China Travel Guides
Last updated 2026-08-24

Xi'an Travel Guide: Six Places Worth Visiting (with a Three-Day Itinerary)

For most people coming to Xi'an, there's one question you can't get around: where on earth do you start? The years for all six sights on this list I've checked against public sources. Xi'an has over 3,100 years of city history; the Zhou, Qin, Western Han, Sui, Tang, and other dynasties successively set their capital here, their capital years adding up to over a thousand. The Terracotta Army entered the World Heritage list in 1987; the Xi'an city wall was among the first batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level in 1961. The years of these sights run from the Qin straight through to the Ming.

When to come to Xi'an

Xi'an sits in the transition zone between temperate and subtropical monsoon climates; the annual average temperature is 14.1°C, with January averaging 0.3°C and July 27.0°C. Winter is dry-cold, summer hot; spring and autumn are most comfortable. Come in April–May or September–October, when the temperature is right and the city walls and parks are green. Summer is crowded and hot; coming in winter doesn't affect seeing the Terracotta Army, though outdoor walking calls for warmer clothes. Xi'an has been a hot destination in recent years; avoid the holidays if you can.

Sights in the city worth a visit

Qin Shi Huang's Terracotta Army

Pit One of the Terracotta Army
Pit One of the Terracotta Army. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0.

The Terracotta Army is in Lintong District, about an hour's drive from the city. In March 1974, villagers in Lintong digging a well dug up pottery fragments, and so discovered the pits that had been buried for over two thousand years. The Qin Shi Huang mausoleum was built from 246 BC to 208 BC — 39 years in all — with as many as 700,000 laborers at its peak. The surviving burial mound is about 76 meters high; the warrior pits lie about 955 meters east of the mound, and the whole mausoleum zone covers about 50 square kilometers. In 1987 the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and the Terracotta Army pits were inscribed on the World Heritage list.

The pottery warriors in the pits are arrayed to the Qin army's organization — officers, soldiers, chariots, and horses of every arm. Records say each figure was hand-fired, not mold-cast: craftsmen produced eight basic face types and then individually refined each, so no two faces are alike. Visit Pit One first — the largest — then Pits Two and Three. The army is far from the city, so allow most of a day.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Dayanta)

Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an
Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by Alex Kwok, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda stands inside the Da Ci'en Temple, built by the Tang monk Xuanzang to preserve the Buddhist scriptures he brought back from India. In the third year of Yonghui (652), the pagoda was first built as a five-story structure; it was later rebuilt in Wu Zetian's reign as a seven-story square brick pagoda, rebuilt again after war and fire, and survives to today. The whole pagoda, including its base, is 64.1 meters; the body tapers inward story by story, and the murals inside depict Xuanzang's journey west for the scriptures.

In the Tang, those who passed the jinshi exam would come to Ci'en Temple to inscribe their names — the origin of "inscribing one's name at the Wild Goose Pagoda." In 2014 the pagoda, as a heritage point of the Silk Roads: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor, entered the World Heritage list. The pagoda is in the city, reachable by metro, with the Tang Dynasty Never-Sleeps City and the Wild Goose Pagoda Square nearby — see the pagoda by day, the lights by night, easily a good half-day.

Xi'an City Wall

Xi'an city wall
Xi'an city wall. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0.

The Xi'an city wall was built in the early Ming on the foundations of the Tang Chang'an imperial city, 13.74 km around, 12 meters high, with 5,894 crenellations and a moat 20 meters wide and 10 meters deep. The sources say it is among the four best-preserved ancient city walls, alongside those of Pingyao, Jingzhou, and Xingcheng. In 1961 it was listed among the first batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.

The most comfortable way to enjoy the wall is by bike. The South Gate area is the main entrance; you can rent a bike on the wall, a circuit of about 14 km taking two hours. If you can't bike the whole way, walk a stretch — South Gate to East Gate is the finest. At dusk the wall lights up; looking out through the crenellations, one side the old city's gray-tile roofs, the other the outline of the Bell Tower — Xi'an's most classic angle.

Huaqing Palace

Huaqing Palace
Huaqing Palace. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by Gisling, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Huaqing Palace stands at the foot of Mount Li in Lintong, covering about 1,300 mu, the Tang-era imperial hot-spring palace. The story of Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei unfolds here — Bai Juyi's "the hot-spring water smooth, washing her cream-white skin" describes the very baths of Huaqing Palace. The palace's hot-spring bath area has eight baths, including Tang Taizong's Starry Bath, Xuanzong's Nine-Dragon Bath and Lotus Bath, and Yang Guifei's Guifei Bath; the excavated stone pool rims can still be seen in their original form.

Huaqing Palace was built to the terrain of Mount Li — front palace, rear garden, the grounds and hot springs tightly integrated. During the Xi'an Incident of 1936, Chiang Kai-shek was detained on Mount Li; the Bingjian ("Armed Remonstrance") Pavilion on the hill is a relic of that history. In 1996 the Huaqing Palace site was listed among Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level. It lies in the same direction as the Terracotta Army, so the two are usually arranged the same day.

Xi'an Bell Tower

Xi'an Bell Tower
Xi'an Bell Tower. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by H2v5o68z, CC0.

The Bell Tower stands in the center of Xi'an, where four great avenues meet — the city's most prominent landmark. It was completed in 1384, the 17th year of Ming Hongwu, originally not in its present position; in the Wanli reign it was moved wholesale to this intersection. The sources say it is among the largest and best-preserved Ming-era bell towers in China.

Beside the Bell Tower stands the Drum Tower, the two facing each other across a street, with the Muslim Quarter (Huimin Jie) between them. To go up, you pass through an underground passage; from the tower you can see the street scenes of the four avenues. The space between the Bell and Drum towers has Xi'an's heaviest foot traffic, lively day and night — good to walk with the Muslim Quarter together.

Muslim Quarter (Huimin Jie)

Xi'an Muslim Quarter
Beiyuanmen of the Muslim Quarter. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by Acstar, CC BY-SA 3.0.

"Huimin Jie" is visitors' name for Xi'an's "Huifang," the Muslim quarter in the northwest of the walled city, centered on the Great Mosque of Huajue Lane. From the Five Dynasties into the Northern Song, Hui people began settling here, now over a thousand years. The quarter's halal food is famous — mutton paomo, soup dumplings, sour-soup dumplings, hulatang (peppery soup), and oil-tea fried dough — all everyday local eats.

For mutton paomo you tear the bread yourself — the finer you tear it, the more the broth soaks in. The roujiamo calls for a freshly baked "Bai Ji" flatbread stuffed with laozhi braised meat, juices seeping out at first bite. Cold noodles come as rice or wheat, dressed with chili oil. These snacks can all be eaten at once in the Muslim Quarter — pick the long-lined old shops and you usually won't go wrong. To do the quarter, enter by Beiyuanmen, then turn west into Dapiyuan and Sajinqiao — half the people, no less the flavor.

Eating in Xi'an

Xi'an snacks are built on northwest flavors, with wheat foods and beef and mutton in the lead. The three best-known are mutton paomo, roujiamo, and cold noodles; local standbys also include hulutou paomo, youpo noodles, zenggao (steamed glutinous-rice cake), and saozi noodles. The Muslim Quarter suits first-timers — one evening and you'll know the names. To eat more locally, find the small shops on Sajinqiao or North Guangji Street — real prices, no big queues. Xi'an restaurants serve big portions; order one fewer dish than the head count, and don't waste.

How to arrange the route

City plus Lintong: three days is comfortable.

Day one: up onto the Xi'an city wall in the morning, bike until the afternoon; the Bell Tower Square at dusk for the night view; the Muslim Quarter in the evening for snacks.

Day two, Lintong: the Terracotta Army in the morning, Huaqing Palace in the afternoon — the two aren't far apart; back to the city at night.

Day three: the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Tang Dynasty Never-Sleeps City — the pagoda in the morning, a stroll around the Wild Goose Pagoda Square in the afternoon, the lights in the evening. With time to spare, add the Shaanxi History Museum — reservation required.

Things to confirm before you go

Frequently asked questions

How many days for Xi'an?

The city plus Lintong's main sights take three days. Four to five lets you add the Shaanxi History Museum, the Daming Palace, and so on, at an easier pace.

How to fit the Terracotta Army and Huaqing Palace?

Both are in Lintong, usually the same day. Terracotta Army in the morning, Huaqing Palace in the afternoon, back to the city at night.

Where to eat Xi'an food?

The Muslim Quarter is the first choice for a first visit — mutton paomo, roujiamo, and cold noodles all to be had. To avoid the crowds, head for Dapiyuan and Sajinqiao.

Is the Big Wild Goose Pagoda worth it?

It's in the city center, easy to reach; the pagoda itself is a relic of Xuanzang's scripture translation, and the Tang Dynasty Never-Sleeps City around it is famous for its night views — best scheduled for the evening.

Sources

The facts in this article were checked against the following Chinese Wikipedia entries, retrieved August 11, 2026.

  1. Xi'an (city) https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/西安市
  2. Qin Shi Huang's Terracotta Army https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/秦始皇兵马俑
  3. Big Wild Goose Pagoda https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/大雁塔
  4. Huaqing Palace https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/华清宫
  5. Xi'an city wall https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/西安城墙
  6. Muslim Quarter https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/回民街
  7. Xi'an Bell Tower https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/西安钟楼

All photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under CC licenses; re-use requires attribution.