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Museums and galleries in Xi'an

20 museums and galleries in Xi'an, from the big collections to small independent spaces.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Museums and galleries in Xi'an

  1. See

    Army of Terracotta Warriors and Horses

    兵马俑; Bīngmǎyǒng

    This mighty army of terracotta warriors and horses, found in three vaults, is perhaps the most popular tourist attraction of Shaanxi and one of the most popular in all of China. An in-site museum has been built over these pits, covering a floorspace of 20,000 m² and housing 8,000 lifelike terracotta warriors, 100 or so chariots, and 40,000 weapons, allegedly crafted to replace actual human sacrifices that had been commonplace in previous dynasties. Not all of these are on display, and the site is still an active archeological dig. There are 3 pits (numbered and clearly signposted 1,2,3). Going from pit 3 to pit 2 to pit 1 means that each pit gets more impressive and ensures a grand finale. The assemblage has been billed by the tourist industry as the Eighth Wonder of the World and a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO in 1987. The ticket office is next to the parking lot, which is a 5- to 10-minute walk away from the entrance to the museum. Buy your tickets at the ticket office or you can also buy them from resellers at the entrance for a ¥5 fee. For ¥5, you can opt to take a small bus from the ticket counter to the entry to the site, which saves you about 10 minutes of walking. On the way back, however, you are forced to walk in order not to "miss" the countless opportunities to buy small terracotta warriors, other tourist articles and food. When buying your ticket you are likely to be approached by a 'guide', especially if you look foreign. The normal asking price is ¥200 (per person) but you should be able to bargain them down to around ¥75-100. ¥100 is reasonable for the 2 - 3 hours they will accompany you. When talking to them, take the time to evaluate how they speak, because if you can't understand them at the start it'll just get worse. Inside Pit 1 there is a 'photo spot' to the left of the entry when you can be escorted to one of the nicer places. However it costs ¥200 for ~15 min (but includes a picture). You won't miss much by not doing it, but you wi

    Closed · opens 8:30 am¥120, students ¥60 (only for local students). Passport required for ticket purchase

  2. See

    Banpo Village Ruins

    半坡遗址, 半坡博物馆 Banpo Museum

    6,000-year-old ruins of a village site including residential and pottery-making areas, ancient tools, and a burial ground. You should also visit the Shaanxi History Museum to see some of the best examples of the pottery found at Banpo.

    Closed · opens 8 amTickets are normally ¥65. Children aged 6 to 18 pay half price. Children under 6 and adults over 65 get in for free

  3. See

    Beilin (or Stele) Museum

    西安碑林博物馆; Xī'ān Bēilín Bówùguǎn

    Remarkable collection of 4000 inscribed stone tablets, covering scripture, poetry, classic Chinese texts, triumphs of rulers, family history, and practical affairs such as instructions to rebuild a school. The 7th century Nestorian Stele (Showroom 2, first exhibit on the left) depicts the coming of Nestorian Christianity to China.

    Mar-Nov: 08:00-18:30; Dec-Feb: 08:00-18:00, no entry in last 45 minutesMar-Nov: ¥60, Dec-Feb: ¥50, or ¥100 (if combined with City Walls)

  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 MondaysFree

  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 MondaysFree

  6. 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 amFree

  7. See

    Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum

    秦始皇陵

    Mausoleum of the First Emperor of China. You can visit the surrounding gardens and mountains, but the massive burial chamber has not been excavated, so the Mausoleum itself is very unassuming. There is a low quality museum with a reconstruction of the mausoleum. Optional carts available at a fee to go directly to the museum. Taking pictures in the dimly lit museum is forbidden, although staff will not control it too much. There are two small excavation pits in the area.

    Mausoleum ¥40 (although it seems to be included in the Terracota Warriors ticket, as of Aug 2024), museum ¥15

  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 16:20Free

  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 MondaysFree

  10. See

    Shaanxi History Museum

    陕西历史博物馆; Shǎnxī Lìshǐbówùguǎn

    This museum houses a collection of local artefacts that span the province's history from the Neolithic period through the Qing dynasty. In particular, it contains fabulously well preserved pottery from the nearby Banpo neolithic village (also worth a visit) and many excellent Shang Dynasty bronzes. Although some guidebooks call it "one of the best museums in China", its old fashioned pots-and-arrowheads-behind-glass format may appeal mainly to enthusiasts. The most eye-catching articles are those from the Tang Dynasty that were used by the royal family. All visitors are required to make a booking on the museum's official WeChat account before visiting (see website for QR code). Upon arrival at the museum, you will need to pick up your pre-booked tickets from the counters on the east side of the South Entrance. The specific counter you will need to go to will depend on what kind of tickets you have booked. Go to Counters 1 or 2 for tickets to the 'Treasures of the Great Tang Dynasty', Counter 3 for tickets to the 'Mural Paintings of the Tang Dynasty' or Counter 4 for tickets to the main exhibition halls. You will also see automatic ticketing machines but these can only be used by visitors with Chinese ID cards.

    Nov 15-Mar 14: 09:00-17:30; Mar 15-Nov 14: 08:30-18:00, no tickets issued in last 90 minutes,:closed on MondaysEntry to the main exhibition halls is free. Tickets for the 'Treasures of the Great Tang Dynasty' cost ¥30 and tickets for the 'Mural Paintings of the Tang Dynasty' cost ¥270. The fees for English language tour guides are ¥300 for the main exhibition halls, ¥100 for the 'Treasures of the Great Tang Dynasty' and ¥100 for the 'Mural Paintings of the Tang Dynasty'

  11. See

    Shaanxi Nature Museum

    陕西自然博物馆

    The museum has exhibitions on nature, science and technology. There is also an exhibition hall devoted to the coal industry, as well as a dome cinema and a 5D cinema.

    09:00-17:00, no tickets sold after 16:00, no entry after 16:30¥30 (nature exhibition plus coal exhibition), ¥20 (science & technology exhibitions), ¥40 (science and technology exhibitions plus dome cinema), ¥30 (dome cinema only)

  12. See

    Shaanxi Science & Technology Museum

    陕西科学技术馆, 陕西科技馆

    The museum has four floors. The first floor focuses on the history of human technological development. The second floor is devoted to electromagnetics. The third floor is concerned with optics, mechanics and mathematics. The fourth and uppermost floor has multimedia and electronics exhibitions.

    09:00-17:00, no entry after 15:00, closed on Mondays and TuesdaysTickets are free but there are strict limitations on visitor numbers. From Wednesday to Friday, there are no more than 600 tickets available per day, and on the weekend, there are no more than 1000 tickets available per day. Visitors cannot visit the museum more than once on a single day

  13. 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 YearGeneral admission is free. Tickets for the special exhibitions are ¥60. Tickets for the epitaph collection are ¥150.

  14. 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 MondaysFree

  15. See

    Xi'an City Wall

    西安城墙; Xī'ānchéngqiáng

    The world's largest city wall, it has been restored and is 12 m high, 18 m wide at the bottom, 15m wide on the top, and 13.7 km long. Bikes (including two- or three-person models) can be rented for ¥40 per 120 minutes/bike (or ¥80 for a tandem) plus a ¥200 deposit. You can hire one at the top of the South or East gate; you may return it to other stations on the wall (there is one at each of the four main gates), but be sure to verify this before starting your ride, and remember that most gates close at 18:00 or 19:00 and the Zhongshan Gate shuts at 21:00. Only the south gate is open till 23:00. Bikes will not be rented if there is any chance of rain, because the top of the wall becomes slippery. Check the weather forecast before you buy a ticket to enter the wall. If you want to foot it though, a complete loop of the walls takes 4-5 hours. The landscaped park around the base of the exterior walls and moat also makes for a pleasant stroll and gives a different perspective on the battlements and towers. The wall is lit up at night and makes for a pleasant stroll. The present city wall was built in the Ming dynasty (AD 1368-1644) on the foundation of the Chang'an Imperial city wall of Tang dynasty (AD 618-907). The Xi'an City Wall International Marathon is held each year in November since 1993, with athletes from more than 50 countries running on top of the wall. Also, the Xi'an city wall Cycling Race is held on top of the wall since two years ago. There is a small museum inside the city wall at Hanguang Gate, about halfway between the southwest corner and the South Gate, accessible from the top of the wall. Look for a staircase down inside a covered structure. Inside are the unrestored remains of a gatehouse and a calligraphy collection.

    Closed · opens 8 am¥54 (standard entry ticket), ¥27 (students), ¥100 (combined with Beilin Museum)

  16. 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 TuesdaysFree

  17. Eat

    Yongxingfang

    永兴坊

    Set in a historical building complex, and translating to "the food museum" the restaurant serves traditional food from the Shaanxi province. There are also different folk cultural performances. This place is the home of the local "smashing wine bowl" tradition where you drink rice wine from a small cup, then smash it into pieces, which is supposed to bring luck.

  18. 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 holidayFree

  19. See Not mapped

    Gao Family Compound

    高家大院, Gao's Grand Courtyard

    Built over 400 years ago during the late Ming Dynasty, this 86-room courtyard mansion is the former residence of a famous scholar-official by the name of Gao Yuesong (高岳崧). The mansion has been fully restored and turned into a museum. It also functions as a venue for puppet shows. The Gao Family Compound should not be confused with Gao Peizhi's former residence on Xinglong Lane, another traditional residence which is sometimes also referred to as 'the Gao Family Compound'.

    Closed · opens 10 am¥15 (entry ticket only), ¥30 (entry ticket + puppet show)

  20. See Not mapped

    Little (Wild) Goose Pagoda

    小雁塔; Xiǎoyàntǎ

    Completed in 709 AD. Now administered by the Xi'an 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 TuesdaysYou can claim a ticket for free to walk around the temple area. But you must pay ¥50 (student half-price) to enter the pagoda (the ticket still states the old price of ¥30, however ¥50 is charged)

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