Xi'an Travel Package: Private Xi'an 3-Day Highlights Tour with Terracotta Warriors

Summary

DAY 1 Xi'an: Terracotta Warriors, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an Ancient City Wall
DAY 2 Xi'an: Morning market, Xi'an Mosques, Bell Tower, Muslim Quarter
DAY 3 Xi'an: Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an Museum, Datang Everbnight City, Xi'an departure

Day 1 Arrive in Xi'an

Arrival and Hotel Pickup

Meet your guide at your downtown Xi'an hotel or at the Xi'an train station; they will be holding a Your Way Holiday sign. On arrival day the plan is kept light: the guide helps with hotel check-in, goes over the days ahead, and shares practical local pointers. Your driver handles the transfers so you can settle in before the sightseeing starts the next morning.

Terracotta Warriors Museum

After breakfast, drive about 40 minutes each way to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, the highlight of the trip. The life-sized clay army was made to guard Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, in the afterlife, and was buried around 210 to 209 BCE. Three main pits hold thousands of soldiers, chariots and horses, each figure with a different face and detailed armour. It is one of the most important archaeological finds in the country.

Lunch of Local Specialties

At midday the guide takes you to a local restaurant for a taste of Xi'an home cooking. Try yangrou paomo, a lamb and crumbled-flatbread stew; liangpi, cold rice noodles in a tangy chilli sauce; and roujiamo, a meat-filled flatbread often called a Chinese hamburger. The guide helps you order from the menu. Lunch is at your own cost and can be adjusted for any dietary needs; your driver waits to transfer you back.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Continue to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the southern suburbs, a Buddhist landmark raised in the 7th century during the Tang dynasty to hold sutras brought back by the monk Xuanzang. The square brick tower was built course by course without mortar, so the joints and the corner prisms are still visible on every face. The bracketed eaves give it a plain, sturdy look, and the pagoda remains a good example of Tang brick construction.

Ancient City Wall

End the sightseeing at the Xi'an City Wall, a Ming fortification begun in the 14th century under the Hongwu Emperor and part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing. Among the oldest and largest surviving city walls in China, it runs roughly 14 kilometres and stands about 12 metres high. The walkway along the top is broad enough to cycle, giving a clear view of the ramparts, gate towers and the old city below.

Return to Your Hotel

Your guide and driver bring you back to your hotel for the evening. The guide stays available for any last questions about the rest of your stay, and the next day plan is confirmed with you. No evening activity is fixed, so you are free to rest or explore the neighbourhood on foot.

Day 2 Xi'an

Morning Market

Start the day with your guide in the hotel lobby after breakfast. The first stop is a Xi'an morning market, where stalls of fresh fruit, vegetables and spices show how the city begins its day. It is a good place to try breakfast street snacks such as sticky rice with dates, hot tofu pudding and fried dough, and to watch locals shopping as they have for generations. Your guide helps you move through the crowd.

Great Mosque

A short walk brings you to the Great Mosque of Xi'an, said to have been founded during the Tang dynasty and among the oldest and largest mosques in China. Unusually, it blends Islamic purpose with traditional Chinese courtyard design: timber halls, gardens and a tall ascent pavilion set along a central axis. Visitors move quietly through the compounds, and modest dress with covered shoulders is expected; the guide explains the layout as you go.

Bell Tower

Continue to the Bell Tower at the centre of the old city, where the main streets meet. It was built in the Ming dynasty and once held the city clock: a bell rang at dawn and a drum at dusk to mark the hours. The two-storey timber pavilion stands on a high brick base, and from the top you can look down each of the four avenues. Inside are exhibits on the history of the tower.

Muslim Quarter

The last stop is the Muslim Quarter, a busy food and shopping street that runs about 500 metres through the old lanes beside the mosque. It is home to part of the Hui community of Xi'an and is known for its snacks: lamb skewers, hand-pulled noodles, persimmon cakes and rose pastries. The guide points out well-regarded stalls, and you have free time to browse and eat at your own cost.

Return to Your Hotel

Your guide and driver take you back to the hotel at the end of the day. The guide is glad to answer questions and suggest places to eat or shop nearby for the evening. Back at your hotel you have the night free, and the next morning pickup time is confirmed before you part so the following day starts on schedule.

Day 3 Xi'an

Small Wild Goose Pagoda

After a short break, visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, a Buddhist tower raised during the Tang dynasty that, like its larger neighbour, was linked to the monk Xuanzang and the translation of scriptures brought from India. The pagoda stands within the old Jianfu Temple, and its slender tiered brick storeys have survived centuries of earthquakes. The guide explains the brickwork and the temple grounds, which are quieter and more garden-like than the busier sights, and the site forms part of a UNESCO Silk Road listing.

Xi'an Museum

Then step inside the Xi'an Museum to trace the story of the city through its collections: ancient bronze vessels, Tang dynasty pottery and figurines, jade carvings and calligraphy. The exhibits run through the long line of dynasties for which Xi'an served as capital, and the guide highlights the pieces that show how the Silk Road linked China with Central Asia and the West. If you have a favourite period or theme, tell the guide and the route through the galleries can be adjusted to spend longer there.

Grand Tang Ever Bright City

The day ends at Datang Ever Bright City, a wide pedestrian avenue built in Tang style to recall the golden age of the old capital. Its axis is lined with timber-fronted buildings, stone reliefs and statues of Tang-era figures, and costumed performers and small cultural shows appear along the walk. By day it is a relaxed place to stroll and take photographs, with themed cafes and souvenir shops off the main street; after dark the same avenue is floodlit if you prefer to return in the evening.

Return or Departure

At the close of the tour your guide and driver take you back to your hotel or to the Xi'an train station, whichever suits your onward plans. There is no fixed drop-off time, so the handover is arranged around your schedule. On the way the guide can suggest places for dinner or answer any last questions; after three days of sightseeing you are free to relax or continue on your own.

Questions Before You Book

Is this a private tour or a group tour?

It is a private tour with your own guide and car, so the start time each day follows your schedule rather than a fixed group departure.

What is included in the price?

Your local guide and a private car with driver (3 Days, 2 Nights), plus hotel pick-up and drop-off. Entrance tickets, meals and any performances are not included and are arranged on request.

Where does the guide pick us up?

Your guide collects you from Xi'an train station or your Xi'an hotel (Based on your requirement). Share your hotel name in advance and we confirm the exact pick-up time with you.

Which sights will we cover?

The main stops are Terracotta Warriors, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an Ancient City Wall, Morning market, Xi'an Mosques, Bell Tower, Muslim Quarter, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an Museum and Datang Everbnight City.

Can we change the sights or the pace?

Yes. Tell us what you would like more time on and your guide will reshuffle the plan; this tour can also be extended into a wider Xi'an itinerary.

Do I need a visa for Xi'an?

Most travellers need a Chinese visa, but some international transits qualify for a 24 or 144-hour visa-free stay in Xi'an. We can point you to the option that fits your route.

Price Per Person in US Dollars