Xi'an

Baihui Market

百汇市场

Local youngsters shop here. It is one of those fake-brand markets. Sport shoes should be less than ¥150, pullovers and nice jeans sometimes less than ¥100, lots of cheap fashion accessories. This is also a great place for DVDs and CDs but understand these are mostly pirated copies.

Bell Tower Xinhua Bookstore

钟楼新华书店

Another very small English language book selection can be found at the Bell Tower Xinhua Bookstore. Unless you're nearby, your best bet for English books is still the Foreign Language Bookstore or even the Book City. However, if you're also looking for stationary, cards, wrapping paper etc. then it may be worth checking out and to trying to kill two birds with the one stone. Otherwise don't expect an English-language book Mecca here.

Closed · opens 9 am

Calligraphy Street (书院门步行街)

This is another souvenir shopping area. Less hectic than the Muslim Quarter.

Century Ginwa

This luxury shopping mall has three locations in Xi'an. One downtown by the Drum Tower, one in Gaoxing on Keji Lu, and one just outside of the South Gate.

East Street

Dong Dajie

Has regular fashion shops. On the right side of the street there is an underground mall (called LuoMaShi) where one can find cheap socks, knockoff goods, and local brands

Huimin Street (回民街 Huímínjiē)

Muslim Quarter

The best place to buy souvenirs in the city center is the bazaar area. The seller usually offers you a very high price, and even if you bring them down by 50%, they will still make a big profit. This is also a good place to buy folk art, specifically folk style block prints in a single shop which go for about ¥50 if you can stand bargaining when the older gentleman artist himself is standing right there. This area is also full of fake name-brand products like watches, bags, clothes. Bargain hard. Shop owners will typically sell such fake branded products to expatriates at three times the price they offer to Chinese people. For instance, a Louis Vuitton wallet going at ¥80 will be touted to Westerners at ¥200 or more. If your haggling skills are exceptional, you can bring down the price to a mere ¥30.

Jiahui Hantang Book City

嘉汇汉唐书城

The largest bookstore in Xi'an, Book City has a fairly decent selection of imported English books. You'll find a wide range of books here, from educational ones, to classic novels, and modern literature to children's books. The place gets swamped with people at the weekends, so for a more pleasant browsing experience, come during a weekday.

Closed · opens 9 am

Kangfu Road

A great place for a bargain. Nothing is (bargained for) over ¥50 and most clothes can be bargained down to about ¥20 if you are really aggressive. But this place is full of poor quality stuff.

Shida Lu

A trendy place to shop in a largely student populated area in the south of the city. Shida Lu has lots of hair salons, and clothing boutiques.

Shuyuanmen Antique Paper & Ink

书院门古籍纸墨店

Tucked away on the historic street, this shop sells traditional rice paper, ink stones, and calligraphy sets. It's a great place to find a thoughtful, cultural souvenir away from the mass-produced trinkets.

Closed · opens 9:30 am

South Street

Nan Dajie

Has finer clothes and shoes, and is home to boutiques like Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Marc Jacobs.

Tang Tricolored Pottery Factory

唐朝三色陶器厂

Tang Tricolored Pottery is a style that was lost and has now been recreated from pieces of pottery found in tombs. It is graphic in image and eye-pleasing in color. The factory recreating the style offers over 100 varieties of items, like statues, animals and utensils.

Xi'an Book Building

西安图书大厦

Four floors of books as far as the eye can see. Though the vast majority of books are in the Chinese language, you will find a small selection of English books on the second floor. The building also houses a small audio and video section, as well as a café.

Closed · opens 9 am

Terracotta Warriors

秦始皇兵马俑

If you are visiting the Terracotta Warriors, be prepared to meet some of the most hardcore hawkers you are likely to meet anywhere. If you keep quiet, they will usually bargain themselves down in front of you in desperate pleas for your money. A box of 15-cm-high Terracotta Warriors cost ¥5-10 (if you're lucky) or ¥15-25 (more likely) even if they offer it to you for ¥45. Wood-carved Buddhas and Dragons for about the same. They are fortunately kept at a distance from the actual site. Many travelers report enjoying this experience. It is definitely not a reason to avoid seeing the Terracotta Warriors. The exit from the pit areas to the parking lot leads through long avenues lined with souvenir stalls and shops. The barkers will try to get your business, but are not as aggressive as the touts at the entrance or immediate exits.