Xi'an: the clay army, the wall and the food street
Two or three days for the Terracotta Army, the Ming city wall and the Muslim Quarter food street, plus Mount Hua.
The short answer
Xi'an needs two full days, three with Mount Hua. Day one covers the Terracotta Army, 40 km east, and the city wall; day two the Muslim Quarter, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Shaanxi History Museum. Take metro Line 9 to the army.
- Book the Terracotta Army for the 08:30 opening; Pit 1 fills by 10:00.
- The city wall is a 13.7 km (8.5-mile) circle; bike hire on top is ¥45 for two hours.
- High-speed rail reaches Chengdu in 3 hours and Beijing in 4 hours 30.
- Eat in the Muslim Quarter at night: roujiamo ¥10–15, biang biang noodles ¥25.
The province around it
Most trips to Shaanxi base themselves in the capital. Xi'an is where the Terracotta Army day trips begin, where the rail lines meet, and where the city walls, the Muslim Quarter and the food sit within walking distance of one another. Shaanxi →
Inside the wall
Xi'an is a city of 13 million laid out on a grid the Ming dynasty drew in the 14th century. The wall still stands complete — 13.7 km (8.5 miles) around, 12 m (39 ft) high, with four gate towers and a moat outside. Nearly everything a first-time visitor wants sits inside it, and moving between the Bell Tower, the South Gate and the Drum Tower is a 20-minute walk or one metro stop.
The army and the mountain
The Terracotta Army lies 40 km (25 miles) east at Lintong, reached on metro Line 9 to Huaqingchi and then a short bus, or on the 306 express bus from Xi'an Railway Station. The ¥120 ticket covers pits one to three and takes three to four hours at an unhurried pace. Mount Hua, one of China's five sacred peaks, is 30 minutes by high-speed train to Huashan North; the cable car spares you the seven-hour climb and entry is ¥160.
What to eat, and when
Xi'an is a good city to eat on foot. By day, bowls of yangrou paomo — lamb soup with torn flatbread — cost ¥30–40 near the Drum Tower, and biang biang noodles, wide as a belt, run ¥25. From about 18:00 the Muslim Quarter fills with stalls: roujiamo for ¥10–15, grilled skewers and persimmon cakes in autumn. The city works from March to November; July and August push past 35°C (95°F), so walk in the mornings and evenings and use the middle of the day for a museum.
Terracotta Army
8,000 warriors, three pits, 40 km east. ¥120; arrive at 08:30 and allow three hours.
Ming city wall
A complete 13.7 km circuit. Entry ¥54, bike ¥45 for two hours.
Muslim Quarter and Drum Tower
The Hui food quarter by night. Drum Tower ¥35, or ¥50 with the Bell Tower.
Shaanxi History Museum
Free with a passport booked eight days ahead; closed Mondays.
Mount Hua
Granite pinnacles and cliff plank walks. Entry ¥160, cable car ¥140 return.
Practical
| Province | Shaanxi |
|---|---|
| Airport code | XIY (Xi'an Xianyang International) |
| Direct flights from the UK | None — one stop via Beijing, Shanghai or a Gulf hub, 13–16 hours |
| High-speed rail connections | Chengdu 3h · Beijing 4h30 · Shanghai 6h · Zhengzhou 2h |
| Days needed | 2–3 |
| Best months | April–May and September–October |
| Local food to try | Roujiamo, biang biang noodles, yangrou paomo |
| Summer / winter temperature | 35°C (95°F) in July · 0°C (32°F) in January |
| City wall | 13.7 km complete Ming circuit, ¥54 entry |
Getting there from the UK
There are no non-stop flights from the UK to Xi'an (XIY); the quickest routes are one stop via Beijing, Shanghai or a Gulf hub, 13 to 16 hours. Xi'an Xianyang airport is 40 km (25 miles) north-west: the Airport Intercity Railway reaches Xi'an North in 18 minutes for ¥16. From Xi'an North, trains run to Chengdu East in 3 hours (¥263) and Beijing West in 4 hours 30.
How many days
Two full days is the minimum: one for the Terracotta Army and the wall, one for the Muslim Quarter, the pagoda district and the museum. Add a third for Mount Hua. Most visitors from the UK take two nights here on a Beijing–Xi'an–Chengdu route.
Worth knowing if you're travelling from the UK
Xi'an is the one place where the ticket is the bottleneck: the Terracotta Army sells in timed slots and coach groups take the 10:00 to 12:00 window. We hold the 08:30 slot — the difference between the rail of Pit 1 and looking over forty heads. Keep ¥200 in cash; the Muslim Quarter stalls rarely take cards.