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A Guide to 3,000 Year Old Xi’an China

Being the former capital of China, Xi’an is often called the birthplace of China. It was the capital of 13 imperial dynasties – in which various architectural structures have been preserved up to this day. More importantly, it is home to one of UNESCO’s world heritage sites: the Terracotta Warriors of the Qin Dynasty. There is no doubt that Xi’an has a richer historical heritage compared to all of China.

Geographically located in the heart of China, Xi’an is a popular tourist destination and there are various ways to visit this city. For international visitors, air travel is the most popular choice and getting to Xi’an usually involves various connecting flights, as direct flights are only offered within China. Other choices include car rentals, bus, or train.

Travelling to Xi’an:

If you’re someone coming from the Philippines, such as myself, getting to Xi’an is a breeze. The easiest way to get there is to take a direct flight to Hong Kong and book a connecting flight to Xi’an China. Personally, I prefer to travel with Cathay Pacific for the airline company has a subsidiary airline -- Cathay Dragon -- that flies directly from Hong Kong to Xi’an.

If you are coming from another city within China such as Shanghai, the flight to Xi’an is a 2hr 40min direct plane ride. These are flights held daily by popular airlines such as: China Eastern 2215, Air China 1216, and Shanghai Airlines 9201.

For those who opt to ride a train from Shanghai, it takes about 6-7.5hrs on a high-speed train.

For those coming from Beijing, you can take a 2hr 10min plane ride. Airlines that offer flights en route to Xi’an include: China Southern 3173, Hainan 7137, Air China 1231, and China Eastern 2102.

For those who opt to ride a train from Beijing, you can take a 5hr high-speed train ride from Beijing.

Note: Trains can be cheaper compared to plane rides depending on the seat classes and the type of train you choose. Taking a train is particularly enjoyable if you’re the type of person who likes to enjoy the scenery as you course through your journey.

Getting Around in Xi’an:

Xi’an has one of the most convenient transportation hubs in Central and Western China. From the airport, you’ll find many taxi cabs to the city proper. There are also freelance drivers available, as their cars don’t have meters, just always remember to – haggle haggle...and haggle!

The wide range of urban transportation can give you different travel experiences within the city. Like most developed cities, you have options like metro lines (so far, only lines 1, 2, and 3 are operational), buses, and taxis. If you want to try something unique that will give you the chance to kick in some cardio work during your vacation – you have another option: the bicycle. There are some tuk-tuks (three-wheeled bicycle) in certain areas; however, there may be certain areas that are inaccessible.

What To Do:

A visit to the mausoleum and the Terracotta Warriors cannot be missed! My family and I were able to haggle a good price from our freelance driver when he picked us up at the airport, and found out he also does city tours. We decided to wait and check on the hotel prices to compare which offering has the better price, then found out that the hotel’s tour packages were twice the amount from what our friendly driver has offered us – which didn’t come as a surprise really. Let me share to you our itinerary then give you other suggestions.

If you arrived to Xi’an from Hong Kong, there is a high chance that you will arrive at your hotel (including immigration, travel time to city center, and settling in the hotel) a little after 4PM. There’s no time to waste, after rejuvenating yourself from your trip, grab a cab at your hotel lobby and go straight to the SOUTH city gate (personally, I think it has the best view of the city). Spend a good amount of time basking in the sunset and walking around the city walls.

On the next day, head straight to the Qin mausoleum and Terracotta grounds. It takes about a half-hour car drive to get to the Terracotta Warriors & Qin Mausoleum UNESCO grounds with an admission fee of 120-150 CNY (17-22 USD or 800-1,221 PHP). Upon entering the site you will be greeted with a lot of tour guides. I suggest you book a tour with them because it is quite impossible to appreciate everything without understanding any of its important remarks. There are 3 Terracotta pits, which are tagged by the order of their excavation and discoveries. These sites represent the chosen military formation for guarding emperor Qin’s tomb.

Pit #1 is the largest, with columns of soldiers at the frontier and chariots at the back of the formation.

Pit #2, northeast of pit #1, contains about a thousand warriors and 90 wooden chariots

Pit #3 represents the command center of the armed forces, with 68 warriors, a war chariot, and 4 horses.

It can be very crowded nearing lunchtime and the late afternoons. Hence, it would be preferable to reach the site early in the morning to get a good photo with the warriors at pit #1 (it is the best pit for pictures because the columns are clearly defined). Do not worry about not being able to go near the warriors there are photo booths situated around the grounds for you to take pictures of life-sized replicas.

This is a photo taken at one of the photo booths

Note: No one is allowed to go near the warriors because they are still in very sensitive conditions. Extra measures have been taken to preserve the coating and the quality of these statues. In fact, upon excavation some statues even deteriorated due to the unmatched atmosphere of the present compared to when they were molded 2,000 years ago.

These are some of the Terracotta Warriors still in the process of restoration

Going back to the city proper you can tell your guide to allot some time for a quick stop at the Hua Qing Palace since it’s just on the way. Having a guide at the palace would also be preferable if you really want to understand the history of the palace and its quarters instead of just wandering around the halls, temples, and rooms without any understanding of its historical connection.

The last stop on this route is the Muslim Quarter. Here, you will find the best mix of Middle Eastern and Chinese cuisine. It is basically the Las Vegas strip or Champ Elysées of food. They also sell miniature Terracotta Warriors within the small shops at a better price with a much better quality than the other street stalls. Of course, you can also find a wide array of souvenir items within this bustling street.

One thing that you should never miss out on is the famous Biang-Biang noodles. The locals stretch out the strands of noodles and slam them on the prepping table, which causes a loud bang, hence it’s name – Biang-Biang. Unique only to Xi’an, these 1-inch thick noodles will definitely give you one of the best hearty meals of your life!

Another must-try is the beef kebab that they sell on the streets. You can even see the locals rind off the meat directly from the beef that is hung at the side of their food cart.

Of course, there are other things to do in Xi’an apart from this itinerary. These are sites that you simply must see for yourself in order to be awed by its sheer existence:

The Bell Tower

Big Goose Pagoda

Small Goose Pagoda

The Great Mosque of the Muslim Quarter

The Drum Tower

Forest of Stone Steles Museum

Where to stay:

We stayed at the Sofitel Xi’an on Renmin Square, which costs about 673-901 CNY (100-134 USD or 5,028-6,738 PHP) a night. Featuring a blend of modern and Chinese architecture, it has 5 different buildings consisting of hotel rooms with different views of the city. You can find restaurants on each building offering different kinds of cuisines. This hotel boasts a really good location within the city. It is right in the middle of everything. You’ll find that it is just 1km away from the metro station, 2km from the Great Mosque, a quick 5min cab ride to the city gates, and 36km from the XianYang International Airport. Personally, I really liked this hotel because I didn’t have any difficulties communicating with the staff at all. They are very accommodating when it comes to questions about the different buildings of their hotel grounds, food services, and tour packages.

For those who opt for a much more affordable stay w/ FREE Wi-Fi, you may also try and check:

Grand Park Xi’an

Citadines Central Xi’an

Grand Soluxe International Hotel Xi’an

Grand Mercure Xi’an on Renmin Square

What’s good about Xi’an is that it has a little bit of everything. If you’d opt for a more luxurious stay, you can also check out:

Hilton Xi’an

Wyndham Grand Xi’an South

Sheraton Xi’an North City

Shangri-la Xi’an

Final Tips:

If you rely on the internet for maps and updates about the current trends, must-try eats, and interesting things to see - then Wi-Fi is extremely important for you. Now we all know that China has this intense firewall where it blocks off most social media like: GOOGLE, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and sometimes even YAHOO! So basically, all of the important social media accounts are inaccessible right? Simple. Just download the BetternNet app and turn it on once you reach China. It connects you to another satellite so the Chinese firewall won’t think that you or your device is actually in China.

Most of the stores accept credit cards, of course, but the food stalls in the Muslim Quarter only accepts cash. During my time in the city, I didn’t see any ATMs. So to be sure, it would be better if you would just bring in extra cash instead.

For the adrenaline junkies, if you want to climb Hua Shin Mountain, just always remember to check for weather conditions and have proper training as it is actually one of the toughest climbs in the world!

Like I said earlier, try asking free lance drivers from the airport for tour packages because they are a lot cheaper than what hotels offer.

Here’s a map of the city center to help you plan your trip. HAPPY LANDING!

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