Parks and the outdoors in Xi'an

Parks and the outdoors 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

   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

3. Do

   Hui Muslim Quarter

   Huimin Street (回民街 Huímínjiē)

   Walk through the Muslim quarter sampling food and buying souvenirs. The Hui Muslim Quarter (回民街 Huí mín jiē, hwei-min-jyeh) is a series of small alleys located in a high-density Hui community (very much like Chinatown in North America) inside the city walls, where the residences open up small restaurants and food shops like street food. Some of these restaurants are among the most famous ones in the city, regarded as the "true Xi'an cuisine" by the locals. However, visitors from outside the city may dislike the environment while the locals may not, because garbage can be seen almost everywhere on the street. Price is high here (some time more doubled) without matching the quality. It is recommended to try only the Huimin food here while keeping other Xi'an delicacies elsewhere in the city.

4. 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

5. See

   Qinling National Botanical Garden

   秦岭国家植物园

   Covering an area of 639 km², the Qinling National Botanical Garden lays claim to being the largest botanical garden in the world.

   Mar-Oct: 08:30-17:30; Nov-Feb: 09:00-17:00; no tickets issued in last 60 minutes·Mar-Nov: ¥65; Dec-Feb: ¥45

6. Do

   Qujiang Sightseeing Monorail

   曲江观光轻轨

   An elevated 6.8 km sightseeing monorail looping around the Qujiang cultural district. The ~45-minute ride offers aerial views over Qujiang Pool Heritage Park (Nanhu), Tang Paradise, and surrounding Tang-style parks.

7. See

   Taiping National Park

   太平国家公园

   Famous for its waterfall and the largest area of wild Zijing flower (the city flower of Hong Kong) in north China.

8. See

   Tang Paradise

   大唐芙蓉园

   A large (67 ha, 165 acres) theme park based on the royal gardens of the Tang Dynasty. It claims to be the first theme park for all five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell). It includes a large fragrance garden and the largest movie-on-water screen in the world.

9. Eat

   Tang Paradise Hotel

   Dinner show in a 165-acre theme park. The charm lies in that all the buildings in the park are built in the luxurious style of the Tang Dynasty. The best time to visit is at night when most of the shows, including fireworks and dances, are performed.

10. Do

    Walk the City Walls

    Walk along the city walls and see the South Gate (南门 Nánmén, literally translated as "The Southern Gate"), which is illuminated at night. The area outside of the "Gate" is full of big shopping malls that are popular among the locals, marked with the iconic glass-curtain walled buildings. The area is one of the busiest places of interests in the city.

    ¥54. Students ¥27

11. 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)

12. See

    Xiangyu Forest Park

    祥峪森林公园

    Sitting the foot of Guanyin Mountain, next to the Xiang River, the park features pine, poplar and bamboo forests as well as waterfalls, caves and different scenic spots.

13. 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

14. 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 Tuesdays·You 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).