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.

• free
• outdoors
• history
• family

Address

585 Ziqiang East Road, Xincheng District (新城区自强东路585号)

Getting there

just north of Xian railway station (a tunnel under the tracks begins just east of the station building; also accessible via DaMingXi Subway Station on Line 2

Hours

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

Price

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