VISITXIAN
A gate tower of Xi'an's ancient city wall floodlit at night

The index · 67 sights

Things to do in Xi'an.

Honest verdicts on 67 sights, stacked across five layers of time — from a 6,000-year Neolithic village to a Tang spectacle staged on the lake. We rate every one straight, so you spend your hours on the time that matters.

See what's worth itBrowse all 67
01Plan around them

The must-sees

Four layers of the city, seven sights you can't miss — rated straight, with no hype.

Terracotta warriors standing in the excavation pit, Xi'anEmpire Time · 210 BCTerracotta Army8,000 life-sized soldiers buried for China's First Emperor — and still on guard 2,200 years later.ExploreMuslim Quarter food street busy with diners at nightGolden Time · since the 700sMuslim QuarterFeeding Xi'an since the 700s — the loudest, smokiest, best-smelling streets of its Hui community.ExploreBig Wild Goose Pagoda against the sky, Xi'anGolden Time · 652 ADBig Wild Goose PagodaA Tang brick pagoda raised in 652 AD for a monk's 17-year journey to India — still Xi'an's defining landmark.ExploreThe Tang-style halls of the Shaanxi History Museum glowing at duskGolden Time · every layer, one roofShaanxi History MuseumEvery layer of Xi'an's time stack under one roof — Zhou bronzes, Han gold and Tang treasure.ExploreOn top of Xi'an's Ming city wallWall Time · 1370sXi'an City WallA 14-kilometer Ming dynasty rectangle you can cycle on top of — 650 years old and still the city's favorite commute.ExploreThe Xi'an Bell Tower lit up at nightWall Time · 1384Xi'an Bell TowerA Ming tower from 1384 at the dead center of the walled city — best admired at dusk, floodlit above the roundabout.ExploreGrand Tang Ever-Bright City at night — the lit Tang-style pedestrian mall stretching toward the Big Wild Goose Pagoda sideCurrent Time · Tang, rebootedGrand Tang Ever-Bright CityTwo kilometers of free, floodlit Tang dynasty spectacle — the golden age, rebooted nightly.Explore
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Worth the detour

27 sights that justify the trip — here are six we'd walk first.

Courtyard of Xi'an's Great Mosque, Chinese temple architectureGolden Time · 742 ADGreat Mosque of Xi'anA mosque founded under the Tang in 742 AD, dressed as a Chinese garden temple.Read the guide
  1. 02Hanyangling MausoleumEmpire Time · 153 BCA Han emperor's underground court, begun in 153 BC — half-sized figures under a glass floor, without the crowds.
  2. 03Huaqing Palace & Hot SpringsGolden Time · 700s ADTang emperors soaked here in the 700s — China's most famous love story, and the site of a 1936 kidnapping that changed the country.
  3. 04Small Wild Goose Pagoda & Xi'an MuseumGolden Time · 707 ADA Tang pagoda from 707 AD that outlasted China's deadliest earthquake — free, calm, and half the crowds.
  4. 05YongxingfangGolden Time · Wei Zheng's old blockAll 107 counties of Shaanxi's food packed into one walled block — touristy, efficient, and honestly useful.
  5. 06Daxingshan TempleGolden Time · where the sutras were translatedThe 1,700-year-old Tang home of Chinese Esoteric Buddhism — free, pigeon-filled, and five minutes from Xi'an's busiest mall.
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If you have time

33 more for the unhurried or the return visit — here are six with fewer tickets and more flavor.

The fish-motif entrance gate of the Banpo Museum, Xi'an's Neolithic village siteBanpo MuseumDeep Time · 6,000 yearsA 6,000-year-old village under one roof — moat, kilns, and the deepest layer of Xi'an's time stack.
Gate tower at Daming Palace National Heritage ParkDaming Palace National Heritage ParkGolden Time · 634 ADThe Tang ruled an empire from here starting in 634 AD — a palace 4.5 times the Forbidden City, now foundations in a very large park.
Pagoda and spring blossoms at Qinglong TempleQinglong TempleGolden Time · 804 ADThe Tang temple that sent Buddhism to Japan in 804 AD — and still draws half of Xi'an every cherry blossom season.
Lake and pavilion at Xingqing Palace ParkXingqing Palace ParkGolden Time · Xuanzong's courtEmperor Xuanzong's Tang pleasure palace, 1,300 years on — now Xi'an's favorite living room.
Pagoda silhouette over Qujiang Pool at duskQujiang Pool Heritage ParkGolden Time · the lost lakeThe Tang dynasty's favorite party lake, lost for a thousand years and refilled in 2008 — evening jogs and poetry-stone sunsets.
Chinese-style prayer hall of the Daxuexi Alley Mosque in Xi'an's Muslim QuarterDaxuexi LaneGolden Time · the Tang classroom laneA 1,300-year-old mosque and the city's best sauce-glazed beef skewers, down one scruffy lane behind the Muslim Quarter.
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Every sight, filtered

All 67 — slice them by our rating, their type, or their layer of time.

Showing 67 of 67 sights

Beyond the city walls

13 more sit outside town

A sacred mountain, the Yellow River at full roar, and two imperial tombs — day trips worth the bullet train.

Mount Huashan Day TripFamen TempleHukou WaterfallQianling MausoleumLouguantaiMaoling (Mausoleum of Emperor Wu of Han)Cuihua MountainYuanjiacunTaibai MountainLongmen Grottoes: a day trip from Xi'an by bullet trainQinling Four Treasures Science Park: pandas near Xi'anPingyao Ancient City from Xi'anYellow Emperor Mausoleum (Huangdi Ling)Plan a route
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Xi'an sights: common questions

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Questions, answered

How many days do I need for Xi'an's sights?

Two full days cover the must-sees — the Terracotta Army on one, the city wall and central sights on the other. Three days adds a museum and a slower evening; a week lets you add Mount Huashan or a day trip.

Do I need to book tickets in advance?

For the Terracotta Army and the Shaanxi History Museum, yes — real-name booking, often several days ahead. Most other sights can be walked up; each place page states its booking rules.

What is the best single sight if I only have one day?

The Terracotta Army in the morning (go early), then the city wall for sunset — the two things that explain Xi'an fastest.

Which sights are overrated?

It depends on taste, but we rate commercial photo studios and rebuilt 'ancient streets' low. The Bell and Drum Towers are worth seeing from outside; climbing is optional.

Is there a Xi'an pass or combo ticket worth buying?

No city-wide pass pays off for most visitors — buy individual tickets. The City Wall + Forest of Steles combo is the one worth checking.