Call a local advisor
+86 186 1196 4400Email our team
[email protected]Tour Beijing Journal
Plan your Xian Tour? If you are wondering what you shoot on your trip to...
The first one is to shoot the old city wall itself during daytime. Its 14 km perimeter wall guarantees you plentiful candid photo opportunities – shoot the wall when people walk, cycle and play on the 12-14m wide wall at the top.
The second time I suggest you snap some pictures of the city wall at sunset glow. You can imagine the image of one corner of the Wall st sunset glow mirrored on the water of the city moat below! The night view of the city wall is awesome with the neon lights on the wall reflected on the moat water, just surreal!
Try strolling up and down the 500m long lively street full of stalls, eateries, stands and restaurants, getting some of the community culture for great shots.
Ascending Drum Tower, you are able to have a bird’s-eye view of Muslim Quarter for a broader picture. Climbing up the Bell Tower also allows you to have some great shots of the main roads in the center of Xian – South Avenue, West Avenue, North Avenue and East Avenue, a grid pattern of the city construction laid out in Tang Dynasty. Then the lit Bell Tower at night is a most photographed spot in Xian.
In August, 1993, the government began to take full-scale revamp. After 3 years’ reconstruction, Defu Lane has turned on a new appearance, a perfect mix of the historical and modern architecture.
Now more than 40 bars, tea houses and cafes are densely located here. Each has a distinct style including the Chinese style, the American style or whatever can be found here. Setting up your tripod for wonderful photos of Xian’s nightlife mirroring through the lens the lively street at night when neon lights are lit.
The north square of Big Goose Pagoda in Xian has the Asia’s largest music fountain with an area of 20,000 square meters . It starts at 8:00pm everyday. It is a huge music fountain with the Big Goose Pagoda as the backdrop.
Get there early to get a good spot for a great night shot. There are twenty-two styles of the magnificent fountain formations shown on the seven connecting wide steps.
The setting, a landscaped 165-acre site surrounding a willow-lined lake, captures something of the look and feel of classical Chinese landscape painting.
The Water Film is the main attraction in Tang Paradise. The screen of the water is a film of water, which makes you a wonderful and illusory feeling that you were on the scene in person.
When the figures in the movie appear on the screen, it seems that they are flying to the sky or coming down from the heaven. It is indeed a splendid ocular enjoyment.
The theme park gives many locations to shoot the classical Chinese gardening and landscapes. The surreal water film at night is also an interesting chance to snap a good candid photo.
Just take Tourism Bus 8 or Bus 610, you can easily get from Tang Paradise to Qujiang Pool Park, which is just situated about 2km southeast of Tang Paradise. Qujiang Pool has been a part of the imperial garden since Qin Dynasty (221BC – 207BC). In Tang Dynasty (618 – 907) it became a large garden frequented by the royal families, dignitaries and citizens.
Today the park has restored and revamped on the historical record led by the famous architect Zhang Jinqiu. It has recreated the glorious past of the imperial park, a most visited spot of natural beauty with rich history.
It is the most relaxing park in Xian with numerous great photo opportunities to snap the classical Chinese landscapes – the pool, pavilions, gardens,bridges,lakes and traditional buildings.
It is famous for its warm springs, outstanding master pieces of Chinese classical buildings and the romantic story that happened here regarding Emperor Xuanzong (685-762) and his favorite concubine Yang Yuhuan (719-756 ), often known as Yang Guifei in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
The poem-turned drama is presented in four parts with a preclude and 10 scenes. The four parts include "Fall in Love", "A Sweet Couple", "Goodbye to Love" and "Meet again on Fairyland" .
Both Huaqing Hotspring and Terracotta Army is on the same eastern travel route from Xian’s city center, which can be combined to have a day trip. Follow me to have a glimpse of the great real-scene drama – Song of Everlasting Sorrow.
The music, the lights, the dancing, the singing, the lavish costumes and the grand stage, plus the real-scene of Huaqing Hot Spring – Lishan Mountain and the ponds, pavilions, corridors and palaces, create dazzling and eye-popping images, a great location for night shooting.
“Xiao Qing Xin” in Chinese literally means “Small, Fresh and New”, a kind of “Indie Pop”, here it is the nickname of one section of the railway that belongs to the former Xian Metallurgy Factory. It now still operates, passing through a quiet path arched by the dense trees neatly cut due to the coming back and forth of the trains.
This is a typical photo spot that is getting popular due to the social media. The first people who discover the sight send their photos online, attracting more and more to come here for great candid photography.
If you go there, just take care since the rail is still in operation. Take bus 224, 225, 407, and 631,and get off at the bus station of Hancheng North Road (汉城北路下). |
Mt.Huashan is easily accessible by high speed trains from the five cities – Beijing ( 5 hours), Xian ( 35minutes), Luoyang (one and half hours ) and Shanghai ( 10 hours) .
Mt.Huashan Scenic Spot has 5 peaks – North Peak (1614.pm), the Central Peak(2037.8m), East Peak(2096.m), West Peak(2086.2m) and South Peak (2154.9m). Huashan Mountain allows you to bag a load of fascinating photos of this massive and treacherous mountain.
Staying overnight here on the summit guarantee your some great candid opportunities – Sunset and sunrise, sea of clouds, golden hues in autumn and amazing snow scene in winter.
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:
Share a question or note for this guide. Comments are reviewed before publishing.
Hand-picked routes matched from this article's destination clues, tags, and categories.
Use these attraction notes to connect nearby sights with tours, destination guides, and planning articles.
Continue planning with practical Beijing guides selected from similar places, themes, and travel questions.
Subscribe to receive Beijing travel ideas and tour updates.
