Pro

Muslim quarter, foods and traditions give a wonderful mix to the local culture.
Con

Maybe too Modern at the expense of its past. Pollution.
In a nutshell

The Tarracotta Warriors bring the people, but they should stay for the Muslim Quarters!
176 Reviews We enter pit 1, the larger one, and we get immediately the notion of the huge size of the archaeological site. But they alert us that only a small part is dug, and that the main open area is pit 3. Why? Because it is the headquarters. Generals, nobles and other important people seem to be...
64 Reviews The mosque of Xi'an is a surprise, without many signs connecting to muslim art and architecture. However, when you exit, if you walk a little in the narrow roads, you will easily fell the muslim way of life around you. The "souk" could easily be pictured as part of any city in north Africa or the...
58 Reviews Not exactly a simple temple, but a wide complex with temples, pagodas and gardens. A detailed visit will take lots of time. If you don’t worry too much about the function and history of each construction, then a couple of hours will do, but be prepared to meander around, or you will take a rather...
66 Reviews It's fundamental to climb the city wall, and to walk on it. It's easy to feel its importance in the defense of the city, and the challenge it would mean to those who tried to cross it with their primitive resources. Though the balloons and some decoration are recent (I don't know if matching any...
63 Reviews In the centre of the old city, and marking the entrance to the Muslim quarter, there is a beautiful tower, very similar to its neighbour – the Bell Tower. The main difference is that instead of bells it has large drums all around it. We had no opportunity to assist a drum performance, but, no...
18 Reviews The Five-Room Hall was built in 1878, in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It was the shelter of Empress Dowager Cixi after the Eight-Power Allied Force captured Peking in 1900, and was also the temporary residence of Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party during the...
3 Reviews and 922 Opinions New and luxury facility, located in the very center of the city. However staffs are not very...
12 Reviews Personally I think it is way too expensive. Anyway it is nice to try it once and tell the world that I have tried the dumpling banquet in Xian. We have the dumpling downstairs where the locals eat since they are a lot nicer and cheaper.
14 Reviews This was quite spectacular!! Lots of colour , music and dancing. The hour just flew by! The show is quick moving and on a grand scale. It depicts wonderful music and dance from the ancient civilization. Following the spectacular show we enjoyed an amazing 18 course dumpling dinner. Beer came with...
17 Reviews Xi'an Metro Line 2 is an connection metro line serving the from south to North, cut through the city center including the South Gate (Nanmen), Bell Tower, North gate or Bei Dajie, Daminggong West, all the way to North Railway Station (Beikezhan). This is a clean and modern metro system. In fact,...
16 Reviews The airport is 47 km from Xian city centre and there's a very convenient airport bus that goes there from outside the Melody Hotel which is opposite the Drum Tower in the city centre. The bus costs RMB27, takes about an hour or so and runs between 6am and 6pm.
2 Reviews I don´t know if I should call it as a 'cultural tip' because you won´t go Xi´An to play chess. No, I don´t mean the game what the Westerner play but Chinese Chess. Once I saw a group of men standing on the street and they stared on the floor. I am curious so I was interested to find out what they...
2 Reviews I've been sick in China once and went to a Chinese medicine shop. They doctor told me to open my mouth and asked the nurse what it looked like- he was pretty much blind. Then he prescribed some herbs to mix and make Chinese Medicinal Tea with. It tasted like arse but did the trick.
6 Reviews What a challenge for the photo maniacs! The poor illumination, the reflexes in the glass, the impossibility to use flash, the uncomfortable position, everything contributes to the poor quality of all the taken pictures. Of course, some efforts deserve respect!
7 Reviews It's nice to hire a local guide, who gives you good information. They charge from 80 to 100 RMBs (Yuans), equivalent to USD 15 (Mar 2009). It is not much and you help the locals. BUT let the guide know, from the beginning, that you don't need to be taken to the site's souvenir shops! Or simply...
5 Reviews You'll be told and see signs at the hostels that there are no taxis between 3 to 4pm as this is the changeover for drivers - their dinner breaks. So if you need to catch a train, flight etc you need to go super early apparently. Well we found a taxi at 3.30pm and although it was a little difficult...
4 Reviews The big, solid volume of the walls make the long and wide moat that surrounds them look like a "insignificant" detail, but we are forced to admit that its perfect conception was an effective defense, and it helps today to enhance the views of the walls and the sensation of power that they emanate.
18 Reviews The Terracotta Army of XIAN. What you have to do is buy a ticket cost RMB60 and enter. There are many many tour guides willing to offer you their services for RMB40, they can speak English, Italian, French and more. Also, just outside the gate you can get some cute tigers as souvenirs for only RMB2...
4 Reviews I really enjoyed Huaqingqiao most. My timing was especially appropriate since it was the day they buried Zhang Xueliang in Hawaii, the general who kidnapped Chiang Kai-shek. You oculd see the bullets littering the walls and the signpost that said 'Jiang was captured here' up the hill.
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Kublai Khan's New XiAn Page - Invincible Terracotta Warriors, Ming City Walls, Big Goose Pagoda and many other attractions tell the history of the once glorious capital city!
50 members live in Xi'an

Q: So I am going to Xi'an and I want to know what else there is to see besides the Terra Cotta warriors (which I am sooo excited to...

A: Xi'an has a very nice city wall, well worth the visit. It has a Muslim quarter, complete with a mosque in a uniquely Chinese style (Xi'an was the starting point of the...
Read 8 Replies
1

This is my hometown. I live here, I love it here. I feel like I have a responsibility to let you know more about it. There is an old saying "If you want to see China of 100 years ago, visit Shanghai;...
2

Xi'an is a must see. I was doubtful about the importance of Xi'an. Of course, there are the warriors, but.. all that distance... for that... WRONG! The warriors for themselves sure deserve the trip,...
3
Xian "Peaceful western part of China"

Xi’an was formerly called Chang’an and lies in the central part of Guanzhong Plain between the Wei River to the north and the Qinling Mountain to the south. Xi’an has immense historical...
4

Like Alexandria, Baghdad or Rome, Xia'an is a city whose future is bound up inexorably in its past. It anchored the eastern end of the Silk Road, the earliest thread of global trade. Yet the current...
5

A part of the old Xi'an is still preserved within its city walls. As interesting as the terracota warriors, worth of visits for sure... the old town is a living contrast of preserved monuments and...
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