on wheat, from biangbiang noodles and roujiamo buns to yangrou paomo, mutton soup with crumbled flatbread, and Qinqiang opera is the local stage tradition.
Known for
- The Terracotta Army
- The Ming city walls
- The Big Wild Goose Pagoda
- The Muslim Quarter's food streets
- Biangbiang noodles and roujiamo
Did you know?
The terracotta warriors were once painted in bright colours, and traces of the paint were still visible on some figures when they were excavated.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.