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The terracotta army is definitely worth a visit to experience the magnitude and grandeur of the project. The Banpo museum is well laid out and provides an informative insight into a civilisation 6000 years ago. Another lesser-known site to visit is the Han Yang Ling mausoleum. The terracotta figures may be less imposing as they are much smaller but extensive variety of figures and animals excavated reveal the way of life at that time. Definitely eat at any of the Real Love restaurants for authentic Shaanxi cuisine. The food and service at their restaurants are always excellent. We went to the 7th floor restaurant at No. 38 Zhushen Dai jie Zhongduan (朱雀大街中段38号). There is a huge outdoor terrace and a view of the small Pagada.

A really historic place. Not just the Terracotta warriors, but also a top class museum (Shaanxi History Museum) and incredibly well preserved and complete city walls (which you can circumnavigate on bikes - 14 kilometres). Also really interesting and atmospheric (and large) muslim quarter. Metro a bit limited for such a large city (just two lines) - apparently they've been trying to extend it but keep hitting valuable ancient artifacts, and have to keep calling in the archaeologists). Public bus transport pretty good, including being an excellent way to get to the Terracotta warriors (40 kilometres) for just €1 each way! no need to purchase tours (hotel will advise)

No metro to speak of but plenty of buses to get around. Highlight was Terracotta Army. Take a public bus from train station, rather than a tour bus or coach. Its a fraction of the price and you can pay for a guide person or rent the headsets when you arrive instead. Take a walk or bike ride around the ancient wall of Xian, its good fun. Bell Tower & Drum Tower better at night & vist the muslim quarter at the same time: very virbrant street market full of exotic food & other items. Shaanxi History museum worth a vist especially if weather not great & its very close to Big Wild Goose Pagoda so can combine.

Loved visiting in the evening on the wall although we missed the evening show. Liked walking the city at night from the South gate to the bell tower and drum tower, but the weather was exceedingly hot - like 40+ Celsius and high humidity. Terracotta warriors visit was nice, but too many rude people at this time of the year. Since we saw it at several museums in the USA, it was less of a WOW factor now. Tour guide helped to scam us at the jade factory. She did nothing while they forced us to buy the jewelry. Defachang restaurant for the dumplings banquet was also a scam as they told us we could pay by credit card and then refused when we paid. Dumplings banquet - everything was old and nothing tasted fresh. Looked nothing like pictured. Ripped us off for 400 RMB for some rotten dumplings. They even tried to sell us packets of snacks at the tables while we were dining. So unpleasant. Worst memory of XIAN. Remember, DO NOT GO EVER GO TO DEFACHANG. Would have loved to see the Shaanxi History Museum, but since tickets were free, there were too many people and they were probably there only for the air conditioning. Wild Goose tower was in renovation so nothing to see.

Sorry, we did not finish the previous review, accidentally pressed 'submit'. Get used to the smells and not always pleasant sights.Look at the beautiful places you visit.We did a good job selecting a private tour, driver and a guide; Yuki knew her history, was unobtrusive and patient. Knew when to instruct and when to allow us to admire and absorb the sites ourselves.Very well spent money.We visited the Great Goose Pagodda,Great Mosque,made photos of Drum and Bell Towers, did som shopping for genuine jade, next to the Terracotta W. Very full and satisfying day.only sorry the Shaanxi Museum was closed, Monday.

Most people go to Xi'an simply for the Terracotta Army, but the city itself is well worth staying a couple of days more to explore (and perhaps more, if one goes to Mount Hua as well). The city walls and old city, especially the Muslim quarter, are ideal for walking, but the more modern parts of the city are also interesting to explore. A must if you are interested in Chinese history and culture is the Shaanxi Museum. Try the local kitchen as well, IMO avoid tourist-y restaurants and just go where the locals eat. Local people very friendly, but be prepared for even less English skills than in Beijing.

This is by far the nicest city I've ever been to in China. No freezing Beijing wind, no trash piling up in the middle of the streets, buses and subway trains are not overcrowded, all the usual international and domestic shopping brands available, great Shaanxi food, people don't gawk or bother foreigners like they do in some smaller places, place is rich with history, drivers are still awful but significantly less insane than in the capital, sidewalks not teaming with overzealous delivery men on scooters ready to go over the top of you and panhandling isn't too common. I love this city and will return to it soon. All that time spent in Beijing seems wasted now.

The terracotta army is probably the most interesting part of the stay. But the city center and the muslim area are also worth a visit. A few activities for Xi'an: - Visit the terracotta army and the tombs of Han Yang Ling (not as crowded), - Spend the afternoon or evening in the muslim area and taste the amazing food sold on the street, - Visit the old mosque right in the muslim neighbourhood, - Cycle around the city walls if weather and pollution allows, - Walk around the many parks, - Visit the Shaanxi museum if art and history is your thing, - Also a few theme parks, - Catch a train to huashan, one of the finest scenery in China.

Theme of my trip revolved round the major places of attraction and local food. Visited Huashan (gorgeous scenery), Terracotta Army [note: 7 key areas here, dun miss it!] - (dun bother to go to the Qin Emperor mausoleum in Li-shan park. It is unexcavated and will not be for the next century. The guide will lead you around the park, tell you stories, then try to sell you books and jade), biked around Xi-an wall (my bum hurts from 13.67km of rocky flooring), meandered around the city and sights. Do visit the Shaanxi History Museum if you're a history buff. Prepare good walking shoes as there is plenty of walking around. Load up on facial products, moisturisers and mask - air is very dry and sucks moisture from your skin. Get your camera with batteries ready - be prepared for spectacular views, esp. on Mt. Huashan. Absolute nature's eye-candy - march still has snow. There was so much walking, I felt very warm and did not need much cold gear. Have tummy meds handy - yes, street food was irresistible esp from muslim quarters, but needs time to acclimatize. I had rummy tummy for a few days :p Be prepared for a culture shock - there is no sense of personal space, plenty of jostling and spitting. Do not bring scissors if you are planning to travel by train and subway - it will be taken from you. Do bring entertainment (mp3 player, magazine, smart phone) as there are plenty of queuing for security checks at place of attraction, subways, train and airport. Arrive 2-3 hours ahead of time at the train station and Airport - the security checks are stringent and there are plenty of people they have to run through. Pack all your electrical gear together so it (esp power banks) can be removed whilst the rest of your baggage run thru X-ray machine easily.

Xian is very historical. Many incredible museums if you want to know about Chinese history ( Banpo Museum is small but with very focussed displays, and hardly any tourist crowds like the ShaanXi History Museum ). The walled city at the Drum & Bell Towers area is incredibly beautiful at night. It is so relaxing to walk on the top of the wall on a good day- we managed to walk very slowly for half the rectangular perimeter of about 7 to 8 kms in 5 hours ( enquire at the ticket office for the scenic sides before walking ). Shaanxi cuisine is very good if you like Chinese and noodles. Relatively cheap compared to other Chinese cities. There is a clean Shaanxi food place with many foods shops near the ZhongShan Men where you could reached by Bus for 2 Yuan. The Muslim streets at the Drum Tower is interesting but hygiene may be a concern for some. Xian bus and metro transportation are excellent. It is cheap and fast to move around. You can do HuaShan Mountain tour on your own in 1 day from Xian City. Start early in the morning taking the fast speed train from BeiKeZhan around 8am to HuaShan North Station in 30 to 40 mins.