Ancient Chang'an, capital of 13 Chinese dynasties and the eastern starting point of the Silk Road. See Qin Shi Huang's Terracotta Army, cycle the full circuit of the Ming city wall, eat street food in the Hui Muslim Quarter, and visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Shaanxi History Museum. Stroll Datang Everbright City at night; Mount Hua is half an hour away by high-speed train. No direct flight from Ulaanbaatar — connect via Beijing or Hohhot. No time difference. Mongolian citizens need a tourist L visa.
🛂 Visa: Visa required · 30 days✈ Flight: 6h☀ Best months: March, April, May, September
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: March, April, May, September, October, November.
Things to see (12)
📍🧸 for kids
Terracotta Army (Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum Site Museum)
Culture¥120 (includes Pits 1, 2, 3, Lishan Garden and the shuttle bus between them)16 Mar–15 Nov 8:30–18:30 (last entry 17:00); 16 Nov–15 Mar 8:30–18:00 (last entry 16:30)
Thousands of clay soldiers, horses and chariots guarding the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, who unified China in the 3rd century BC (UNESCO). The vast Pit 1 alone is breathtaking. Book tickets ahead in your passport name with a time slot. It lies east of the city in Lintong — half to a full day, easily combined with Huaqing Palace.
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goVisa, payment apps and internet — sort all three at home; book Terracotta Army and Shaanxi museum tickets in advance.+
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Visa: tourist L visa
Mongolian citizens with an ordinary passport need a Chinese visa. Fill in the form on cova.cs.mfa.gov.cn, book an appointment and apply in person at the consular section of the Chinese embassy in UB. Fees: single entry $53, double $79, standard processing 4 working days. Attach a return ticket and hotel booking.
Tip: Mongolians are not covered by the 240-hour visa-free transit — you need a visa even when connecting via Beijing.
Terracotta Army tickets cost ¥120 and are booked up to 7 days ahead in your passport name with a time slot; show your passport at the museum to collect a paper ticket. The Shaanxi History Museum is free but requires advance registration with your passport, and slots go fast.
Almost all shops, street-food stalls and taxis in Xi'an take QR payments. Download Alipay and WeChat, verify them with your passport and link a Visa or Mastercard. Museum booking mini-programs run inside WeChat.
🛬Landing and getting to the cityXianyang (XIY) airport lies north-west of the centre, on the Xianyang side.+
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Metro line 14
Metro line 14 runs from terminals T1–T3 and T5 to Xi'an North Station; change to line 2 for the Bell Tower. About ¥8 to the centre, every 10–15 minutes from roughly 6:00 to 23:00.
Airport buses to the city centre cost ¥25; the Bell Tower route takes ~75–90 minutes, and there are night routes. Take taxis or DiDi only from the official rank.
Fly to Beijing and take a high-speed train from Beijing West to Xi'an North in 4 h 10 min – 6 h, with over 20 departures a day. Book on Trip.com or 12306 with your passport and pass the gates with your passport.
On Chinese networks Google, Gmail, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp are blocked. Foreign eSIMs such as Airalo or Holafly route data abroad, so these work without a VPN. Buy and install one before you go.
Tip: Roaming from a Mongolian operator also works but can be expensive — check first.
China Mobile and China Unicom outlets at the airport and in town sell SIMs with your passport. Cheap and fast, but foreign apps won't open.
🚇Getting aroundThe centre is compact inside the wall; the metro, taxis and bikes make it easy.+
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Metro
Fares run by distance from ¥2. Line 2 links Xi'an North Station, the Bell Tower and Xiaozhai; line 4 serves the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Datang Everbright City. Alipay's metro QR code works, and every station has a bag check.
Both are east of the city in Lintong. Tourist buses leave from the east square of Xi'an Railway Station, or take DiDi. Turn down 'cheap tour' touts around the station and board only the official bus.
Xi'an North to Huashan North takes 28–41 minutes, second class ¥54–59. From the station to the visitor centre is 15–25 minutes, and shuttles to the cable cars cost ¥20–40. Uphill check-in closes at 16:00, so go early.
Shops, eateries, taxis and street stalls all take QR payments. With a foreign card linked, Alipay and WeChat Pay charge no fee on small amounts and a small percentage on large ones. Big hotels and department stores take Visa/Mastercard directly.
Some Muslim Quarter stalls and vendors on Mount Hua's trails prefer cash. Bank of China and ICBC ATMs dispense yuan on foreign cards. If your phone dies you can't pay, so carry a power bank.
🍜FoodXi'an is a city of wheat and mutton: noodles, breads and soups close to Mongolian tastes.+
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What to eat
'Yangrou paomo' mutton soup with crumbled flatbread, 'roujiamo' meat buns, wide hand-pulled 'biangbiang' noodles, liangpi cold noodles, lamb skewers and the Muslim Quarter's persimmon cakes. Say 'bu la' to tone down the chilli.
Tip: No tipping in restaurants. The Muslim Quarter serves no pork and hardly any alcohol.
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Where to eat
Main Beiyuanmen street is touristy and pricier; locals eat in the side streets Xiyang Shi and Dapixiang and in the Yongxingfang food court. Choose by ratings on Dianping or Trip.com.
Police 110, ambulance 120, fire 119 — free from any phone. Without Chinese, ask hotel staff or use a translation app for help, and call your insurer's assistance line first.
Pickpockets operate in the Muslim Quarter, around the Bell Tower and in Datang Everbright City — keep your passport and phone in a front pocket. Around the Terracotta Army, unofficial guides steer visitors to fake 'museum' shops. Carry your passport — it is checked on trains and at museums.
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Smog, heat and the mountain
Air pollution rises in the winter heating season, so bring a mask and check an air-quality app. Summers are very hot — drink water and stay indoors at midday. On Mount Hua's steep stairs wear gloves and non-slip shoes.
🙏Manners+
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Muslim Quarter and temple etiquette
In the Great Mosque and the Muslim Quarter cover shoulders and knees and don't bring pork or alcohol. Non-Muslims do not enter the prayer hall. In Buddhist temples keep quiet and don't block people who are praying.
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Museum and table manners
Flash photos and climbing barriers are banned at the Terracotta Army pits. Tap the table with your fingers to thank someone pouring your tea. Never stand chopsticks upright in rice. Queues can be pushy — stay calm.
📱Useful apps+
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Payments and bookings
Alipay — all payments, the metro QR code, DiDi and ticket mini-programs. WeChat — time slots for the Shaanxi History Museum and the Terracotta Army. Link both to a foreign card at home.
Google Maps shows wrong positions in China. Amap (Gaode) gives accurate metro, bus and walking routes and has an English interface. Use DiDi for taxis.
Trip.com — hotels, high-speed trains to Beijing and Huashan, and 'Song of Everlasting Sorrow' tickets. For translation use Apple/Microsoft Translator, or Google Translate with a roaming eSIM; download Chinese for offline use.
Take metro line 14 or the airport bus. The airport has several terminals, so check which one is on your ticket and leave early to allow for rush-hour traffic.
Miniature terracotta warriors, Tang-style souvenirs, brushes and ink, and persimmon cakes are popular gifts. Power banks go in hand luggage and must carry the 3C mark. Claim VAT back at the airport on goods from 'Tax Free' shops.
AI answer: double-check anything beyond our researched facts with an official source.
≈8:00–22:00 (bikes can be rented at any point until 20:00)
China's most complete Ming-dynasty city wall, a ~14 km loop. Rent a bike on top and ride the full circuit in 2–3 hours — a family favourite. The South Gate (Yongningmen) is the main entrance; lovely at sunset when the lanterns come on.
The centuries-old quarter of the Hui Muslim community: 'paomo' mutton soup with crumbled bread, 'roujiamo' meat buns, liangpi cold noodles, lamb skewers and persimmon cakes. The main Beiyuanmen street is touristy, so try the side streets Xiyang Shi and Dapixiang where locals eat.
CultureMar–Nov ¥25, Dec–Feb ¥15Mar–Nov 9:00–20:00, Dec–Feb 9:00–18:00 (may close during Friday prayers)
Dating back to the 8th century, one of China's largest and oldest mosques — even the minaret is shaped like a Chinese pagoda, with wooden pavilions and garden courtyards. Hidden in a narrow lane of the Muslim Quarter; cover shoulders and knees.
CultureBell Tower ¥30; both ¥501 Apr–10 Oct 8:30–20:30, 11 Oct–31 Mar 8:30–18:00
Two 14th-century Ming towers at the very centre of the city. Short bell and drum performances take place inside, and the top looks down the four main streets. Best seen from outside when lit up at night; right next to the Muslim Quarter.
CultureDa Ci'en Temple ¥10 (students ¥5); pagoda climb ¥25–30; North Square fountain freeTemple 8:30–17:00; fountain shows in the evening (schedule varies by season)
A 64 m pagoda built for the Tang monk Xuanzang, who brought sutras from India, inside Da Ci'en Temple. The North Square hosts Asia's largest musical fountain show — children love it. Datang Everbright City starts just to the south.
CultureMain exhibition free (book ahead with your passport); Tang mural gallery charged separatelyTue–Sun 8:30–17:30, closed Mondays
One of China's finest museums: Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang bronzes, gold and ceramics, Tang horses and camel-riding merchant figurines — a great way to understand the Silk Road. The free tickets go fast, so book a few days ahead. A good choice for rainy or hot days.
Huaqing Palace and 'The Song of Everlasting Sorrow'
CulturePalace ¥120; 'Song of Everlasting Sorrow' show ≈¥299–988 (by seat)Palace ≈7:00–18:00; show nightly Apr–Oct (≈70 min)
The hot-spring summer palace of Tang Emperor Xuanzong and Consort Yang at the foot of Mount Li. In the evening a large open-air dance show uses the mountain and lake as its stage to tell their love story. Combine with the Terracotta Army in one day.
NatureGate ¥160 (discounted ¥80 until 10 Oct, winter ¥100); West Peak cable car ¥140, North Peak ¥80 (one way); shuttle bus ¥20–40Cable cars ≈7:00–19:00; uphill check-in closes at 16:00
One of Taoism's five sacred mountains, 2,154 m, with sheer granite cliffs and the 'world's most dangerous' plank walk. About 30 minutes by high-speed train from Xi'an North. Ride a cable car up and hike between the peaks; the plank walk is not for young children. Bring warm layers and plenty of water.
Datang Everbright City (Grand Tang Mall) — night walk
CityFree24 hours; best 19:00–23:00
A ~2 km pedestrian boulevard running south from the Big Wild Goose Pagoda: Tang-style buildings, light displays, street performances and actors in Tang costume. Fun for all ages — you can rent Tang costumes for photos. Very crowded on holidays and weekends.
CultureFree (register with your passport); pagoda climb ¥3015 Mar–31 Oct 9:00–18:00, 1 Nov–14 Mar 9:00–17:30; closed Tuesdays
An 8th-century 43 m pagoda in a quiet park, plus a free museum on Xi'an's history. Far less crowded and more peaceful than the big pagoda — good for a relaxed family stroll.
Over 3,000 stone steles and inscriptions from the Han dynasty onward — a 'library' of Chinese calligraphy, including the Nestorian Christian stele and Tang stone carvings. Near the South Gate of the city wall; the adjacent Shuyuanmen street sells brushes, ink and calligraphy supplies.
