Free things to do in Xi'an

Free things to do in Xi'an

1. See

   Daming Palace National Heritage Park

   大明宫国家遗址公园

   This is, first of all, a huge park with both green spaces and an enormous open square with an equally-impressive ancient palace gate (the palace is Tang dynasty, built in 634 AD). There's a model of the palace next to the gate. The square sometimes hosts public performances. The park even has an IMAX theatre. The park, gate and square are accessible for free. If you pay for admission, you can actually go into the partially restored palace ruins and other sections of the park protected by a moat. Worth seeing for the sheer size of it - it's more than 4 times the size of the Forbidden City, and a very surreal effect compared to the crowding in the rest of Xian.

   In spring and summer (April 15th to October 15th), opening hours are 08:30-19:00, the last tickets are sold at 17:30 and the last entry is at 18:30. In autumn and winter (October 16th to March 14th), opening hours are 08:30-18:00, the last tickets are sold at 17:00, and the last entry time is 17:30·The standard ticket price is ¥60. Children aged 7 to 18 pay half-price. Children aged 6 or under and adults aged 65 or over are granted free entry

2. See

   Daxingshan Temple

   大兴善寺

   Established in 266 AD during the Jin Dynasty, the Daxingshan Temple was one of the most influential temples in China during the Tang Dynasty, being the place where the eminent monks Śubhakarasiṃha, Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra translated sacred Buddhist texts from India and disseminated Chinese Esoteric Buddhism. In the 9th century, Emperor Wuzong ordered the temple to be destroyed as part of his campaign against Buddhism. It was rebuilt during the 15th century.

   Closed · opens 8 am·Free

3. See

   Daxuexi Alley Mosque

   大学习巷清真寺

   The temple was founded in 705 AD, it is one of the oldest mosques in Xi'an.

   Closed · opens 8 am·Free

4. See

   General Yang Hucheng's Zhiyuan Villa

   杨虎城将军止园别墅

   One of two heritage properties administered by the Xi'an Incident Museum (西安事变纪念馆). the other being General Zhang Xueliang's Official Residence (listed below). Generals Yang Hucheng and Zhang Xueliang were the leading conspirators behind the Xi'an Incident.

   09:00-17:00, closed on Mondays·Free

5. See

   General Zhang Xueliang's Official Residence

   张学良将军公馆

   The Xi'an Incident Museum's main exhibition halls are at this site.

   08:30-17:00, closed on Mondays·Free

6. See

   Guangren Temple

   广仁寺

   Established by the Kangxi Emperor in 1705. The temple is noteworthy for being the only Tibetan Buddhist temple in Shaanxi Province.

   Closed · opens 8 am·Free

7. See

   Lantian Man Site

   蓝田猿人遗址

   In 1964, at this site in Lantian County, the cranium of a hominid was discovered. The discovery came just one year after a mandible belonging to a similar individual had been found in another part of the county. The two individuals were later classified as belonging to a subspecies of Homo erectus known as Homo erectus lantianensis or Lantian Man. A small museum at the site displays both the cranium and the mandible, as well as a collection of stone tools and animal fossils, which were also found in the area.

   Closed · opens 9 am·Free

8. See

   Shaanxi Archaeological Museum

   陕西考古博物馆

   Opened in 2022, this new museum displays artefacts from several important archaeological sites in Shaanxi Province. Visitors are required to make a booking on the Shaanxi Archaeological Research Institute's WeChat account before visiting the museum. The WeChat account name is 陕西考古 (Shaanxi Archaeology).

   09:00-17:00, tickets must be collected between 09:00 and 12:00 or between 13:00 and 16:00, visitors must enter by 16:20·Free

9. See

   Shaanxi Art Museum

   陕西美术馆

   Not to be confused with the Shaanxi Province Art Museum (listed below). The Shaanxi Art Museum is the smaller of the two museums and mainly displays paintings and calligraphy.

   09:30-17:00, closed on Mondays·Free

10. See

    Shuilu Nunnery

    水陆庵

    Originally, it was the Water and Land Hall within the Beiputuo Lanzhu Nunnery of Wuzhen Temple. Wuzhen Temple was first built during the Northern Dynasties, but the temple was later destroyed, leaving only the Water and Land Hall. The main hall contains more than 3,700 statues, making it the largest existing group of painted sculptures in China.

    Closed · opens 9 am·Free

11. See

    Tang West Market Museum

    大唐西市博物馆

    Said to be China's first privately run on-site archaeological museum. The museum is located at the site of the excavated ruins of the West Market, probably the most important market in China during the Tang Dynasty. Thousands of artefacts have been unearthed at the site, including not only Tang Dynasty artefacts, but also artefacts from earlier and later dynasties.

    09:00-17:30 (summer), 09:00-17:00 (winter), no entry in last 60 minutes, closed on Mondays and the eve of Chinese New Year·General admission is free. Tickets for the special exhibitions are ¥60. Tickets for the epitaph collection are ¥150.

12. See

    Wolong Temple

    卧龙寺

    This active Buddhist temple dates back to 200 BC. It has been restored, and is vibrant and busy.

    Closed · opens 8:30 am·Free

13. See

    Xi'an Art Museum

    西安美术馆

    Displays a wide range of artworks from both Chinese and foreign artists.

    10:00-22:00, closed on Mondays·Free

14. See

    Xi'an Museum

    西安博物院

    The Xi'an Museum isn't as large or as famous as the Shaanxi History Museum, but has a decent collection of over 110,000 artefacts, of which around 2000 are normally on display. Visitors are required to make a booking on WeChat or another app before entering the museum.

    Mar 15-Oct 31: 09:00-18:00; Nov 1-Mar 14: 09:00-17:30, no entry in last 60 minutes, closed on Tuesdays·Free

15. See

    Xingjiao Temple

    兴教寺

    Xingjiao Temple was built in AD 669 to reinhume Xuanzang and was one of eight famed temples in Fanchuan in the Tang dynasty. The five-storied Buddhist relic pagoda, preserving the remains of Xuanzang.

    Closed · opens 9 am·Free

16. See Not mapped

    City God Temple of Xi'an

    西安城隍庙, 西安都城隍庙

    A Taoist temple dedicated to the city god of Xi'an, the protector god of the city whose earthly incarnation was the Han Dynasty general Ji Xin. The temple was established in 1387 at a site near the city's east gate. It was moved to the present location in 1432 and rebuilt in 1723 after being destroyed in a fire. It is one of the largest city god temples in China.

    Closed · opens 8:30 am·Free

17. See Not mapped

    Eighth Route Army Xi'an Office Museum

    八路军西安办事处纪念馆

    The Eighth Route Army was a Communist-controlled group army that was created from the Red Army in 1937 when the Communists and the Nationalists formed the Second United Front against Japan. From 1937 to 1946, this site served as the army's official liaison office for coordinating communications with the Nationalist authorities in Xi'an.

    09:00-17:00, closed on most Mondays, except Mondays that fall on a public holiday·Free

18. See Not mapped

    Qinglong Temple

    Green Dragon Temple, 青龙寺

    It was established in the 6th century AD. The Qinglong Temple rose to prominence during the Tang Dynasty when the eminent Vajrayana master Huiguo served as the temple's abbot. Huiguo's most famous disciple was the Japanese monk Kūkai who upon his return to Japan founded the Shingon school of Buddhism. After being destroyed during the 11th century, the temple was largely forgotten about until the 20th century when it was finally rebuilt with funding from local governments in both China and Japan. During the rebuilding, hundreds of cherry blossom trees were planted in the surrounding garden, and these days many people come here just to see the cherry blossoms (which usually bloom in March and April).

    Closed · opens 8:30 am·Free

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Xi'an (CC BY-SA 4.0).