Xi'an travel guide — where to stay, what to do, and where to eat in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Terracotta Army & Huaqing Palace (Lintong District)
This pairs two very different sites in one district: the excavated pits of Qin Shi Huang's buried army, and the Tang-dynasty hot-spring complex where Emperor Xuanzong bathed with his consort Yang Guifei and where, centuries later, Chiang Kai-shek was seized during the 1936 Xi'an Incident. The Terracotta Army pits are the reason most people make this trip, and seeing the ranks of life-size soldiers in Pit 1 in person is a different experience than any photograph of it.
Highlights: Three excavation pits of the Terracotta Army, including the main hangar with thousands of soldiers · Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum's Lishan Garden, included in standard admission · Huaqing Palace's historic imperial hot spring bathing pools and 1936 Xi'an Incident museum · Direct Metro Line 9 access to Huaqing Pool Station, simplifying the trip without a tour group
Mount Huashan
Huashan is one of China's Five Great Mountains and the steepest of them, a cluster of five granite peaks (North, South, East, West and Central) connected by trails cut into sheer rock faces. It's a full day of walking and cable cars rather than a casual scenic stop, and the appeal is as much the exposure of the paths themselves as the views from the summits.
Highlights: One of China's Five Great Mountains, with dramatic granite peaks and sheer cliff faces · The Plank Walk in the Sky near South Peak, the mountain's signature attraction · Fast high-speed rail link of just 30-40 minutes from Xi'an North Station · Choice of hiking the historic Soldiers' Trail or ascending directly by cable car
Famen Temple
Famen Temple's underground crypt, opened in 1987 after thirteen centuries sealed shut, held one of the four finger-bone relics of the Buddha along with a large hoard of Tang-dynasty imperial gifts - gold and silver vessels, glassware, and silk. The modern complex built around it is dominated by a very tall stupa and a long processional approach, so this trip is really two experiences: the small original temple and crypt, and the oversized contemporary religious park built up around it.
Highlights: Relic believed to be a finger bone of the Buddha, discovered in the temple's underground crypt · Museum displaying an extensive trove of excavated Tang-dynasty gold, silver, and glassware · A towering modern stupa landmark visible from the approach · Direct high-speed rail connection to Famen Temple Station with a free shuttle to the gate · Combines a still-active Buddhist temple with a substantial archaeological museum
Han Yangling Mausoleum
This is the tomb of Emperor Jing of the Han dynasty, and it's a quieter, less crowded counterpart to the Terracotta Army - the excavated pits here hold thousands of miniature terracotta figures, animals and objects rather than life-size soldiers, originally clothed in silk that has long since decayed. The site's glass-floored walkway lets you look directly down into the burial pits, which gives a different, more intimate view of Han-dynasty burial practice than the Qin site does.
Highlights: Thousands of miniature painted terracotta figurines, distinct in style from the Terracotta Army · Glass-floored walkways over undisturbed excavation pits · Underground climate-controlled exhibition hall · A quieter, far less crowded alternative to the main Terracotta Army site
Qianling Mausoleum (Tomb of Wu Zetian & Emperor Gaozong)
Qianling is the joint tomb of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian, China's only reigning female emperor, built into a natural hill rather than an artificial mound and never successfully looted. The approach is a long Spirit Way lined with stone statues, and the site is best known for two oddities: the 61 headless stone statues of foreign envoys, and the enormous blank Wordless Stele that Wu Zetian is said to have left uninscribed.
Highlights: Joint tomb of Emperor Gaozong and Wu Zetian, China's only reigning female emperor · Sacred Way lined with monumental Tang-dynasty stone statues · The famous group of 61 headless stone statues believed to depict foreign dignitaries · Excavated satellite tombs including Princess Yongtai's, with preserved Tang murals
Louguantai Taoist Culture Area
Louguantai is traditionally held to be the place where Laozi, journeying west, was persuaded by the gatekeeper Yin Xi to write down his teachings - the text that became the Tao Te Ching. It functions today as a working Taoist temple complex set against the Zhongnan mountains, quieter and less monumental than Xi'an's Buddhist sites, and suited to travelers specifically interested in Taoist history rather than general sightseeing.
Highlights: Traditionally regarded as the birthplace of Taoism and the site of the Tao Te Ching's composition · Louguantai temple complex set against the forested Qinling foothills · Caishen (God of Wealth) Temple and Yanshengguan as secondary sites within the same scenic area · Budget-friendly tour bus connection from the Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Yan'an Revolutionary Sites
Yan'an was the Chinese Communist Party's base from the mid-1930s until 1947, the place Mao Zedong and the leadership governed from after the Long March, and it remains one of the most significant sites in CCP history. The trip centers on the cave dwellings where the leadership actually lived and worked and the memorial hall documenting the period, rather than any single monument - this is a history-focused day, not a scenic one.
Highlights: Baota Hill and its landmark pagoda-style Bao Ta tower, the symbol of Yan'an · Yan'an Revolutionary Memorial Hall's extensive wartime history exhibits · Preserved cave-dwelling compounds at Yangjialing and Zaoyuan used by party leadership · Fast high-speed rail connection of just over an hour from Xi'an North Station
Taibai Mountain National Forest Park
Taibai Mountain is the highest peak in the Qinling range and one of the highest in eastern China, and the national forest park built around it is primarily a hiking and nature destination rather than a historical or temple site. The draw is the change in landscape as you climb - forest giving way to alpine meadow and bare rock near the summit - and the mountain's role as the traditional dividing line between northern and southern China.
Highlights: China's highest peak east of the Tibetan Plateau, offering rare high-alpine scenery this close to Xi'an · Dramatic transition from forest to alpine tundra visible within a single day's hike · Cooler summer temperatures than the Xi'an basin, a welcome escape from July and August heat · Cable car option to shorten the ascent for visitors with limited time
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Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
Multi-day tours from Xi'an
If you have longer than a day, these are organised multi-day trips that start here.
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Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Terracotta Army & Huaqing Palace and Han Yangling Mausoleum are the easiest day trips to reach, both under an hour from central Xi'an by metro or tourist bus
Book high-speed train tickets on the 12306 app or Trip.com at least a day ahead during Chinese public holidays, when trains sell out
Combine Han Yangling Mausoleum with a Xianyang city stop, since both lie along the same route north of Xi'an
Taibai Mountain and Yan'an reward an early departure given their multi-hour travel times each way
Check the Terracotta Army museum's opening hours before departing, since they shift seasonally (8:30am-5pm peak season, 8:30am-4:30pm off-season)