Shaanxi · China
The eastern end of the Silk Road and the capital of China for longer than any other city, buried under whose farmland an emperor's army of eight thousand life-size soldiers stood guard for two thousand years.
Xi'an was the capital of China on and off for over a thousand years, under eleven dynasties, longer than any other city in the country's history. It was here, not Beijing, that the Silk Road actually began — camel caravans left this city for Central Asia, Persia and eventually Rome, carrying silk one way and returning with glass, spices and religions that reshaped Chinese culture. Under its Tang-dynasty peak, Xi'an, then called Chang'an, was the largest city on earth, home to over a million people at a time when London had perhaps twenty thousand.
Almost none of that ancient grandeur is visible from street level today, which is exactly why the Terracotta Army matters so much. Discovered by farmers digging a well in 1974, the buried army of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, turned out to be one of the largest and most significant archaeological finds of the twentieth century — over eight thousand soldiers, each with an individually sculpted face, standing in battle formation underground for over two thousand years, guarding a tomb that has still never been opened.
The city that survives above ground is smaller but still remarkable: a complete Ming-dynasty wall, fourteen kilometres around and wide enough to cycle along its top, and the Muslim Quarter, where the descendants of Silk Road traders have run the same streets for centuries and now serve some of the best street food anywhere in China.
Why visit
Xi'an's case rests on one extraordinary site and a city built by a thousand years as capital — a pairing that makes it, alongside Beijing, the essential stop for understanding Chinese history.
Not a handful of statues but an entire buried army, individually sculpted, arranged in genuine military formation and still being excavated today.
Xi'an, as Chang'an, was where the trade routes to Central Asia and beyond began, and that legacy is still visible in the Muslim Quarter's food and architecture.
Fourteen kilometres of Ming-dynasty fortification, walkable or cyclable in full, rather than the fragments most Chinese cities retain.
Biang biang noodles, roujiamo and a dozen other Shaanxi specialities, sold from the same Muslim Quarter stalls that have served them for generations.
Four and a half hours by bullet train, Xi'an adds ancient imperial history to Beijing's more recent version of the same story, without adding real logistical complexity to a first trip.
Main attractions
Xi'an rewards two unhurried days rather than a rushed one. These are the sights worth building that time around.
Over eight thousand life-size warriors, horses and chariots, discovered in 1974 and still being excavated, arranged in three pits of which Pit 1 — the size of an aircraft hangar — is the overwhelming centrepiece.
Tip Go early and start at Pit 1, then work through Pits 2 and 3 and the bronze chariots hall, which most visitors rush and shouldn't.
A complete Ming-dynasty wall encircling the old city, fourteen kilometres around, wide enough for a golf cart, and rentable by bicycle for a full loop with views over both the old city and the modern one beyond it.
Tip Rent a bike at the South Gate. A full loop takes about two hours at an easy pace, or exit early if your legs give out.
The historic Hui Muslim district around the Great Mosque, its narrow streets packed with street-food stalls, spice shops and souvenir vendors, and the single best place in China to eat standing up.
Tip Beiyuanmen is the main touristy strip; turn off it into the side alleys for the same food at better prices and less crowding.
A working mosque since the Tang dynasty, built in an entirely Chinese architectural style — courtyards, pagodas and tiled roofs rather than domes and minarets — a physical record of how deeply Islam integrated into Chinese culture.
Tip Modest dress is expected. It is a quiet, garden-like escape from the Muslim Quarter's crowds just outside.
One of China's best provincial museums, holding bronzes, ceramics and Tang-dynasty gold that give context to everything else in the city, including artefacts from the Terracotta Army site itself.
Tip Free but ticketed — collect a same-day ticket in the morning, as daily numbers are capped and it fills up.
A seven-storey Tang-dynasty pagoda built to house Buddhist scriptures brought back from India by the monk Xuanzang, whose journey inspired the classic novel Journey to the West, set in a large temple complex and square.
Tip The evening fountain and light show in the square outside is free and popular with locals rather than only tourists.
A recreated Tang-dynasty welcoming ceremony performed most evenings at the South Gate, with costumed performers, drums and a formal 'gate-opening' — kitsch, but an enjoyable evening spectacle.
Tip Check the schedule locally, as timing varies by season. Free to watch from the square.
Things to do
Xi'an is compact enough to see properly in two days if you resist trying to add a third major sight to any one of them.
Fourteen kilometres of Ming-dynasty wall, wide and flat enough to cycle in full, passing watchtowers and views over both the old and new cities.
Tip Sunset is the best light, though the wall closes at a fixed time — check before you set off on a full loop.
Biang biang noodles from one stall, roujiamo from another, a persimmon cake for dessert — the Muslim Quarter rewards grazing across several vendors rather than sitting down at one restaurant.
Tip Cash and mobile payment both work; many stalls have QR codes taped to the counter.
Pit 1 gets the crowds and the photographs, but Pits 2 and 3, and the separate hall of bronze chariots, are quieter and show the army's structure and command hierarchy in more detail.
Tip Budget at least ninety minutes for the full site, not the thirty most guided tours allow.
Asia's largest choreographed fountain, set to music, in the square below the pagoda — free, popular with local families, and a good early evening between sightseeing and dinner.
Tip Shows run several times each evening. Arrive fifteen minutes early for a good spot.
A museum built entirely around inscribed stone tablets, some over a thousand years old, recording calligraphy, classic texts and historical records — niche but a favourite among calligraphy enthusiasts.
Tip Skippable on a short trip, but worth an hour if you have a third day.
Huoshao persimmon cakes, a Xi'an speciality made from the region's soft persimmons, alongside teahouses serving local varieties — a gentler counterpoint to the Muslim Quarter's spice and crowds.
Tip Persimmon cakes are seasonal, best from autumn through winter when the fruit is fresh.
Local food
Xi'an's food is Shaanxi's food, wheat-based, boldly seasoned and among the most distinctive regional cuisines in China — and the Muslim Quarter serves it better than almost anywhere else.
Hand-pulled noodles as wide as a belt, named for the sound of the dough being slapped against the counter, tossed with chilli oil, vinegar and vegetables — Shaanxi's signature dish and filling.
Where to try it Any Muslim Quarter stall with a queue of locals, or Wei Jia Liang Pi for a sit-down version.
Slow-braised pork, shredded and stuffed into a griddle-baked flatbread — often called China's hamburger, and considerably older than the American original, with roots tracing back over a thousand years.
Where to try it Muslim Quarter stalls, where a lamb version is also common alongside the classic pork.
A bread-and-mutton soup where you tear flatbread into small pieces yourself before it is filled with rich mutton broth, noodles and meat — a Xi'an classic that is as much ritual as meal.
Where to try it Laosunjia or Tongshengxiang, both historic paomo restaurants in the old city.
Cold, chewy wheat or rice noodles tossed with chilli oil, garlic, vinegar and bean sprouts — a refreshing counterpoint to the city's heavier dishes, sold from carts across the old town.
Where to try it Street carts throughout the Muslim Quarter and old city, especially in warmer months.
Cumin- and chilli-dusted grilled lamb skewers, cooked over charcoal at street stalls, a Xi'an speciality with roots in the city's historic Silk Road and Central Asian connections.
Where to try it Any grill stall in the Muslim Quarter after dark, when the charcoal smoke fills the street.
A sweet, chewy fried cake made from the region's soft persimmons, mixed into dough and pan-fried until golden — a distinctly Xi'an dessert, best in autumn and winter when persimmons are in season.
Where to try it Muslim Quarter dessert stalls, sold warm and often stuffed with walnuts or red bean paste.
Accommodation
Xi'an is compact enough that almost anywhere inside or just outside the City Wall works well for a short stay.
Transport
Xi'an sits on China's high-speed rail network and has its own international airport, making it an easy add-on to a Beijing-based first trip.
Xi'an's old city is walkable, its metro reaches the key outer sights, and the Terracotta Army needs a bus or organised transfer.
When to go
Xi'an sits inland with a continental climate — cold, sometimes smoggy winters and hot summers — which makes spring and autumn clearly the best windows.
Mild and comfortable, with clearer air than winter and fewer crowds than the October holiday period.
Hot and often humid, regularly above 35°C, with little shade at the Terracotta Army site itself.
The best season overall: comfortable temperatures, clear skies and, from late October, the added draw of persimmon season. The first week of October is Golden Week and very crowded.
Cold and occasionally smoggy, but the thinnest crowds of the year and noticeably cheaper hotel rates outside Chinese New Year.
Worth planning around: The first week of October, when the Terracotta Army sees its highest crowds of the year nationwide.
Itinerary
One day for the Terracotta Army and its context, one day for the old city and its food — a workable minimum that does not feel rushed.
A full day given to the site and its museum.
The City Wall, the Muslim Quarter and the pagoda.
Travel tips
Xi'an-specific practicalities, mostly about the Terracotta Army's scale and the old city's crowds.
FAQ
Two to three. One full day for the Terracotta Army, which needs ninety minutes to two hours on site plus travel time, and one day for the City Wall, Muslim Quarter and Big Wild Goose Pagoda. A third day allows the Shaanxi History Museum and the Forest of Stone Steles without rushing.
Yes, without qualification. It is one of the most significant archaeological sites on earth — an entire buried army of individually sculpted, life-size soldiers, still being excavated — and photographs undersell its scale, particularly Pit 1's aircraft-hangar size.
The official tourist bus 306 runs directly from Xi'an railway station, taking about an hour each way and costing very little. Didi ride-hailing is a faster, pricier alternative. Avoid unofficial drivers touting 'direct' transport at the station, who often add shopping detours.
April to May and September to November. Spring and autumn are both mild and comfortable; autumn adds persimmon season from late October. Summer is hot with little shade at the Terracotta Army site, and the first week of October is Golden Week and extremely crowded.
Biang biang noodles and roujiamo above everything else, both native to Shaanxi and best found in the Muslim Quarter. Yangrou paomo, a torn-bread mutton soup, is the more involved local classic; liangpi cold noodles and lamb skewers round out a proper street-food crawl.
The old city inside the walls is very walkable, and cycling the City Wall's full fourteen-kilometre loop is one of the best things to do here. The Terracotta Army, about an hour outside the centre, needs a bus, taxi or organised transfer.
Keep exploring
Places that pair well with Xi'an, whether you have a few spare days or are building a longer route.
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Don't miss The Forbidden City — 980 buildings and nearly 9,000 rooms, the seat of Chinese emperors for nearly five hundred years.
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Don't miss The Bund at dusk — a row of 1920s European banking houses facing the futuristic towers of Pudong across the Huangpu River.
Explore Destination — ShanghaiSichuan, China
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Don't miss The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding — dozens of pandas, from newborn cubs to full-grown adults, in naturalistic enclosures best seen at their most active in the early morning.
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The only city on two continents, holding the buildings of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires, a covered bazaar of 4,000 shops, and a waterway running through the middle of it.
Don't miss Hagia Sophia — a cathedral for 916 years, a mosque for 481, a museum for 86, and a mosque again since 2020.
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