Things to do & places to visit in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

Today the walls of the Ming dynasty and the Tang palace walls hint at the Xi’an’s glorious past. Stare in awe at the Terracotta Army, 7,000 terracotta statues of Qin Bingmayong Bowuguan warriors and soldiers. Dating from 210 BCE, they were discovered in 1974 and are still being excavated. Don't miss the Shaanxi History Museum or a chance to heat up at former imperial bathing spot, Huaqing Hot Springs.

Xi'an city in Shaanxi, China. Timezone: Asia/Chongqing, current date and time: Thursday, May 16, 2024, 4:39.

Xi'an Weather Statistics view more »

General weather summary in May

79°F - 56°F

Temperature Highs - Lows

Mildly cool, comfortable

Feels like

32%

Chance of rain

129.0 millimeters

Amount

9.8 mph

Wind speed

53%

Humidity

13.9

Daylight length

5:43 AM

Sunrise

7:38 PM

Sunset

44%

Cloud cover

T-shirt

What to wear

Top things to do (22)

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 Xi'an City Wall Light Show (20 reviews)
- Stunning & spectacular fancy lantern light show
Cultural Events

WOW, Once it got dark, the skies were lit up beautifully by in excess of 10,000 fancy lights of well-co-ordinated, vivid colours and shaped lanterns The techniques for making the lanterns are considered to be cultural heritage intellectual property. See more..
4.5 The Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses (15.0k reviews)
- Must see
Thursday: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours History Museums

One of the most significant archaeological finds in the world, this 16,300-square-meter excavation reveals more than 7,000 life-size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations. See more..
4.5 Xi'an City Wall (Chengqiang) (7.850 reviews) from $53.85
- Exciting experience
Thursday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Ancient Ruins

Xi'an city wall has a history of 600 years. It is the Ming dynasty city wall. The city wall was built to protect the city. It is 12-14 meters across the top, 15-18 meters thick at bottom and 13.7 kilometers in length. There is rampart every 120 meters. The ramparts are towers extending out from the main wall. There are 98 ramparts along the city wall. See more..
4.5 Muslim Quarter (4.125 reviews)
- Interesting and cultural place. Worth to visit
Thursday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Points of Interest & Landmarks

I would say this place is mostly for business for the local Muslim community. It is really nice to visit it though, especially in the evening. What I would recommend is to skip dinner and go there in the evening and try various kinds of foods. You will be surprised and I think most of the people would enjoy the food. You must try the local specialty, the grilled squid. Many places have it. It is really nice. You can also buy there many souvenirs. Probably no performances, as I did not experience any but loads of food and souvenirs and other things to buy. Surely worth to go! See more..
4.5 Shaanxi History Museum (1.623 reviews) from $300.00
- Fascinating Museum
History Museums

This history museum, housed in a magnificent Confucian Temple, features more than 370,000 pieces of historical relics mainly from the Zhou to the Tang periods (1100B.C. to 907 A.D.). See more..
4.5 Dayan Pagoda Northern Square (981 reviews)
- Best to visit in the evening
Thursday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Points of Interest & Landmarks • Fountains

This is a large area located right next to the wild goose pagoda. the key highlight here is the light and water fountain show. While the show is available on the hour from day to night it is best to catch it in the evening. Set against the backdrop of the wild goose pagoda, the show is pretty spectacular. The water fountains are spread across an area about 600 meters long and 50 meters wide. The fountains literally dance to the music, and the accompanying lights are a sight to watch. The show last for about 15 minutes. Other than The light show the courtyard is also an area where older folks gather to dance and exercise. There are also bronze sculptures portraying life back then spread across the courtyard. See more..
4.5 Tomb of Emperor Jingdi (Hanyangling) (703 reviews)
- Amazing display.
Thursday: 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Cemeteries

The joint mausoleum of Emperor Jingdi and Empress Wang, his consort. See more..
4.5 Xi'an Museum (591 reviews)
- Amazing Jade and Buddha Sculpture Collection
Speciality Museums

We visited this small amazing museum without any expectation because it is located next to small pagoda and it is free. What we found out was the amazing world class Jade collection and Buddha sculpture probably the best in China. It has a complete Buddha sculpture from different dynasties in China. Very impressive. A must visit when you are in Xian. See more..
4.5 Tang Bo Art Museum (351 reviews)
- Tangbo Art Museum - highlight of Xian
Thursday: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Art Museums

Tangbo Art Muesum possesses a collection of Shannxi folk arts, ancient paintings exhibited in historical sequence, and local contemporary artists’ artworks. Whatever your age and talents, after enjoying the perfect introduction to Chinese art with a guided tour in English or Chinese, you get hands-on with brush and ink to create your own calligraphy masterpieces on rice paper. If this is not for you, feel free to join other cultural experiences such as paper-cutting learning, shadow puppets making, rubbings making, and traditional Chinese painting learning. See more..
4.5 Xi'an Qujiangchi Site Park (113 reviews)
- Lovely oasis in a big city
Thursday: 9:00 AM - 6:30 PM Bodies of Water • Parks

This is an enormous park that is right outside the grounds of the Great Goose Pagoda Temple. There are beautiful dancing fountains, lots of colorful statues and tableau commemorating famous Chinese operas, places to picnic to sit, separate areas of the park dedicated to opera, literature, etc., and lots of walking paths as well as beautiful plantings and flowers. You could easily spend hours here, meandering around the paths, taking in everything there is to see. Right at the beginning of the park is a group of outdoor vendors selling all sorts of typical touristic souvenirs. This park is a lovely place to visit if you come to the Great Goose Pagoda. See more..
4.5 Beiyuanmen Night Market (57 reviews)
- A good and colourful night market.
Flea & Street Markets

This is a great (if sometimes overcrowded) night market. It offers mainly food of all sorts, but also other market-ish stuff - clothes, fans, etc. Don't miss the fake telescope near the market's entrance - those guys built lots of fake telescopes and they charge people for taking a look at the planets. Everyone with a sharp eye can tell that those are not real telescopes (but rather home-made toys), but for many tourists, watching at taped blurry photos of the planets through a fake telescope is a must. Try asking one of the telescope operators how come you can see the planets while the skies are so cloudy... . :) See more..
4.5 Celebration Palace Park (53 reviews)
- Beautiful place to see and walk around
Thursday: 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Parks

Go at night to see the beautiful lights and walk around the park and then go to the shopping area to see more. Simply put beautiful place. See more..
4.5 Grand Tang Dynasty Ever Bright City (34 reviews)
- Great Tang All Day Mall is amazing
Historic Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Architectural Buildings • Scenic Walking Areas

As part of our tour through china we had the opportunity to visit this place and we are glad we did. After seeing so many streets in china where is felt like a tourist trap I felt like I was part of the Chinese culture. The street is extremely busy but not with tourists, but locals. All age groups were there. We arrived just before dark and the lights were just being turned on. The vendors were out in force with food, souvenirs, entertainers. For as busy as this place was it was relatively clean compared to other places we visited in china. We spent over an hour walking this street, but we ran out of time. We could not find any western toilets so if that is an issue find one before you visit here. We did try a couple of sticks of local food, some very tasty, some not but was worth trying. There were a few restaurants along the way but we did not try them. I felt very safe here but would still say to keep your guard up with your valuables. See more..
4.0 Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Dayanta) (3.440 reviews)
- Pagoda Nice and Worth Visiting Area
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Historic Sites

Located on the grounds of the Jianfu Temple, this pagoda (circa 652 A.D.) is considered on of the most famous in China due to its antiquity and historical relevance in connection with Buddha. See more..
4.0 Xi'an Bell Tower (2.325 reviews)
- Easy site to visit.
Spent 1-2 hours Ancient Ruins • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Observation Decks & Towers • Religious Sites

The Bell Tower Square marks the geographical center of the ancient capital. From this important landmark extend East, South, West and North Streets, connecting the Tower to the East, South, West and North Gates of the City Wall of the Ming Dynasty. See more..
4.0 Xi'an Mosque (1.554 reviews)
- Quiet and Peaceful, Beautifully Landscaped Mosque
Religious Sites

Dating back to the Ming period, this mosque features inner courtyards that bear more of a resemblance to a Chinese temple. See more..
4.0 Drum Tower (Gulou) (1.035 reviews)
- A must see tower with a performance
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 10:00 PM Historic Sites • Observation Decks & Towers

Built in 1384, this imposing tower was rebuilt after the 1949 Communist revolution. See more..
4.0 Huaqing Palace (720 reviews) from $35.90
- Beautiful views
Thursday: 7:30 AM - 6:30 PM Spent 1-2 hours Historic Sites • Hot Springs & Geysers

Huaqing Palace, also known as the Huaqing Hot spring or Huaqing Pool, is located in Lintong District, Xi'an city. It takes only 10 minutes from terra cotta warriors to Huaqing Palace by tourist bus 306. The mystery and scarce hot spring, which can cure diseases, attracted many emperors to build palaces here, Huaqing Palace is one the greatest among them. The design of kinds of hot spring pools represented the simple and original world view of ancient people. Now travelers can not only visit the museum of imperial hot spring pool, the historical site of Xi'an Incident but also can climb Moutain Li and furthermore explore the Chinese earliest military observation tower. Suggestion: Before visiting Huaqing Palace, please email to [email protected], we will send the tour package, which includes: the map, recommended routes and the book about the social organism. Access our official website and homepage on Facebook, you can find more information. See more..
4.0 Tang Paradise (486 reviews)
- Great for a night time visit.
Thursday: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM Historic Sites • Amusement & Theme Parks

For the fans of the Miyazaki Hayao's Spirited Away, the Ziyun Building definitely reminded me of the Yubaba's Palace. The pond, the buildings around it - all makes you feel like being in the movie. The distant lights of the Tang Pedestrian Mall are like the market where Chihiro's parents got turned into pigs. Entrance was from the West Gate. For foreigners without Chinese IDs had to show passports at the visitor's centre and the enter through a passage for disabled - kudos to the place for having such. At 17:30 there was a fountain and light show in front of the Ziyun building in the pond. Without stopping for landmarks, the park can be walked around in under two hours. On the east and north sides, each lantern along the walkway represents a sad love story from the Tang Dynasty period. There is a theater on site for which shows there are separate tickets sold. The entrance to the park itself is free. See more..
4.0 Forest of Stone Steles Museum (423 reviews)
- Museum of stone carvings
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 6:45 PM Speciality Museums • History Museums

This museum boasts the largest collection of steles cut in 837 A.D., the oldest existing texts of the Confucian classics, and more than 2,000 engraved stone tablets from the Han dynasty. See more..
4.0 Small Goose Pagoda (420 reviews)
- Suprisingly well worth a visit
Spent 2-3 hours Ancient Ruins • Observation Decks & Towers

The small goose pagoda is located within the city and it takes a bit to find it. It is well preserved and hidden in a park. The pagoda was built in 684 in honor of the Tang dynasty Emporer. See more..
4.0 Xi'an Banpo Museum (376 reviews)
- Worth a visit
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM History Museums

WE found the display very interesting. Don't be put off by negative reviews. The display here is just as worthwhile as the Terracotta Warriors. The fact is you will find remarkable the technological achievements of the human race from 5000 years ago. If you don't like history then perhaps stay away. See more..
4.0 Drum Tower Square (343 reviews)
- Been here-it’s huge!
Thursday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Points of Interest & Landmarks • Architectural Buildings

Watch for pickpockets and also hawkers trying to sell cheap terra-cotta ripoffs. Then again, watch the sellers selling the more expensive version saying that only there’s won’t fall apart and is better quality. Every man for himself here!. See more..
4.0 Shaanxi Grand Opera House Xi'an (178 reviews) from $38.98
- Another show you shouldn't miss.
Theaters

While in Xi'an, you just have to see the beautiful performance at the Opera House. The dancing of long tradition, costumes, music and dinner (served just before the show) are worth every small penny for a ticket. There is a gentleman playing a type of mouth organ that mesmerizes the audience with his range - he turns a bird song into a beautiful ballad. Another performance was the playing of a small horn with the performer intermittently talking like he'd turned himself into a cartoon character - hard to describe. The performance includes the "Masked Warriors," "Feather Dress Dance," and we couldn't take our eyes off the stage until the final curtain was pulled. Be sure to videotape because we have watched it twice since returning home. See more..
4.0 Shu Yuan Men ( Ancient Culture Street) (170 reviews)
- 10X better than Muslim Street
Thursday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Points of Interest & Landmarks • Historic Walking Areas

This is the only place I've seen in China where you can watch the people make the souveniers as you buy them. The artists are painting, making stamps (traditional Chinese things made from marble), practicing calligraphy, and so on. It's a much more peaceful walk, usually not very crowded, and the general ambiance is calm and open-minded. The artists don't shout at you to buy their wares (unlike Muslim Street). Prices are surprisingly fair (e.g. 30 yuan for stamps, 50 for some paintings). The stalls close early, around 6 pm, but stick around for some street bbq! See more..
4.0 Cuihua Mountain (141 reviews)
- Feel the mountain king
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM Bodies of Water • Mountains • Parks • Waterfalls

This is a fabulous mountain hike for all ages. I took my two children - 7 and 10 years old with me and despite some whining in the end thy loved it. We climbed all the way from the bottom up to the lake where we had a picnic then we took a hike over to the rocks and walked through the caves. Both of these places were a hi-light of the trip as well as the incredible views. Really awesome four/five hour hike in amazing mountains. I totally recommend it to other travelers. See more..
4.0 Qing Long Si (140 reviews)
- Beautiful cherry blossom!
Thursday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Speciality Museums

Our first time there, heard of it but never visited, finally we decided to go because we heard of the cherry blossom is amazing there. OMG the main gate is just fabulous, it's like a huge giant palace. You have to climb a lot of stairs to get up there, lol. Then we got in and the cherry blossom was just like pink clouds everywhere! Just be aware that during the cherry blossom season there will be a lot of people there, so if you want to go, go early in the morning. Weekend you will see "people mountain people sea"...There's an area that you have to pay to get inside, but it's ok if you don't want to pay, the blossoms in the free zone is incredible enough. See more..
4.0 Temple of the Eight Immortals (Ba Xian An) (52 reviews)
- Another beautiful temple, most people go there to pray
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Religious Sites

Very interesting place as I really enjoy visiting temples. They are very beautiful architecture of Chinese history and cultural. Here is a very symbolic entrance fee - only 3 yuan. Inside you can see several building of the temple, souvenirs store. Monks have there regular sessions. This place is very good come to take some photos. See more..
4.0 Guangren Temple (45 reviews)
- Very beautiful temple where you really feel the history
Thursday: 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM Religious Sites

A beautiful place to see. After a 10km bike ride on a city bike I did not have to pay any entrance fee and as a welcome gift everyone received a mask and a bottle of water. It was yet close to 40 degrees. The place is beautiful, full of colors, definitely worth for taking photos. Also monks have there regular sessions, many people go to pray there. For me, as I like visiting temples, this was the most beautiful one within our 12 day trip by car around Sichuan and Shaanxi. See more..
3.5 Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (291 reviews)
- Terracotta trap
Thursday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Historic Sites

The tomb of Emperor Qin (259-210 BC), the first Emperor of China, has not been excavated due to lack of funding, however it is believed that many of the treasures buried with him are still intact. See more..