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4 Stars - 5 Opinions
Just the Fountain
Escort Chariot
in the Da Ci’en Temple
Xi'an - China
Hi! It seems that a number of buses run from railway station and a lot of guide gives information about taking buses from the station to various attractions. Is it far to walk from the Bell Tower to the Railway Station?
Cheers!
Doremon
Yes, a bit too far! It's a little over 3 km.
Plenty of tours leave from the Bell Tower too, and/or pick up from various hotels. There is also a major-ish bus starting point near Small Wild Goose Pagoda (also a fair walk from the Bell Tower, but south rather than north).
So, I suppose I should be able to catch some buses to the railway station to go to places like Terracotta Warriors, Shaanxi Museum, etc?
Thanks!
Eh, there're also plenty of buses running from the Bell Tower area, you don't necessarily need to go to the train station.
Also, please note that bus routes are only in Chinese characters. If you don't understand Chinese, it would not really be a good idea to get around by bus, though the bus 306 to the Terracotta Warriors would be an exception.
Visit the Terracota warriors early before the others get there. We had noone else around for nearly anhour and it was wonderful.
The Great Mosque is very interesting and make sure you buy some trinkets in the little streets - you do not see the same things again, I bought 2 carved walnuts, they are carved with lots of budhas.
Xi'an Aiport is a loooooong way from the city.
Allow at least 90 minutes to get from the city centre and 2 hours if you have to travel during peak time. (I don't care WHAT iut says in hotel websites about the travel time!)
Insist that taxi drivers use the new expressway, rather than the older route if you are running late.
However, if you do have a bit of time spare, the older route takes you past some of the pyramid tombs - you can even ask the taxi driver to stop at several of them.
On the way into town note that there are many, many, many unlicensed (read uninsured) taxis at Xian Airport. Avoid them. They will NOT repeat NOT be less expensive than the normal taxis....EVEN if you agree a lower rate up front. Their trick is to stop on the highway and demand a higher fare. You refuse and you get kicked out on the road.
The airport bus, though slower, gives you a nice view of the plain and the Weihe on the way into town. You arrive 10 minutes later, but you see more of China.
The airport itself is very efficient and is well designed, so you don't have to walk far to the gate.
The terminal was opened in September 2003 at a cost of US$181 million. Despite this, the range of food, shops, and bookstalls is abysmal, and you see the same sad-looking empty glass shelves with little pyramids of chocolate bars evenly spread around. There are more shop assistants (bored, hostile, witless) than products on display.
Curiously, the old Xi'an airport terminal was only opened in 1991...thats more recent than most European airport terminals. China seems to dispose of airport terminals quicker than most people get rid of old cars.
The Big Goose Pagoda or the Da Yab Ta is part of the most important Buddhist temple within Xian. The temple itself is known as the Temple of Great Goodwill The main pagoda is considered a great symbol of Xian and it is a major and very crowded tourist attraction. The temple was at first constructed in the 7th century by Prince Li Zhi in honour of his mother, the Empress Wen De. The pagoda is nine stories high and is made of brick. Two stories were added to the original seven in the 8th century. You can climb to the top of the pagoda for Y25. The temple is very active, not just with bus loads of tourists but with many Buddhist monks. There was a morning ceremony taking place in the main hall during my visit.
I visited the Big Goose Pagoda as part of a CITS bus tour that included a tour of the Terracotta Warriors. The admission price was included in the cost of the tour but on your own it is Y20 for admission into the temple grounds. The Temple of Great Goodwill is open from 8am to 5:30pm.
There is a 570m long street that was revamped in 1990 and 1991 to recapture the ancient Ming and Qing-style store fronts (much of the funds came from the residents themselves).
The result is a short walk down a market street with much of the storefronts, roofs, signs, and everything giving you a feel of the ancient days.
Halfway down the street is the ancient Guanzhong Academy.
At the end of the street is the Forest of Stones Museum. It has an impressive collection of stone manuscripts, tombstones and documents dating back over nearly 2000 years. The ancient "library" was founded in 1087, but now has some collections from the Han dynasties of 2nd century B.C.
To follow up my note on the Pagodas, there is a large display of the ancient horse stakes here. Amazing craftsmanship and awe of the past...
The Small Wild Goose Pagoda is another of Xian's attractions that is highly popular with bus tour groups. For me it was the most disappointing of the sites that I visited in Xian.
The Small Wild Goose Pagoda is part of the a very large Jianfu Temple complex. The temple is very important in Buddhist history in China for it was here that Monk Yijing translated 56 Sanskirt scriptures into Chinese back in the late 7th century. These translations became very important the Buddhist teachings subsequently taught in China. Today the temple is no longer active and most of the buildings are used to sell souveniors. Outside of the pagoda itself, I found the only other interesting feature of the Jianfu Temple was the great bronze bell that stands 3.55m tall and is over 8,000 kilograms. Otherwise the grounds feel more like a park rather than a place of worship.
The Small Wild Goose Pagoda stands in the middle of the complex. It was constructed out of mustard yellow brick between 707 and 709 A.D. and originally stood 15 stories high. An earthquake damaged the pagoda in 1556knocking off some of the top tower. It is possible to climb up to the top of the pagoda for Y20. If you decide to do so, remember that the climb is steep, especially as you reach the top. The views from the top are good if you do not mind the persistant haze the blankets Xian.
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