[Important] Travel News for Expats: China travel is reopening! Travel with China Discovery and learn about where to visit & requirements for each destination! Read Details >
[Important] Travel News for Expats: China travel is reopening! Travel with China Discovery and learn about where to visit & requirements for each destination! Read Details >
How to visit Xian in a leisure way?
This trip is ideal for those who have brief 2 days to stay in Xian but want to explore the history and culture of the ancient capital city. It is perfectly designed to cover the Must-see attractions in Xian in a well-paced and flexible itinerary. You will discover the amazing history behind the Terracotta Warriors and step on top of the Ancient City Wall, feel the invisible heart beats of this ancient city. You can start this tour in the morning from your hotel, or let us pick up you at the airport or train station if you arrive at Xian in the morning. Feel free to ask questions to our travel consultants if you don't know where to start.
Day 1 Xian Arrival & Half Day Sightseeing ( L )
Highlights of today: Goose Pagoda, Ancient City Wall, Muslim Quarter
Today, your local travel guide will meet you in your hotel or the airport / train station and escort you to the Da Cien Temple, a famous Buddhist sutra translation site during the Tang Dynasty. Big Wild Goose Pagoda is the most famous building in the temple. The pagoda, rising to a height of 64.5 meters, was built by the famous Buddhist master Xuanzang to preserve classic scriptures he bought back from India during the early Tang Dynasty. Xuanzang was the prototype character for Tang Seng in the famous Chinese novel “Journey to the West”. (Note: It costs an extra 30 RMB if you want to climb up the Big Wild Goose Pagoda) After (or before) visiting the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, you will be provided a free experience of trying on the Hanfu which is the solemn costume of the emperors and their families, the ministers and the noble in the ancient dynasties of China. Seize this rare opportunity to take some photos to record this unique memory!
Continue your visit to Xian to take a wonderful stroll on the Ancient City Wall, the largest and best-preserved ancient city wall in China. Enjoy panoramic views of modern Xian while you leisurely examine this well-maintained city wall which is 12 meters high and 18 meters wide with a total circuit of nearly 14 kilometers. This visit is followed by a relaxing wander around bustling and lively Muslim Quarter, a place where you can try different local snacks and explore Muslim culture.
Optional activities: 1). Take a relaxing cycling on the Ancient City Wall; 2). Enjoy a wonderful Tang Palace Dance Show (usually from 8pm to 9pm) after a hearty dumpling dinner at a local restaurant.
Visit Muslim Quarter to Enjoy Some Snacks
Day 2 Terracotta Warriors & Xian Departure ( L )
Highlights of today: Terracotta Warriors and Horses, Hanyangling
After breakfast, drive about 40km to discover one of the greatest man-made wonders in the world – the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, built by the first emperor of China Qin Shihuang to protect him in his afterlife. Over 8,000 life-size warriors, horses and chariots, buried in 3 pits for more than 2,000 years until uncovered by a local farmer in 1974, form an ancient military army with complete battle units of infantry, cavalry, etc. Standing in front of these figures, one can’t help being amazed not only by the ambition of Emperor Qin Shihuang but also by the fabulous artistic skills of ancient Chinese artisans.
After lunch, take a short visit to Hanyangling which is the joint mausoleum of Emperor Jingdi and his consort Empress Wang. Compared with the Terracotta Warriors, Hanyangling is much less crowded so that you can enjoy a quiet lesson in archaeology. Here you can find many mini terracotta figures of not only warrior and horses, but also maidens and other animals. You actually walk on glass over top of the archaeological site, which gives an intriguing perspective.
The rest of the day is free for you until be escorted to catch the flight/train to leave Xian.
Terracotta Figures in Hanyanglilng Museum
Challenge yourself to hike the thrilling hiking routes on Mount Huashan.
Mount Huashan is located in Shaanxi Province, 120 kilometers away from Xian. It is not only as one of the sacred Taoist mountains in China, but also a very challenging mountain for hiking lovers. Mount Hua is famous for its lofty peaks and steep paths. Some travelers who have walked the Skywalk (Plankroad in the Sky) describe Mount Hua Hiking as the “Most Dangerous Hike in the World”. Well, this used to be true many years ago when little safe facilities were constructed, such as the cableway, tight wire, handrails. Today, it is available for most travelers to climb from the foot to the top of the mountain.
Hello Johnson,
Thanks for asking. Overall it was a very nice experience. And Jerry did a fine job. It’s nice to be taken care of someone who is enthusiastic about showing strangers around in his country.
Well I don’t know if he is but we learned a lot from him.
Later more, when I have more time, we may want to do another mountain tour somewhere else later on
Me and my Wife (both of us living in Shanghai) wanted to get away from the city during Christmas, but due to Covid-19, options was limited. After talking to Johnson on China discovery, we had booked a fantastic 10 days trip through the yellow mountains and Guilin.
Johnson was fantastic with helping us, both when we changed our minds on elements of the trip, and when we forgot our passport at home before leaving for the trip. Everything was well planned and we felt safe and taken care of the whole trip.
Especially our “local mountain guide” April was fantastic, even introducing us to friends and tea tasting on Christmas Eve!
We are already planning two more trips with China discovery!
/Andreas & Joanna
Hi Zeva,
Lijiang was lovely.
The driver is wonderful and extremely knowledgeable, so after I checked in he brought me to Songzanlin Monastery.
I'm enjoying the Monastery.
Hi Wonder,
Here is our feedback.
1. Is your travel consultant of our company fast enough to answer your E-mail and patient enough to answer your questions?
Yes. He is very fast in response and helped us a lot.
2. How do you comment your tour arrangements?
Very Good. Can consider 8.5 in a scale of 1 to 10.
3. Are you willing to recommend our service to your people who also have an interest to visit China?
Yes. Definitely.
4. Your general opinion on us?
The guidance of your company is enough to decide for a package.
5. Do you have any suggestions on improving our services?
So far this small tour, I found this is okay. But after a big tour I will suggest on this.
6. Can we use your comments of our service, the photos or other images that you took on the tour for our websites, brochures, marketing and publicity? If yes, could you please send us some of your photos by E-mail?
Yes. I will send some photo in wechat.
7. We sometimes have requests from potential customers who would like to inquire from or our ex-customers. May they contact you for advice?
No issue.
Hi Wendy,
Helen is INCREDIBLE! Love her energy and enthusiasm. Tour has been very good so far; now we are on our way to Yabuli. Oh it has been an absolute blast so far. Helen was a lifesaver in Ya Bu Li!
Ada was also very nice, but there was, unfortunately, a very big language barrier, as she had difficulty with English.
Thank you Wendy. Just finished the tour today; was a great trip overall.
"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.
Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.
Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!
After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.
Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.
We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.
Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.
Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.
Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!
Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!
Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.
Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!
In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!
The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.
If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.
Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.
We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.
The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.
There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.
All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!
Our guests biking on the Ancient City Wall
Xian Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Visit Muslim Quarter to Enjoy Some Snacks
Terracotta Warriors were built by the first emperor of China Qin Shihuang to protect him in his afterlife
Terracotta Figures in Hanyanglilng Museum
Our private Xian tour packages let you decide where to go, when to go, where to stay and touring paces on your own. The itinerary, hotels, food, cultural programs are customized to match your requirements. Before the tour, our knowledgeable Xian experts will give reliable suggestions and propose ideal tour package for you. During the tour, our private tour guide will help you learn deep about the history and culture of Xian, and make sure everything work well throughout the tour at the same time.
Xian applies to the 72-Hour Transit Visa Exemption. Visitor from 53 foreign countries who hold valid travel document & connecting flights to a third country/region can enter Xian from Xian Xianyang Airport, and stay in Xian up to 72 hours without a Chinese Visa. But since Xi’an has not many international flights, and the city is usually a middle stop of a China tour, we advise you to apply for a China Tourist Visa (L Visa) before coming to China so that you can travel in a more secure and flexible way. China Discovery can provide you the invitation letter so that you can obtain the visa with bigger chance while least time.
Xi'an has a warm temperate semi-humid continental monsoon climate with distinct four seasons – warm spring, hot and rainy summer, cool and comfortable autumn, cold and dry winter. The average annual temperature of Xi'an is around 13°C / 55°F. Generally speaking, you can visit Xian all year around, as most of the attractions are located in and near city area. But the best two periods of time to visit is March to June and mid-September to early November. During this period, the weather there is neither too hot nor too cold, and the number of tourists is relatively smaller than the summer time’s.
What to wear in summer? - light, quick-dry and easy to wear clothes, hat, sunscreen, rain jacket and comfortable shoes. What to wear in winter? - double layer jacket, long underwear pants and tops, sweaters, long sleeve shirts, wool blend socks, boots, winter jacket, winter hat, winter gloves, winter scarf. What to wear in spring? - long underwear, fleece outer layer, face mask, light hat, scarf, and gloves. What to wear in autumn? - thermal warmer jacket, light hat, gloves, scarf, wool socks, fleece pants.
Xian is only about 2~3 hours flying from majority of big cities in China, such as Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, etc. You can also take international flights to Xian from more than 50 countries and regions, such as Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Sydney, Kuala, Bangkok, etc. Xian is connected by high-speed rails widely. You can get from Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Luoyang, Zhengzhou, Pingyao, etc. to Xian by bullet trains within 6 hours. Recommended gateways to Xian include: Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Hong Kong.
Bell & Drum Towers Area - strongly recommended for first-timers, easy access to Ancient City Wall, Muslim Quarter, Bell Tower, Drum Tower and popular restaurants. Hotel rates are higher than other areas, but you have a lot of choices of different standards. Xincheng District - not very far from the city center as well as Xian’s main attractions, recommended for families as there are shopping center and parks to enjoy a stroll. Yanta Distict – Yanta District is on the south of the city center, also near main attractions, including Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, History Museum, etc. It has many hotels of budget class.
China Discovery only uses those hotels with convenient amenities, fine services and great reputations. Most of them are 5-star and 4-star hotels located near the Muslim Quarter (food street), Bell Tower, Ancient City Wall, where you can also get easy accesses to subway, shopping malls, banks, etc.
The city area of Xian can be explored in brief two days, while the surrounding regions also have a lot of places to explore, such as Mount Hua, Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng. If time allows, you can extend your trip from Xian to above places. Each place only needs about 1 day to visit.
Xian / Mount Huashan
Xian / Mount Huashan / Xian
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[Important] Travel News for Expats: China travel is reopening now! Travel with China Discovery and learn about where to visit & requirements for each destination! Read Details >
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