My attempt at alliteration! If you think of something more appropriate please leave a comment down below :)
Experience
Terracotta Warriors *
To see the warrior army is probably on most people’s wish list and I was no different. I think for me however the buildup was too much for reality to bear and I was a bit disappointed with the actual site.
Don’t get me wrong, the soldiers and their numbers were very impressive and the backstory even more so but I think I had expected to see them much closer up- to be able to walk among them. The overcrowded viewing platform was too far away to afford anything but a distant general view which meant the warriors famed individuality was not really visible. There are a few warriors in protective glass boxes for closer viewing but the continuous dense crowd around them was impossible to breach. I understand protection of the statues is primary but there are surely ways to sort out the overcrowding issue? I felt a bit let down and for me the painstaking excavation and restoration process was, ultimately, what was truly impressive. Definitely worth a visit but go with tempered expectations.
Zoomed Warriors The Terracotta Army
Recommended visit duration- min 3hrs with travel
Huaging Pool Palace
Famed for being the place where the romantic story of Emperor Tangxuanzong and his beloved Concubine Yang took place, this historic site draws thousands of Chinese visitors daily.
The pool palace is named such for the various pools of hot spring water that used to exist here. Now most of the water has dried up with only the pool shells remaining. Because of the heated waters it was the winter escape for many emperors and their families and/or preferred concubines.
The palace is wide spread with ponds, palaces, pavilions, gardens, sheltering mountains and a central man made Nine Dragon Lake which is the site of live shows reliving some of the palaces famous history.
It was unfortunately an unusually hot day when we visited so we barely managed to see the basics before calling time out but our guide filled us in on the historical elements in the car on the way home!
Huaging Pool Palace
Tip: you can do the Terracotta Warriors and The pool palace on the same day with lunch in between as they are not too far from one another.
Recommended visit duration- 2-3 hrs
Xian City Wall *
This was a surprise for us. The Xian city wall is one of the oldest, largest, most well preserved and complete city walls in existence in China. It is rectangular in shape,14km long, and fortified with watch towers, corner towers, a moat and a drawbridge.
Once you climb up to the top there is a walkway along the entire length and you can complete the full walk in about 4-5 hours while taking in the views of the city. You could also take the golf buggy which costs Rmb. 30 per section of wall. The most enjoyable option, however, is to take the bicycles on hire. I think it was Rmb.20 for 100 minutes when we went.
The path is flat with cobbled stone and there are several rest stops along the way. It is however open to the elements and you need to prepare for hot sun, rain or snow depending on when you visit.
Being short on time we ended up walking one side of the wall and back but in hindsight we would love to have tried out the bikes! Next time!
In front of the Xian City Wall
On the Wall Lovely Locals
Recommended visit duration- up to you
Drum and Bell tower
These are walking distance from the south gate of the city wall and we ended up walking past but didn’t make the climb up due to time restrictions. They are located facing each other with an actual functional road between which is an example of how the modern and historic have been forced to co-exist. If you have climbed the city wall you can avoid climbing the towers as the views will be almost identical.
Bell Tower Drum Tower
Recommended visit duration- up to you
Muslim Quarter
Again very close to the towers, the Muslim quarter is a foodies’ delight. A must visit for all your street food cravings or to simply witness the sheer numbers of stalls and people visiting daily.
Tip: go hungry and carry tissues to wipe hands after eating!
Crowds at the Muslim Quarter Entrance to the Muslim Quarter
Recommended visit duration- up to you
Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Plaza *
This is a Buddhist pagoda located in the center of a temple complex which unfortunately we did not get time to visit but saw daily from our perfectly positioned hotel!
Nighttime view of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda
The huge plaza area around the temple complex has many restaurants, souvenir shops, small parks and a big fountain with free shows in the evenings (closed when we were there).
Early mornings see many locals practicing tai chi or flying kites in the plaza while in the evening the entertainment changes to dancing and singing- truly charming to witness!
Morning at the Plaza Decor around the Plaza
Time permitting, spend some time walking around the area in the evening even if it’s just to witness the spectacle of lights! They are everywhere and in all colors- it’s like being in a huge theme park where lights are the main attraction- must be seen to be believed.
Beautiful young girl in local dress
Nighttime at the Plaza
Recommended visit duration- up to you
Cultural show
Our guide suggested we see a cultural show if we had time and so we went for one which included a dim sum buffet.
After the show, which was very nice, we moved to the restaurant for dinner.
The buffet was served to us tableside and not knowing how much food to expect we were ready to leave after the first set of baskets…. lucky we didn’t as that was just the beginning! The dim sums were nice, not excellent, but the experience was fun and we enjoyed the night out.
If you have an evening free this is a nice way to spend it.
Show Brochure
Stage and orchestra for the show Frog shaped dumpling
Recommended visit duration- around 2 hrs
Eat
Street food at the Muslim quarter*
This place is sensation overload. Always crowded, and I mean CROWDED, it’s basically a road with food stalls and small restaurants crammed along either side. Many stalls sell the same items so getting served is not the problem- language is. No English understood at all so what you see is pretty much the only info you’ll get. Always have handy a photo of a pig, cow, chicken and seafood so you know at least which protein it is. Stalls offered meat skewers, softshell crab skewers, varieties of noodles, trotters, nonalcoholic drinks, desserts and many other items I couldn’t recognize. We tried the meat skewers(beef), fried softshell crab skewers, trotters, local noodles, a local burger and local desserts.
Softshell fried crab on sticks, Assorted kebabs, Award winning trotters, Local noodles, Desserts, Breads and many more foods to try out
Some hits and some misses but it was an experience to remember. I would go back for the noodles and the fried crab and my husband enjoyed the skewers but there is so much choice you’re bound to find something you like. Vegetarians will find food too but not being able to ask what the ingredients in sauces etc. are, the more particular diner may need to stick to fresh fruit and desserts.
One item I wanted to try was the stinky tofu, and there was plenty of it, but I chickened out after getting a whiff from 3 stalls away- some things are best left untouched!
Recommendations
If your aim is to see the warriors in peace I suggest staying at a hotel nearby the night before and be one of the first to enter the site.If you’re travelling from Xian center it takes about an hour by car so leave as early as you can to avoid traffic and the inevitable crowds . A guide is not essential as you can pick up audio guides at the site.
Click here for the link to the agency we used to plan and customize our Xian and Zhangjiajie trips.
Impressions
Xian was not the small city I had erroneously expected. I hadn’t realized how much there was to explore or I would have added an extra night here. As it was we managed to see almost all we wanted to but had to rush through some areas. This was in part due to the unexpected traffic congestion in the city which is apparently a norm but was exaggerated due to it being a 3 day Chinese holiday. This meant longer travel times to destinations and an earlier departure for the airport- some things you can’t plan for! The public holiday also meant-you guessed it- even bigger crowds of domestic tourists! Being Indian, crowds don’t surprise me but this was unbelievable and quite the experience but I think by now we were getting used to the Chinese way and took it in stride. We were determined tourists- we came to explore China and nothing was going to stop us!