Xi'an
ChinaCwa
© OpenStreetMap, CARTO
|长|安| ||| |C|h|a|n|g|'|a|n| | ||| | |'|E|t|e|r|n|a|l| |P|e|a|c|e|,|'| |t|h|e| |a|n|c|i|e|n|t| |n|a|m|e|
Why visit
The Terracotta Army at Emperor Qin Shi Huang's tomb, 8,000 unique life-size warriors discovered by farmers in 1974, is the obvious draw and one of archaeology's greatest finds, 40 km east of the city. Within the city walls, walk or cycle the 14 km of intact Ming ramparts at sunset, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Tang dynasty Buddhist site), and explore the Muslim Quarter (Huimin Jie) with its Great Mosque and chaotic food street. Other highlights: the Shaanxi History Museum (one of China's best), Hua Shan mountain (one of the Five Sacred Mountains, with terrifying plank walks), and the Han Yang Ling tomb. Try Xi'an's signature dishes, biang biang noodles, roujiamo (Chinese 'hamburger'), and yangrou paomo (mutton soup with crumbled bread).
When to avoid
Tourist season for the Terracotta Army (May to October, weekends, Chinese holidays) is brutal, go on a weekday morning at opening and avoid Chinese national holidays (Oct 1 Golden Week is impossible). Air pollution from coal heating peaks November to March. Check AQI. Summer heat reaches 35 to 40°C with humidity. Mainland China visa needed for most nationalities. Xi'an offers a 144-hour transit-visa-free option. Don't drink tap water. Cash and foreign cards are increasingly useless, set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before arrival.