# Xi'an: map, what to do and when to go

Old Chang'an: the Terracotta Warriors, a complete Ming wall and the Hui cooking of the Muslim Quarter

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/xian/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Xi'an: how do I get from the airport to the center?** Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (XIY) is about 40 km northwest of the center, already in the neighboring city of Xianyang.
- **Xi'an: do I need a visa to enter China?** China's entry rules depend on nationality and the type of trip, and they change often.
- **Xi'an: how many days should I stay?** I'd stay three full days in Xi'an.

## Walled city: towers, the Muslim Quarter and a bike ride around the wall
At 9 a.m., climb the Bell Tower, entering through the underpass next to Zhonglou station, and look from there at the four avenues that organize the center.
- Xi'an City Wall
- Xi'an Bell Tower
- Xi'an Drum Tower
- Muslim Quarter
- Forest of Stelae Museum

## The Terracotta Warriors and Lishan Garden, in Lintong
Book ahead, on the website or on the museum's official WeChat accounts, the 9 a.m. or 9:30 a.m. slot, with the passport you will be carrying.
- Terracotta Army
- Huaqing Palace

## Shaanxi History Museum and the two Tang pagodas
Five days ahead, at 5 p.m., book free entry to the Shaanxi History Museum through the official WeChat, with your passport.
- Shaanxi History Museum
- Big Wild Goose Pagoda
- Small Wild Goose Pagoda
- Datang Everbright City

## Terracotta Army
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/xian/#g-lugar-exercito-de-terracota
Half a day or more
The Museum of the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, in Lintong, about 40 km east of the center, covers the pits where farmers found the warriors in 1974. Pit 1, 230 m long, holds the main army in formation, with more than 3,000 life-size figures, each with a different face and uniforms and hairstyles that vary by rank; Pit 2 mixes cavalry, archers and war chariots, and Pit 3 is the command post. Since 2024, the restoration laboratory in Pit 1 has worked in view of the public. The ticket (120 CNY per adult all year, checked in October 2026) is valid on the same day for the pits and for Lishan Garden, next to the emperor's still-sealed tomb, where the bronze chariots are; a free bus connects the two areas, and each one takes about an hour and a half. Tickets are sold only online and in the visitor's name, through the website or the official WeChat accounts; bring the original document used for the booking and enter through the north gate.
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## Xi'an City Wall
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/xian/#g-lugar-muralha-de-xi-an
Xian · One to two hours
The Ming wall, begun in 1370 and reinforced with brick in 1568, encloses the center in a rectangle of 13.74 km, 12 m high, with a path 12 to 14 m wide on top and a moat around it. It is one of the most complete city walls in China, and the best way to cover it is by bike, rented at the main gates, on a loop of one to two hours. The gates have different hours: the south gate, Yongningmen, opens from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is paid (54 CNY per adult in 2026), and the bike rental is charged separately; bikes are not rented out in the rain, because the surface gets slippery.
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## Xi'an Bell Tower
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/xian/#g-lugar-torre-do-sino-de-xi-an
Xian · Up to half an hour
Built in 1384 and moved to the central crossing in 1582, it marks the geometric center of the walled city. It stands on a traffic island: you enter through the underpass next to Zhonglou metro station. Inside there are old bells and short musical performances throughout the day, and the view of the four avenues is the best orientation for the rest of the visit. At night, lit up, it is the postcard image of the center.
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## Xi'an Drum Tower
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/xian/#g-lugar-torre-do-tambor-de-xi-an
Xian · Up to half an hour
Located 200 m west of the Bell Tower, at the entrance to the Muslim Quarter, it has a collection of drums and short performances. The ticket can be combined with the Bell Tower's at the ticket office. If you only have time to climb one of the two, the Bell Tower is the better choice; the Drum Tower is best enjoyed from outside, on the way to the quarter.
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## Muslim Quarter
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/xian/#g-lugar-bairro-muculmano
Xian · One to two hours
The alleys north and west of the Drum Tower, with Beiyuanmen Street as their axis, are the Hui community's neighborhood and the most sought-after place in the city for street food: roujiamo, lamb soup with bread, fried persimmon cakes and dried fruit sold by weight. The main street is the busiest and the most expensive; the side lanes, such as Xiyang Shi, have more variety. Inside the quarter is the Gao Family Mansion, a restored Ming courtyard residence that hosts puppet theater.
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## Great Mosque of Xi'an
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/xian/#g-lugar-grande-mesquita-de-xi-an
Xian · Up to half an hour
On Huajue Xiang lane, near the Drum Tower, it is one of the largest old mosques in China. Tradition dates its founding to 742, and its present form comes from the reconstruction of 1392: instead of domes, four courtyards in sequence, with gardens and ceremonial arches, which combine Chinese architecture with the functions of a mosque. The prayer hall is reserved for Muslims; visitors walk through the courtyards in modest clothing, and non-Muslims pay admission.
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## Forest of Stelae Museum
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/xian/#g-lugar-museu-da-floresta-de-estelas
Beilin · One to two hours
The Beilin, beside the south wall, near the Wenchang gate, holds thousands of stone stelae engraved with Confucian classics, poems and calligraphy, as well as the Nestorian Stele of 781, which records the arrival of Christianity in Tang China. For those who read Chinese or are interested in calligraphy, it is one of the great museums in the country; for everyone else, the Nestorian Stele and the scale of the collection justify an hour.
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## Shaanxi History Museum
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/xian/#g-lugar-museu-de-historia-de-shaanxi
Xian · Half a day or more
In Xiaozhai, about 800 m northwest of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, it gathers pieces from prehistory to the Qing period: pottery from the Neolithic village of Banpo, Shang bronzes and objects from the Tang court. The main exhibition is free, but only with a booking in your name through the museum's official WeChat, opened five days ahead at 5 p.m.; foreigners book with a passport. Opening hours change with the season: check the day's hours when you book. The Tang murals exhibition has a separate ticket.
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## Big Wild Goose Pagoda
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/xian/#g-lugar-pagoda-do-ganso-selvagem-grande
Yanta · One to two hours
A seven-story brick tower inside the Da Ci'en Temple, built in 652 under the direction of the monk Xuanzang to house the scriptures he brought from India, rebuilt in the time of Empress Wu Zetian and faced with new brick in the Ming era. It is one of the Silk Road sites inscribed by UNESCO. Admission to the temple cost 30 CNY in 2026, and climbing the tower is paid separately. In the north square there is a fountain show with music; check the time on the day.
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## Small Wild Goose Pagoda
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/xian/#g-lugar-pagoda-do-ganso-selvagem-pequeno
Xian · Up to half an hour
Begun in 707 at the Jianfu Temple to house the translations of the monk Yijing, it was 45 m tall and lost its top in the earthquake of 1556. It is part of the same Silk Road heritage and shares its park with the Xi'an Museum, which is free with a booking. The complex is closed on Tuesdays.
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## Datang Everbright City
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/xian/#g-lugar-datang-everbright-city
Xian · One to two hours
A pedestrian street 2,100 m long that runs south from the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, with buildings and shows inspired by the Tang era, night lighting and performers in period costume. It is recent and theatrical, and on holidays it receives more than 300,000 people a day, according to the city government. It works best as a late-evening stop for anyone already at the pagoda.
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## Huaqing Palace
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/xian/#g-lugar-palacio-huaqing
Lintong · One to two hours
Hot springs at the foot of Mount Li, about 25 km from the center and on the way to the warriors, used by several dynasties and renovated by the Tang emperor Xuanzong, whose romance with the consort Yang Guifei inspired the poem Song of Everlasting Sorrow. Most of the buildings date from later periods, but the excavated Tang baths are on view. It was also the setting of the Xi'an Incident, in 1936. Huaqingchi station, metro line 9.
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## Daming Palace
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/xian/#g-lugar-palacio-daming
Xian · One to two hours
An archaeological park north of Xi'an Railway Station, on the site of the palace where the Tang emperors lived for more than 220 years. What remains of the complex is platforms, a reconstructed gate and a scale model; the rest is lawn and wide plazas. It is part of the Silk Road heritage and is of interest to anyone who wants to grasp the scale of old Chang'an.
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**Xi'an: how do I get from the airport to the center?**
Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (XIY) is about 40 km northwest of the center, already in the neighboring city of Xianyang. Metro line 14 connects the terminal to Xi'an North Station, where you change to lines 2 and 4; line 2 runs south to the Bell Tower (Zhonglou station). Airport buses go to the center and to Xi'an Railway Station in about an hour. For a taxi, use the official queue: illegal taxis and touts who say the last bus has already left are a known problem at arrivals.

**Xi'an: do I need a visa to enter China?**
China's entry rules depend on nationality and the type of trip, and they change often. China grants unilateral visa-free entry for up to 30 days to citizens of a list of countries, with a validity period set and renewed by the government for fixed terms. There is also visa-free transit of up to 240 hours (10 days) for ordinary passports from 57 countries, with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region; Shaanxi is among the provinces covered by the policy, and the stay is valid throughout the province. Before buying your ticket, check the list of countries, the accepted ports of entry and the rule that applies to your passport with China's National Immigration Administration (NIA, en.nia.gov.cn) or a Chinese consulate.

**Xi'an: how many days should I stay?**
I'd stay three full days in Xi'an. The first is for the walled city: the towers, the Muslim Quarter, the Great Mosque, the Forest of Stelae and the bike ride around the wall at dusk. The second belongs entirely to the Terracotta Warriors and Lishan Garden, in Lintong, with the Huaqing Palace on the way back if there is energy left. The third goes south, to the Shaanxi History Museum and the two Tang pagodas. With two days, I'd keep the walled city and the warriors and leave the museum and the pagodas for another trip; less than that forces a choice between the clay army and the city. Mount Hua is an extension for a fourth day, and it is only worth it for those who can face hours of steep steps or a cable car line.

**Xi'an: how do I buy tickets for the Terracotta Warriors?**
Tickets are sold only online and in the visitor's name, through the website or the official WeChat accounts; bring the original document used for the booking, because a copy or a photo won't open the turnstile, and enter through the north gate. The ticket (120 CNY per adult all year, checked in October 2026) is valid on the same day for the pits and for Lishan Garden, next to the emperor's still-sealed tomb, where the bronze chariots are; a free bus connects the two areas, and each one takes about an hour and a half. The reduced fare applies only to full-time students of Chinese institutions, up to undergraduate level, with an ID card, and foreign children up to 1.4 m tall accompanied by their parents enter free if they are included in the advance booking.

**Xi'an: how do I get to the Terracotta Warriors?**
There are two ways to reach the Terracotta Warriors. Bus 306, also marked as Tourism 5, leaves from the east lot opposite Xi'an Railway Station and ends at the museum parking lot; it costs 7 CNY, paid on board, and takes about an hour without traffic, up to three hours in congestion. It also stops at the Huaqing Palace. Avoid vehicles advertised as 306 by touts on the inside of the wall, which include stops at shops. The other option is the metro to Huaqingchi station, on line 9, and then a local bus or a taxi.

**Xi'an: how do I book the Shaanxi History Museum?**
The main exhibition is free, but only with a booking in your name through the museum's official WeChat, opened five days ahead at 17:00; foreigners book with a passport, and the slots run out quickly. Opening hours change with the season: check the day's hours when you book. The Tang murals exhibition has a separate ticket.

**Xi'an: can I visit Mount Hua and return the same day?**
The sacred Taoist mountain, about 120 km to the east, has five main peaks, the highest of them the South, at 2,154.9 m. By high-speed train, leave early from Xi'an North Station for Huashan North Station (about 35 minutes) and continue by bus or taxi to the Visitor Center, where the internal buses to the two cable cars depart. A common combination is to go up by the West Peak cable car, walk across the South, Central and East peaks and come down by the North Peak cable car; climbing on foot from the base takes four to six hours. Cable cars, internal buses and the optional plank walk are paid separately. In the 2025–2026 low season, entry through the Visitor Center ran from 08:00 to 16:00 and the cable cars from 08:00 to 18:00; check rules, booking and hours on the park's official channel before buying the train ticket. The trails have steep steps and exposed stretches and are not recommended for anyone with vertigo or knee problems.

**Xi'an: when is the best time to go?**
April, May and October; October only outside the national holiday week, October 1 to 7, and July has an average high of 32.8 °C (1991–2020 normal from the China Meteorological Administration). National holidays weigh more than the weather: the week of October 1 to 7, Chinese New Year and the May 1 holiday pack the sites and sell out the bookings.

**Xi'an: how do I pay for things?**
The currency is the yuan (CNY), and the city pays for almost everything by QR code. The People's Bank of China's 2024 payment guide for foreigners explains how to link an international card to Alipay or WeChat Pay; also carry some cash for stalls and buses, and a Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay card for hotels.

**Xi'an: is it a safe city?**
Xi'an has a low rate of violent crime, and the practical risks are others. Pickpockets work on crowded buses, in the Muslim Quarter and on holidays. Illegal taxis and touts operate at the airport and at Xi'an Railway Station: use the official queue or an app, check the plate (陕AT, 陕AU or 陕AD on legitimate taxis) and, if you end up in an irregular taxi, don't argue, note the plate and call 12328. Stay away from tours that promise a low price and include stops at shops. In summer, heat is the real risk: the wall and the warriors' pits have long stretches in the sun, and the city government recommends visiting early or in the late afternoon. On Mount Hua, the trails have steep steps and exposed passages; stay on the path and avoid climbing in rain or ice. Emergencies: 110 (police), 120 (ambulance) and 119 (fire).


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 2 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/xian/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/xian/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/xian.md