Things to Do in Xi'an
Terracotta Army, city-wall cycling, Tang dynasty shows

This is the main reason most people fly to Xi'an — more than 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers buried to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor, for over 2,200 years, and only rediscovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well. What stops people in their tracks is that no two faces are the same: the hair, the expression, even the lines on the palms differ from one figure to the next. The entry ticket covers Pits 1/2/3 and Lishan Garden with a shuttle bus, but going alone you can struggle to grasp what you are looking at. A guided tour with an English-speaking guide and hotel pickup on Klook makes the story land far more clearly.

Mount Hua (Huashan) is one of China's five sacred mountains, famous for sheer granite cliffs and the most vertiginous clifftop plank walk in the world. The good news is that cable cars carry you to the peaks comfortably — no climbing required. Take the high-speed train from Xi'an North station; 30 minutes later you are at Huashan North, where a free shuttle runs to the trailhead. The popular plan is to take the West Peak cable car up, walk the ridge between summits for the views, then ride the North Peak cable car down — about 5–6 hours on the mountain. Book train tickets ahead on Trip.com; a tour bundling transport and cable car is on Klook.

Xi'an has the most complete ancient city wall in China — built in the Ming dynasty on Tang-era foundations, and wide enough on top for vehicles to pass each other. The best way to experience it is to rent a bike and ride the loop: a closed circuit of 13.74 kilometres, no traffic, no junctions, with the old city on the inside and the modern city on the outside scrolling past in alternation. The most popular rental point is the South Gate (Yongningmen). No need to book — just walk up and rent on the spot. Late afternoon, in soft light, is the most beautiful time to ride.

Picture this: a stage that uses the entire slope of Mount Li as its backdrop, with part of the set submerged in the real pool at Huaqing Palace — the very place where the doomed love story of the Tang emperor Xuanzong and his consort Yang Guifei actually unfolded. Song of Everlasting Sorrow tells that tragedy through dance, light, colour and water, and it is genuinely spectacular in scale. Two things to know, though: it runs only from spring to autumn (1 April–31 October), and it requires a trip out to Lintong district, outside the city. In 2026 the shows start at 7:10 pm and 8:35 pm. Book ahead on Klook — the good seats sell out fast.

A thousand years ago, Xi'an — then called Chang'an — was the largest and richest city in the world. The Tang Dynasty Show takes you back to the court music and dance of that era: ancient Chinese instruments, silk costumes in every colour, around eight set pieces including the celebrated Rainbow and Feather Garment Dance. It runs year-round in a theatre in the city centre — unlike Song of Everlasting Sorrow, which is out of town and summer-only. The popular option pairs it with a dumpling-banquet dinner beforehand (Xi'an dumplings are shaped into all sorts of charming little forms), with dinner starting around 7 pm.

The Muslim Quarter is paradise for anyone who travels to eat. The Hui community here has lived in Xi'an for over a thousand years, since the days of the Silk Road, so the food is halal and unlike anything you will find elsewhere. You can graze your own way around for free, of course — but what a food tour adds is a local guide who steers you past the tourist-trap stalls to the places Xi'an people actually eat, and explains where each dish comes from. Over 2.5–3 hours you taste several: roujiamo (the Chinese hamburger), liangpi (cold seasoned noodles), yangrou paomo (torn flatbread in lamb soup) and biangbiang noodles as wide as a belt. Some tours visit the Great Mosque too.

If you want to take home something better than a souvenir, try a dumpling-making or calligraphy class. Dumplings are a dish synonymous with Xi'an, and classes are usually held in a traditional courtyard home. Some begin with a visit to a spice market, after which a local chef teaches you to knead the dough, fold the dumplings, and finally eat your own handiwork. A calligraphy class teaches you to hold the brush, draw the strokes and write an auspicious character — a quiet activity that lets the culture sink in slowly. Either is ideal for families, or for a day's rest from sightseeing, and runs about 3–4 hours. Book ahead on Klook.

After dark, Datang Everbright City — the name means "the Tang city that never sleeps" — becomes the most beautiful street in Xi'an. It is a long pedestrian avenue flanked by Tang-dynasty-style buildings outlined entirely in gold light, with performers in Tang costume drifting through, live shows on the street corners, statues of Tang poets, and a steady tide of people stopping to take photographs. The best part: it is all free, and you simply walk in — no booking. Performances start around 6:30–7 pm, so arrive early for a good spot. It adjoins the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, so you can stroll straight on (don't confuse it with Tang Paradise, which is a separate ticketed garden).

In front of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda — the Tang-dynasty brick pagoda where the monk Xuanzang stored the scriptures he carried back from India — the North Square is home to what is often called the largest musical fountain in Asia. When a show begins, hundreds of jets rise in time to the music, lit in colour after dark, and it is a sight that locals still turn out for. It is entirely free to watch. Daily shows are usually at 12:00, 16:00, 19:00 and 21:00 (some daytime slots are cut on Tuesdays for maintenance). The 7 pm or 9 pm shows are the most beautiful, with the lights — arrive 10–20 minutes early to claim a spot in the middle of the square.