Things to Do in Xi'an

About Xi'an

Cumin and charred lamb fat hit you first, long before you notice the Great Mosque's minaret rising above Beiyuanmen's low rooftops. Behind it, the afternoon call to prayer carries across northern China. Eleven dynasties, Qin, Han, Tang, made Xi'an their capital. The city has stacked meaning since 1100 BC without bragging. The 13.7-kilometer Ming Dynasty wall still rings the Old City intact. Wide enough for carriages to pass side by side up top. Rent a bicycle at South Gate, around ¥45 ($6.30), and ride the full perimeter above rooflines in two unhurried hours. Twenty kilometers east at Lintong, Terracotta Warriors stand in climate-controlled pits. Entry costs ¥150 ($21). Pit 1's six thousand individual figures don't register until you're on the gallery above, watching clay ranks stretch toward the far wall in deliberate silence. The catch: Bell Tower Square's streets have been polished into theme-park territory. July and August at the Warriors site means sweat-soaked endurance among tour groups. Still, grab a roujiamo from a Huimin Jie stall first. The slow-braised lamb sandwich, one of China's oldest street foods, proves Xi'an isn't just China's best archaeological destination. It's one of the country's most rewarding cities to eat in.

Travel Tips

Transportation: Xi'an's metro, four lines, with extensions under construction, handles most central sightseeing for ¥2-5 ($0.28-0.70) per journey, reaching the South Gate, Bell Tower, and Shaanxi History Museum without fuss. The Terracotta Warriors are a different matter: they sit 30 kilometers east, and the only sensible option is Bus 915 from the East Bus Station near Xi'an Railway Station (¥7 / around $1, roughly 70 minutes). Download DiDi before you land, China's ride-hailing app runs cheaper than street taxis and accepts foreign cards with some initial setup. Skip the tourist shuttle services near Bell Tower Square, they'll charge you extra for the same ride. For the City Wall itself, rent bikes at the South Gate, it is the only way to properly cover all 13.7 kilometers of the perimeter rather than walking a short stretch and turning back.

Money: China's economy runs on mobile payments to a degree that can wrong-foot foreign visitors, completely. Alipay and WeChat Pay handle street stalls, taxis, museum tickets, and restaurants alike. As of 2024, both apps allow foreign Visa and Mastercard linkage, though setup tends to require a functioning Chinese phone number. Sort this before departure via a roaming SIM or eSIM, it'll save you headaches later. Keep ¥200-300 ($28-42) in small notes for the first day regardless, since older vendors in Huimin Jie sometimes only accept cash. ATMs at ICBC and China Construction Bank branches work reliably with foreign cards, though expect a ¥25 ($3.50) service fee per withdrawal. Exchange rates at tourist-area money changers near Bell Tower Square are uniformly poor, avoid them completely.

Cultural Respect: The Great Mosque in Huimin Jie dates from the Tang Dynasty, still an active place of worship, not some heritage site that tolerates tourists. Cover shoulders and knees before entering (scarves are usually available at the entrance gate). Treat the prayer hall like any working mosque: no photography inside, voices low. The surrounding quarter is Hui Muslim, pork-free by default. The absence of pork isn't a curiosity. It is simply how things work here. At the Terracotta Warriors, photography is permitted but flash is banned. The diffused natural light in the pits makes better photographs anyway. A practiced xie xie, the Mandarin for thank you, at food stalls earns visible warmth, even from vendors who've heard it a thousand times.

Food Safety: Skip the map. The Muslim Quarter's Huimin Jie is the main event, and the old rule still works: eat where the queue is longest and the turnover fastest. Roujiamo, the braised lamb sandwich, won't wait for you, and biang biang noodles, those wide belt-width strands slick with oil, vinegar, and dried chili, are safe picks from busy stalls precisely because they move so quickly. Yang rou pao mo, the lamb-and-bread soup where you tear the flatbread yourself before sliding the bowl back to the kitchen, is better ordered at established restaurants than from street carts, broth quality swings wildly. Drink bottled or hotel-filtered water, not tap. Skip pre-cut fruit displayed in open air during August heat. It sits out longer than it should.

When to Visit

Xi'an throws real weather extremes at you, timing matters more here than in most Chinese cities. Spring (March to May) is your safest bet for a first visit. Temperatures rise from 8°C (46°F) in early March to 25°C (77°F) by late May, with occasional rain but mostly clear skies. The Qingming Festival in early April pulls domestic crowds to Xi'an's imperial tombs, this is, after all, the tomb-sweeping holiday, and no city in China has more imperial tombs, so expect queues at the Terracotta Warriors and book tickets online at least a week ahead. Hotel rates run 20-30% below summer peaks during this window, and the parkland along the City Wall looks its greenest. Summer (June to August) is when Xi'an tests your resolve. Temperatures hit 37-40°C (99-104°F) in July and August, humidity amplifies everything, and the archaeological pits at Lintong become heat management exercises between 10 AM and 4 PM. International flights and hotel rates peak in August, budget guesthouses in the Old City can run close to double their winter pricing. If summer is your only option, hit outdoor sites before 9 AM and retreat to the Shaanxi History Museum (free entry, excellent air conditioning, excellent Tang Dynasty collection) for midday. The Muslim Quarter's food stalls stay open late into summer evenings, and after 9 PM the temperature drops to something survivable. Autumn (September to November) is what repeat visitors would pick. October brings temperatures around 10-22°C (50-72°F), clear skies, and the best light for photographing the City Wall and the Big Goose Pagoda. The catch: Golden Week, October 1-7, is China's national holiday, and Xi'an receives domestic tourism at an intensity that makes the Terracotta Warriors feel chaotic. If you're here during Golden Week, treat it as a food-and-wander week and visit major sites only at opening time or in the final hour before closing. After October 8, crowds thin considerably, and by November, hotel rates typically drop 35-40% below their summer peak. Winter (December to February) is cold, overnight lows of -5°C (23°F) are common in January, with occasional snow. But surprisingly practical for budget travelers. The Terracotta Warriors in winter have a quiet that summer visitors will never experience: on a grey January weekday, you might share Pit 2 with a handful of other visitors. Hotel rates sit at their annual lowest, and international flights in January and early February run considerably cheaper than peak season. Chinese New Year (late January or early February, depending on the lunar calendar) transforms the Bell Tower area and the Great Mosque neighborhood with red lanterns and street performances, worth planning around if you can. Note that smaller restaurants and some shops close for one to two weeks during the holiday. Book accommodation several weeks in advance, as the city fills faster than most visitors expect.