Most visitors to Xi'an come for one reason: the Terracotta Warriors. They arrive on morning trains from Beijing, spend three hours photographing the pits, eat a mediocre lunch at the museum restaurant, and leave by dinner. This is unfortunate. Xi'an was China's capital for thirteen dynasties and over a millennium. The tomb of Qin Shi Huang is only the beginning.
The city occupies the eastern end of the Silk Road. Caravans once entered through its gates bearing glass from Rome, Buddhism from India, spices from Persia. Remnants of this traffic remain in the Muslim Quarter, where Hui families have sold halal specialties for six centuries. The city wall, rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty, still encircles the old town. You can cycle its entire 14-kilometer circumference in ninety minutes, watching modern Xi'an scroll past below.
What to See Beyond the Warriors
The Terracotta Army deserves its reputation, but approach it strategically. Pit 1, with its six thousand infantry figures, opens at 8:30 AM. The tour buses arrive at 9:00. Come at opening or after 4:00 PM to avoid the worst crowds. The site is forty kilometers northeast of downtown — take the 306 bus from the Xi'an Railway Station (¥7, one hour) rather than overpriced taxis. The museum at the site explains the excavation context better than the audio guide, which repeats tired superlatives. Budget three hours minimum.
The Shaanxi History Museum, near the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, houses more coherent context. Its collection spans the Neolithic to the Qing Dynasty, with particular strength in Tang artifacts — the dynasty when Xi'an (then Chang'an) was the world's largest city. The museum is free but requires ID. Lines form by 9:00 AM on weekends. The Tang Dynasty mural collection requires a separate ¥300 ticket but displays remarkable tomb paintings relocated from noble burials.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda itself, built in 652 AD, remains Xi'an's most recognizable landmark. The seven-story brick structure leans slightly westward — a tilt visible to careful observers. The surrounding Da Ci'en Temple grounds charge ¥50 admission. The square north of the pagoda hosts China's largest musical fountain show at noon, 4:00 PM, and 8:30 PM. The spectacle draws crowds but says more about contemporary China's taste for scale than historical authenticity.
The Xi'an City Wall offers the most atmospheric introduction to the old city. Rent a bicycle at the South Gate (¥45 for two hours) and complete the circuit. The wall stands twelve meters high and fifteen meters thick at the base — wide enough for cavalry to ride abreast. From the top, you see theBell Tower rising from the central roundabout, the dense rooftops of the Muslim Quarter to the north, and the modern glass towers rising beyond the moat. Sunset rides are best; the wall faces west, and the evening light turns the grey brick gold.
The Great Mosque of Xi'an, in the Muslim Quarter's heart, surprises first-time visitors. Unlike Islamic architecture elsewhere, it follows Chinese temple layout — courtyards progressing along a central axis, pavilions with upturned eaves replacing domes and minarets. The prayer hall, rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty, accommodates a thousand worshippers. Non-Muslims may enter the courtyards (¥25) but not the hall during prayer times. Friday afternoons see the area at its most vibrant.
The Muslim Quarter: Where to Eat
The quarter, centered on Beiyuanmen Street north of the Bell Tower, functions as both tourist attraction and functioning neighborhood. The main street is carnival — bright lights, repetitive stalls, aggressive touts. The side alleys contain the actual food.
Yangrou paomo, lamb stew with hand-torn bread, is the dish Xi'an claims as its own. The ritual matters: you receive a dense flatbread and tear it into thumbnail-sized pieces while waiting. The kitchen returns with your bread submerged in rich lamb broth, garnished with glass noodles and pickled garlic. Lao Sun Jia, on Dongmutoushi Street, has served it since 1898. A full portion costs ¥35 and feeds two. The restaurant opens at 7:00 AM and fills with retirees by 8:00.
Roujiamo, the "Chinese hamburger," traces back to the Zhou Dynasty. The bread should be crispy; the pork, slow-braised with twenty spices until it shreds. Avoid the stalls on the main drag. Instead, find Fan Ji Roujiamo on Zhonggulou Street, where they've made the bread fresh since 1904. The classic pork version costs ¥10. A newer cumin beef variant, reflecting Hui Muslim traditions, costs ¥12.
Biangbiang noodles, named for the sound of dough slapping against the counter, arrive in bowls wider than your head. The character for "biang" — sixty-four strokes, the most complex in common use — appears on signage throughout the quarter. The noodles should be hand-pulled, belt-wide, and dressed with chili oil, vinegar, and wilted greens. Qishan noodles, thinner and served in sour soup, come from a neighboring county but have colonized Xi'an's appetite.
The night market on Damaishi Street opens after 6:00 PM. Stalls sell grilled skewers, persimmon cakes (shizibing), and sour plum juice (suanmeitang) for ¥5 per cup. The atmosphere is chaotic, genuine, and increasingly touristed. Watch your pockets.
What to Skip
The Tang Paradise theme park, south of the city, cost ¥120 million to build and charges ¥90 admission. It presents a sanitized, neon-lit fantasy of Tang Dynasty Chang'an. Historians find it cringeworthy. The evening shows feature costumed dancers and forced perspective backdrops. Save your time for the actual Tang sites.
The underground palace near the Terracotta Warriors is a wax museum built in the 1980s. It depicts Qin Shi Huang's tomb in lurid colors and fictional scenarios. Chinese tour groups visit for photo opportunities. Independent travelers should walk past.
Many restaurants near the Warriors' exit serve mediocre, overpriced food to captive tourists. The museum's official restaurant charges ¥60 for noodles that cost ¥15 in town. Bring snacks or return to Xi'an for lunch.
Day Trip: The Han Yangling Mausoleum
While the Terracotta Army guards Qin Shi Huang's tomb, the Han Yangling preserves the burial complex of Emperor Jing Di from the Han Dynasty, four centuries later. It receives a fraction of the visitors and offers a more contemplative experience.
The mausoleum lies twenty kilometers north of Xi'an. Take metro Line 2 to City Sports Park, then bus 234 (¥2, forty minutes). The site comprises two main areas: the emperor's mound, still covered in vegetation, and the satellite pits containing thousands of miniature figurines — soldiers, animals, servants — buried to serve the ruler in the afterlife.
Unlike the Qin warriors, these figures are smaller (60 centimeters tall), cast in terracotta, and retain their original painted colors under protective glass. You walk on transparent flooring above the excavation pits, looking down at the arranged armies. The museum explains Han Dynasty burial practices with English signage. Admission is ¥70. The site takes two hours to explore properly.
Practical Notes
Xi'an's metro, expanded for a 2011园艺博览会, now includes eight lines covering most tourist areas. Single rides cost ¥2-7 depending on distance. The Xi'an North Railway Station, where high-speed trains from Beijing (4.5 hours) and Shanghai (6 hours) arrive, connects to the center via Line 2.
The airport, forty kilometers northeast, runs a metro link (Line 14) to the North Railway Station, where you transfer to Line 2 or 4 for the city center. The journey takes seventy minutes and costs ¥16. Taxis to downtown cost ¥100-120 and take forty minutes without traffic.
Spring (April-May) and autumn (September-October) offer ideal weather. Summer brings temperatures above 35°C and crowds of domestic tourists. Winter is cold and gray but mercifully quiet. The first week of October — National Day Golden Week — is a nightmare of packed sites and quadrupled hotel rates. Avoid it entirely.
Accommodation clusters around the Bell Tower, within the city walls. The Sofitel on Renmin Square occupies former government buildings and maintains character despite corporate ownership. For tighter budgets, hostels on Xixin Street offer dorm beds from ¥60 and organize Terracotta Warriors tours for guests. The Muslim Quarter has limited lodging but places you at the center of evening activity.
The Warriors are worth seeing. But Xi'an rewards those who stay longer, who explore the alleys behind the main streets, who understand that this city was the center of the world long before Beijing existed. The Silk Road began here. The echoes remain for those who listen.
By Elena Vasquez
Cultural anthropologist and culinary storyteller. Elena spent a decade documenting traditional cooking methods across Latin America and the Mediterranean. She holds a PhD in Ethnography from Barcelona University and believes the best way to understand a place is through its kitchens and ancient streets.