Weekend in Xi'An - the 3000 year old city

Xi’An- China’s ancient city -rich in history and culture.

We took the evening bullet train from Beijing West to Xi’An North which is a 5 hour journey. We booked our stay at the Sheraton Xi'an Hotel.  We booked via trip.com and paid online via WeChat.

Considering we were here only for the weekend , we really had only Saturday for sightseeing.

We booked the car at the hotel concierge and headed to the UNESCO heritage Terracotta Warriors after breakfast . The terracotta army is a collection of clay sculptures depicting the army of China’s first emperor Qin. It was built by him to protect him in his after life. The sculptures include warriors, chariots and horses. There are 3 pits of which Pit 1 is the biggest. Then another hall has the museum which has the 2000 year old bronze Chariot. These were discovered by farmers who were digging for water nearby.

Tips: We went there during lunch time and it was less crowded than usual.We spent about 3.5hours there. It’s an hour drive from downtown. There are plenty of restaurants there including KFC, Mcdonalds and Subway.

Rental car: 500~700yuan

Tickets: 120yuan /person to pay in cash

Audio guide 30yuan +100yuan refundable deposit each

After sunset we headed to the City Wall. They had the Lantern festival lights display on. We spent an hour walking on the wall enjoying the lights and attractions. After which we headed to the Muslim Street.

The Muslim street is bustling with food sellers and shops selling souvenirs. It’s a must visit if you are visiting.

Tips: We used the DiDi app to book taxis to get around the city, but the city is well connected by Metro as well.

One full day is sufficient in Xi'An to cover the must do's. But if you are into history, you may want to spend more time here. We were glad to check off Xi'An off our list. 

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous Year of the Pig.