What are the top things to do in Xi'an?

Army of Terracotta Warriors and Horses, Xi'an City Wall, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, and more. Paste your own list into Tripsapien and it checks each place's hours, closures, and booking pressure for your exact dates.

Which neighborhoods should I explore in Xi'an?

Bell Tower and Luomashi, Muslim Quarter, South Gate and Shuyuanmen, Qujiang and Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Tripsapien groups your places by neighborhood so each day stays in one or two areas instead of zig-zagging.

When is the best time to visit Xi'an?

April, September, May balance comfortable temperatures with fewer rainy days. Pick your month below to see that month's events, public holidays, and seasonal timing.

Will the places on my list be open when I'm in Xi'an?

Tripsapien checks each place against the exact dates you're in Xi'an and flags closures, limited hours, and sell-outs before the trip.

Xi'an China

Things to do in Xi'an

By Tripsapien Research / Updated May 20, 2026

Xi'an is the Shaanxi capital where the Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Muslim Quarter, Ming city wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and Lintong terracotta sites compress several Chinese capitals into one travel base. The city works best as a split between the walled center, Qujiang temple zone, South Gate calligraphy lanes, and the east-side Qin dynasty day trip.

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About Xi'an

City overview

Food & drink

Xi'an food is wheat-heavy: biangbiang noodles are wide, hand-pulled ribbons, roujiamo packs chopped stewed meat into flatbread, and yangrou paomo starts with bread torn into mutton broth. Muslim Quarter lanes, Huimin Street, Yongxingfang, South Gate snack streets, and old-city noodle shops add liangpi cold noodles, suantang dumplings, persimmon cakes, hulatang, and lamb skewers.

Top sights

Ranked for suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.

Map of Xi'an with pinned top attractions (1 through 10)

1
Army of Terracotta Warriors and Horses
4.6★ · 8,026
The Qin Shihuang burial army east of the city has excavated pits of life-size soldiers, horses, chariots, and ongoing archaeological work near Lintong.
2
Xi'an City Wall
The Ming-era wall encircles the old city and is broad enough for cycling between the South Gate, moat views, towers, and neighborhood gates.
3
Bell Tower
4.5★ · 662
The central tower marks the crossing of the old city axes and gives views toward the Drum Tower, Muslim Quarter, and four main streets.
Wikipedia

Show 8 more sights

4Drum Tower
5Muslim Quarter and Huimin Street
6Great Mosque of Xi’an
7Big Wild Goose Pagoda
8Shaanxi History Museum
9Small Wild Goose Pagoda and Xi’an Museum
10Daming Palace National Heritage Park
11Huaqing Palace

Neighborhoods

1
Bell Tower and Luomashi
The center is commercial and historic, with the Bell Tower, Drum Tower, malls, hotels, metro transfers, and quick access to every gate.
2
Muslim Quarter
The quarter is food-heavy and crowded, with the Great Mosque, Huimin Street, snack lanes, butcher shops, sweets, and evening movement.
3
South Gate and Shuyuanmen
The South Gate area has wall access, calligraphy street, hostels, bars, small museums, and the most atmospheric old-city walks.
4
Qujiang and Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Qujiang is more spacious and cultural, with pagodas, plazas, museums, Tang Paradise, hotels, and night fountains.
5
Lintong
Lintong is the east-side archaeological zone, with the Terracotta Army, Qin mausoleum area, Huaqing Palace, Mount Li, and bus-tour logistics.
6
High-Tech Zone and Xiaozhai
The southern modern districts add offices, universities, malls, Shaanxi History Museum access, and easier business-hotel bases.

Day trips

40km / 1h by car or metro-plus-bus from central Xi’an
Terracotta Army and Qin Shihuang Mausoleum
The archaeological district needs a half day at minimum and pairs naturally with Huaqing Palace or Mount Li.
120km / 40min by high-speed rail to Huashan North plus shuttle
Mount Hua
The steep Taoist mountain has cable cars, plank-path routes, temples, and long queues during holidays.
120km / 2h by car from Xi’an
Famen Temple
The Buddhist temple complex west of the city is tied to relic veneration and makes a long heritage day outside the main Qin-Tang route.

Getting around

Xi'an Metro covers the airport, North Railway Station, Bell Tower, South Gate, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and many outer districts, with QR tickets and local cards at stations. The walled center is walkable, but Terracotta Army days need car, tour bus, or metro-and-bus planning.