I recently spent 4 days in Xi’an, which is the capital city in Shaanxi Province, China. I had an absolutely amazing time, so I thought I would share my top 5 activities in Xi’an.
1. Terracotta Warriors
This one is pretty obvious. This is the reason most people outside of China have heard of Xi’an. It’s famous for a reason. If you have any interest in Chinese history, I would highly recommend you go. It was so cool to learn about the reason they’re there, how they found them, and how they are excavating and preserving them.
I would say you need a guide. There’s not much to read throughout the museum and exhibits, so having someone there to give the history is a must. We were so lucky with our tour guide. She was so patient and so passionate. We asked so many questions and she answered them all very well, even teaching us some Chinese vocabulary along the way! She said at the start that the tour would take 2 hours, but we were there for nearly 4 hours, because we asked so many questions. Also, since it’s November, there weren’t very many people there, which made a huge difference in our experience.
2. Muslim Quarter
I have just written a whole blog post on why I love the Muslim Quarter so much, so go check that out for details, but it boils down to a lovely atmosphere, a change of pace, wonderful food, and kind people. What more could you want, really?
I’ve even made a short little video about the amazing Muslim-influenced food in Xi’an, which I’m really pleased with.
3. Cycling around the City Wall
We were lucky enough one evening to be shown around a bit by my friend who is from Xi’an. She recommended we rent bikes and cycle around the old city wall, so we did just that. You get the bikes for about 2 hours, which is all you need. You can rent bikes from the south gate of the wall, which is the most interesting point in the wall to look around and do other things.
My advice would be to wear a pollution mask while cycling if the air is bad. Xi’an is one of the most polluted cities in China air-wise, so look at the AQI and wear a mask if needed. You can get winded pretty easily if the pollution is even at AQI 50 if you’re doing aerobic exercise.
4. Artists’ Area near Shuyanmen in Beilin Qu
5. Great Wild Goose Pagoda, Cultural, Exchange, and Xi’an Museum