How to Visit Xi'an in Two Days (Tips, Photos & Map)
Plan your Xi'an tour? Xi'an is one of the most visited cities in China...
Jun 7, 2023Published
8 min readReading time
Xian TravelGuide topic
Plan your Xi'an tour? Xi'an is one of the most visited cities in China after Shanghai and Beijing in terms of international visitors. No matter you plan to visit Xian following your trip to Beijing, or on your ongoing travel to Shanghai, Xi'an is often lingering in your mind for its enchanting Terracotta Warriors.
Xian Tourist Map
So basically how many days do you need to visit Xian? Based on my own experience, a two-day tour in Xian is a sweat spot, allowing you to catch the highlights of Xian while smoothly fitted into your ongoing trip to Beijing or Shanghai.
Day One: Xian City Tour
You are supposed to allocate one full day ( or two half days ) for your classic Xi'an Day Tour, which basically include the attractions such as:
Big Goose Pagoda The temple and its surrounding area are full of life, people-watch. Its north square is home to the largest musical fountain in Asia; its south square leading to the Great Tang All Day Mall, a 1500-meter sightseeing avenue where you immersed in Tang Dynasty culture while enjoying shopping, dining, entertaining, sightseeing and business travel.
Check out How to Visit Big Goose Pagoda for more travel information
Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Daci’en Temple
The temple and the pagoda itself takes 1 or 2 hours to visit while the whole area ( squares, gardens ,etc.) takes much longer time, providing people with wonderful free leisure and entertainment.
Shaanxi Provincial History Museum A 2-3 hour visit to Shaanxi Provincial History Museum is a good starter for your eye-popping glimpse of the Terracotta Army. A free entry ticket allows you to visit the three permanent exhibition halls (No.01 – No.03 ), which display the artifacts unearthed in Shaanxi Province.
Xian was the ancient capitals for 13 dynasties in Chinese history. Of the 13 dynasties, Tang Dynasty was the Golden Age of China, when Europe was in its Dark Ages after the fall of Rome.
Xian City Wall Xian is home to the most complete and well-preserved ancient city wall in China and one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world as well.
Xian City Wall was initially built in Tang Dynasty (618 -907), based on which, the existing wall was rebuilt in Ming Dynasty during the period between 1374 and 1378. Now the remaining Xian City Wall is 12 meters tall, 18 meters wide at the base, 12-14 meters wide on the top with a perimeter of 13.74 km in length and a deep moat surrounding it.
Xian Bell & Drum Towers In Chinese history from Ming Dynasty, each city had a bell tower and a drum tower. The bell was sounded at dawn and the drum at dusk each day in ancient time, a means of telling time.
Xian was not exception. The Bell Tower and Drum Tower of Xi'an date back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The two are located in the center of the Xian city connecting the four roads from east, south, west and north within the city wall. Atop the Bell Tower you will have a panoramic view of the Xian City; atop the Drum Tower you will have a bird's eye view of the Muslim Quarters.
Xi'an Muslim Quarter & Food Street The Terracotta Warriors Museum will be definitely a must-to-see on your Xian travel plan. But one equally important thing to do and you cannot afford to miss is to have a taste or glimpse of the exotic food on the streets in the Muslim community in Xian. These back streets are full of life with a rich strong feel of Islamic cultural vibe.
The Muslim Community is known as Muslim Quarter in Xian or colloquially called “Huifang (回坊）” in Chinese. It is said there are over 300 Muslim local snacks on the streets in Xian Muslim Quarter that attract a consistent flow of visitors everyday coming here to savor or just have a glimpse.
Xian Tang Dynasty Dinner Show For most first time visitors, it is a pleasant surprise that you won't find yourselves lonely when night falls in the ancient city of Xian. The major avenues of Xi'an like Xi Dajie, Nan Dajie and Dong Dajie are brightly and beautifully lit lined with luminous neon signs stores. If you are not interested in the street evening shopping, then the Big Goose Pagoda Square and Nanhu Lake are the favorite night hangouts, where the dazzling lights and beautiful scenery will surely shock you! Is this Xian? Yes, it is!
Check out Xian Tang Dynasty Dinner Show for more information
Xian Tang Dynasty Dinner Show
If you prefer a night performance to kill your night time, Tang Dynasty Show is your best choice, which is on the most Xian visitors' top 10 attractions list. Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show is an outstanding element of this ancient rich and prosperous society, giving an insight into the peaceful life style of the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907). There are two major venues to put on the performance - Shaanxi Song & Dance Theatre and Tang Dynasty Palace, which both offer two choices - performance including dinner or excluding dinner.
Day 2: Terracotta Warriors, Huaqing Hot Spring and Banpo Museum
On the second day, you have a full day east excursion to Terracotta Warriors, Huaqing Hotspring and Banpo Museum.
Terracotta Warriors & Horses Huaqing Pool ( or Huaqing Hot Springs) Banpo Museum
Terracotta Warriors and Horses To visit Army of Terra Cotta Warriors is the main reason why you are here in Xian. Get up early and have a fast breakfast like the first day, then get to Terracotta Warriors and Horses.
It is 37 kilometers away from the downtown area. The museum covers an area of 16,300 square meters, divided into three sections: No. 1 Pit, No. 2 Pit, and No. 3 Pit respectively. It is the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century.
Huaqing Pool After lunch, you can take Y5 back to Museum Lishan Station, then walk to Huaqing Hot Springs. Huaqing Pool is located at the foot of north Lishan Hill in Lintong, leaning against Wei River in the north. Since ancient times, it has ever been a famous bathing and tourist destination.
Check out How to Visit Huaqing Hot Springs for travel information.
Huaqing Pool
The favorable geographical condition and natural environment make it one of the cradles where ancient people settled and it was also a favorite place for emperors to build their palaces as a resort.
Banpo Museum After finishing your exploration in Huaqing Pool, you can take Bus No. 307 and go to Banpo Museum. The Banpo Museum is located in a modern building some three miles to the east of Xian. As the first museum at the prehistoric site, it was built at the base of the excavations of the Banpo site.
The museum gives access to the excavated buildings, has a collection of artifacts from the site, and also has several reconstructed houses designed to resemble the Neolithic settlement.
Enjoy your two-day Tour in Xian!
Tip: Hassle-free Xian Guided Tours
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for Xian guided tours:
Xian Tour Xian Day Tour Xian Tour Packages Beijing Xian Tour
