Xi'an

Capital of thirteen dynasties: the Terracotta Army and City Wall, the Hanfu craze on Datang Everbright City, the starting point of the Silk Road and a paradise of carb-heavy food.

Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi Province, in the middle of the Guanzhong Plain on the south bank of the Wei River, with the Qinling Mountains to the south. It was the capital of thirteen dynasties including the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang, with a history as a capital spanning more than 1,100 years, and is the starting point of the Silk Road. The city is centered on the old town enclosed by the Ming-dynasty City Wall (the Bell and Drum Towers, the Muslim Quarter, the Great Mosque on Huajue Lane, the Forest of Stone Steles, Yongxingfang). The southern suburbs hold the remains of Tang-dynasty Chang'an (the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Datang Everbright City, Tang Paradise, the Shaanxi History Museum, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Qinglong Temple, Daxingshan Temple). The northern suburbs hold Daming Palace and the Weiyang Palace ruins of Han-dynasty Chang'an. The eastern suburb of Lintong District has the Terracotta Army and Huaqing Palace (about 35 km from downtown). On the Xianyang Plateau north of the Wei River are the Han Yangling Mausoleum and the Shaanxi History Museum Qin-Han Branch. Farther out, Qianling Mausoleum and Yuanjiacun lie 60–80 km to the northwest, and to the south are the Qinling foothills, including Cuihua Mountain. The climate is temperate semi-humid monsoon: March–May brings warm spring blossoms (cherry blossoms at Qinglong Temple, Tang Paradise), and September–November is crisp and clear, the best time to travel; summer (June–August) is hot and dry, often above 38°C, and the Qinling Mountains are a place to escape the heat; winter is cold with occasional snow, when the City Wall and Bell Tower in snow are beautiful. Getting there: Xianyang Airport is linked to the city by metro and airport shuttle bus; Xi'an North is the main high-speed rail station, and Xi'an Railway Station is just north of the City Wall. For the Terracotta Army, take Tourist Bus 5 (306) or Metro Line 9 and transfer. More than ten metro lines cover the main sights, and the old town is good for walking and cycling. We suggest 3–5 days: Day 1, the Bell and Drum Towers, the Muslim Quarter, cycling the City Wall and the Forest of Stone Steles; Day 2, the Terracotta Army, Huaqing Palace, and the evening show Song of Everlasting Sorrow; Day 3, the Shaanxi History Museum, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Tang Paradise and Datang Everbright City; Day 4, Daming Palace or Han Yangling plus the Qin-Han Branch; Day 5, Yuanjiacun plus Qianling Mausoleum. Notes: the Terracotta Army, the Shaanxi History Museum and the Archaeological Museum all require real-name reservations; free tickets to the Shaanxi History Museum are extremely hard to get, so consider booking the Qin-Han Branch or the Archaeological Museum instead; Datang Everbright City is extremely crowded at night; Xi'an food is mostly carbs (roujiamo, liangpi cold noodles, paomo, biangbiang noodles), and Sajinqiao and Yongxingfang are more authentic than the Muslim Quarter. Mount Hua is about 120 km from Xi'an and climbers usually stay in Huayin; see the separate "Mount Hua" destination. Famen Temple lies toward Baoji; see the "Baoji" destination.

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Where to eat

Itineraries