Cheap Stays in Xi'an — Without Leaving the City
8 Best-Value Hotels & Hostels, ¥60–¥420, Still a Walk to the Bell Tower

We open with what we'd call the best value for budget travellers who want a familiar international brand — Hampton by Hilton at the City Wall South Gate scores 9.6/10 from over 8,487 real reviews, the largest review count on the whole list, drawn from real guest reviews. The value is that it's a Hilton chain but starts at around ¥290, with free breakfast in Western, Chinese and Asian styles. Guests say the same things again and again: clean rooms, the steady standard you expect from a big chain, and how close you are to walking up the City Wall at the South Gate. It's right by Yongningmen station on Line 2, a few stops from the Bell Tower. The honest caveat: this is Hampton at economy level, so rooms are neat and functional rather than plush, and prices jump quickly over Chinese holidays.

If the goal is the absolute lowest price while staying central and being able to talk to people — Han Tang Inn Hostel is a four-floor international youth hostel with dorm beds from just ¥60 (฿300), scoring 9.6/10 from real reviews. What makes it such a strong fit for international travellers is that the staff speak English: there's a tour desk (Terracotta Warriors / Mount Huashan), free nightly activities, free drinks and breakfast, plus Western toilets and hot showers. Guests praise the location, the friendly staff, the cleanliness and how easy it is to meet people. It's walkable to the Bell Tower and Muslim Quarter — a great fit for backpackers. The honest caveat: it's a hostel, so amenities are basic, and some nights are lively with the social activities; if you want quiet, the private rooms are still only low-hundreds of yuan.

This is the value we want to quietly point you toward — Homeinn Selected's Bell Tower branch scores 9.7/10 from over 1,009 real reviews, the highest score on the whole list, even though private rooms start at only low-hundreds of yuan, drawn from real guest reviews. Homeinn Selected is the upgraded line of the Home Inn chain, noticeably newer in design and cleaner than the standard version. Guests praise spotless rooms, comfy beds, helpful staff and the Zhubashi/West St location, a few minutes' walk from the Drum Tower and Huimin Street, with a daily buffet breakfast. The honest caveat: it's an economy hotel, so standard rooms are compact with no luxury amenities, and staff speak limited English — have a translation app ready.

If your budget can stretch a little and you want a nicer room than an economy chain — Atour South Gate is a 4-star design hotel whose starting price (~¥420) hasn't strayed far from budget, but gives you a roomy ~35 sq.m room with an ancient City Wall view, scoring 9.6/10 from over 3,190 real reviews. The Atour brand is known for its lobby library corner and signature bedding, which guests repeatedly say they sleep well on. Rooms are warm and earthy, and some face straight onto the City Wall — you can walk up and cycle the ramparts from here. It's the pick for a budget traveller who wants to step up the room quality without leaping to luxury prices. The honest caveat: it's midscale-design, so there's no big pool or spa, and a few reviews note imperfect sound insulation to the next room.

If you want a familiar international brand at a genuinely economy price — Ibis's Drum Tower / Huimin Street branch (广济街) scores 9.6/10 from over 1,089 real reviews, with rooms from just ~¥160, drawn from real guest reviews. Ibis is Accor's economy brand, known worldwide for comfortable beds and a steady, predictable standard. Guests praise clean rooms, the value, and the location ~0.4 km from Guangjijie station on Line 6, with the Drum Tower and Huimin Street a further ~10 min walk. It's a good fit for a budget traveller who wants the reassurance of an international chain without paying for it. The honest caveat: it's Ibis at economy level, so standard rooms are small, breakfast is charged separately (~¥28pp), and it's not right on the Bell Tower.

If your trip is all about waking up and eating along Huimin Street, this has the prime spot — JI Hui Min Street is only about 100 metres from the Drum Tower and the Muslim food street, scoring 9.3/10 from over 2,447 real reviews. The JI brand (全季), part of Huazhu, is known for spotless, tidy rooms and good sound insulation — it's a midscale step up from the economy chains but still light on price (from ¥300). Guests praise the location and the value; compared with Homeinn/Ibis on this list, JI's rooms look newer and more polished, in exchange for a slightly higher price. The honest caveat: Huimin Street is lively and noisy at night, so ask for a higher or interior room, and standard rooms are compact.

Rounding out the budget chains is the one that's closest to the Metro — HanTing Premium's North Street (北大街) branch is just ~0.17 km from Beidajie station, one stop on Line 2 from the Bell Tower, scoring 9.0/10 from over 1,400 real reviews, with rooms from just ~¥150, drawn from real guest reviews. HanTing (汉庭) is Huazhu's popular budget chain, and the Premium (优佳) line is the upgraded version with newer, cleaner rooms than the standard. Guests praise the cleanliness, fast check-in, free parking (rare in the centre) and a ground-floor restaurant. It's the fit for a budget traveller who wants to be glued to the Metro. The honest caveat: it's a budget chain, so rooms are small and plain, staff speak limited English, and it's on a big road on the north side, not in an atmospheric old-town lane.

We close with the pick for a budget traveller willing to spend a bit more for design — Atour X's Bell Tower branch is the design 4-star line of the Atour group, scoring 9.4/10 from over 1,108 real reviews, with rooms from around ¥360, drawn from real guest reviews. Atour X is the sub-brand with sharper, more modern design than the standard Atour. Guests praise the good-looking rooms, the soft signature Atour bedding, and the location on East Mutoushi, a walk to the Bell Tower and the old town. It fits a budget traveller who'll pay a little extra for a room that looks good and sleeps well. The honest caveat: it's pricier than the economy chains on this list, and it's about 850 metres to the Metro, not right on it — the photo above shows the Bell Tower area where it sits (see the real room photos at the booking link below).