Where to Stay in Xi'an as a Woman Travelling Solo
8 Safe Hotels — the Well-Lit Old City by the Bell Tower, on Metro Line 2, Walkable to Food, 24h Reception

We open the women's solo list with what we think is the most reassuring pick of all — Novotel Xi'an The Bell Tower scores 9.6/10 from around 10,022 real guest reviews, the most reviews on the list (a review count in the ten thousands means a genuinely steady, predictable standard, reassuring when you're travelling alone). It's a 4-star Accor hotel right on Bell Tower Square. What works for a woman travelling solo is that it's in the most well-lit area of the old city, it's a big hotel with a staffed reception, and it's just ~110 m to Metro Line 2/6 — at night the Bell Tower is lit and busy, easy to walk back to, plus you can walk to the Drum Tower and the Muslim Quarter for food yourself in about 10 minutes. Guests say over and over that the staff are very helpful, the rooms are clean, and the breakfast is good. The honest catch: it's a central four-star starting around ¥450 (higher than the budget chains), and Bell Tower Square is busy in the evening (inner rooms are quieter) · details compiled from real reviews on Trip.com.

Another Accor pick where you step out of the lobby and the Bell Tower is right there — Mercure Xi'an The Bell Tower scores 9.6/10 from around 4,716 real guest reviews, just ~50 m from the Bell Tower. It's a 4-star Accor Mercure with local Xi'an design touches. What works for a woman travelling solo is that it's in the most well-lit area, right by the Bell Tower, about 270 m to Metro Line 2, and you can walk to the Muslim Quarter for food yourself — the area around the Bell Tower is busy late, easy to walk back to, plus it's an Accor with a predictable standard and a staffed reception throughout. Guests praise the step-out-the-door central location, the clean rooms, and the Chinese-Western breakfast. The honest catch: it's a central four-star starting around ¥420, and it's on North Street with traffic (inner rooms are quieter than street-facing ones).

This is the best-value pick on the list, yet the highest score — Homeinn Selected Hotel Xi'an Bell Tower scores 9.7/10 from around 1,007 real guest reviews, the peak score on the list. It's Huazhu's upgrade brand, with clean, freshly renovated rooms, on Zhubashi in the old-city core. What works for a woman travelling solo is that you get a clean chain-standard room from just around ¥300 (฿1,500), a 5-minute walk (0.31 km) to the Bell Tower and Drum Tower, near the Muslim Quarter to walk out to food yourself in a well-lit area, plus it's a Huazhu chain with a predictable standard and a staffed reception. Guests praise the great-value rooms, how spotless they are, and the walk-to-everything central location. The honest catch: it's a midscale (three-star) with smallish rooms and no big-hotel facilities, and the review count isn't as high as the big hotels yet (though the score is high and consistent).

This is the spacious-room design pick for a solo traveller who wants comfortable space — Manxin Hotel Xi'an Bell Tower scores 9.6/10 from around 2,469 real guest reviews, a Manxin (漫心) lifestyle-design chain from Huazhu that opened in 2024, on North Street in the old-city core. What works for a woman travelling solo is that the rooms are a spacious 30–50 sqm, warm-toned and private, so travelling alone you get comfortable space, never cramped, plus it's in the well-lit old city, about 410 m to Metro Line 2 and a ~6-minute walk to the Bell Tower, a Huazhu chain with a predictable standard and a staffed reception. Guests praise the big, clean rooms, the warm design, and the comfortable beds. The honest catch: it's a new branch (fewer reviews than the big hotels), it's on North Street with traffic (inner rooms are quieter), and it's not right by the Bell Tower (a ~6-minute walk).

This is the design pick where you step out the door into the lit food street — Orange Hotel Xi'an Bell Tower Huimin Street scores a high 9.5/10 from around 2,513 real guest reviews, set mid-Muslim-Quarter on the Hui food street. It's an Orange (桔子) design chain from Huazhu. What works for a woman travelling solo is that it's in the middle of the Hui food street, lit and busy with people late into the night, so you step out of the room straight to food with no need to walk far — 60 m to the Drum Tower, about 260 m to Metro Line 2/6 — plus the rooms are well-soundproofed so you sleep well even in a busy area, and there's a 3rd-floor rooftop with a full Drum Tower view. Guests praise the location in the heart of the food street, the Drum Tower rooftop, and the clean, soundproofed rooms. The honest catch: it's mid-pedestrian-street and very busy at night (ask for an inner room not facing the street if you're a light sleeper), the entrance is on floors 2-3 of a building in the quarter, and it's a compact three-star.

This is the international-brand pick with an English-speaking front desk, the most reassuring for a first night alone — Hilton Garden Inn Xi'an Bell Tower scores 9.6/10 from around 1,575 real guest reviews, by the Bell Tower, a ~5-minute walk to the Drum Tower and the Muslim Quarter. What works for a woman travelling solo is that it's a Hilton with an English-speaking front desk and a steady standard, which is genuinely reassuring, especially your first night arriving in an unfamiliar city, plus a well-lit old-city location you can explore all day on foot without a car, a gym, a terrace and a restaurant, with Metro Line 2 about 0.62 km away. Guests praise how everything is walkable and the steady Hilton consistency. The honest catch: it's a touch off Bell Tower Square (not right on it), it's a four-star starting around ¥450, and it's in the Zhubashi lane where finding the entrance the first time can be a little confusing.

This is the design pick where, travelling alone, you have a quiet nook to work or read — Atour Hotel Xi'an Bell Tower South Gate scores 9.6/10 from around 3,190 real guest reviews, by the City Wall South Gate, ~0.44 km to Metro Line 2. Atour is known for its lobby library nook and signature beds that guests praise for a good night's sleep over and over. What works for a woman travelling solo is that there's a spot to have a coffee and work / plan your trip outside the room without going far, and a location by the South Gate that's well-lit and on Metro Line 2, easy to walk back to at night. The rooms are warm earth tones, and some face the city wall in full; in the morning you can walk or cycle the wall. Guests praise the library nook, the signature beds, and the city-wall views. The honest catch: it's a midscale four-star with compact standard rooms, and it's by the ring road around the wall, so traffic noise can carry (inner rooms are quieter).

We close the list with the pick for a woman travelling solo on a light budget who wants to meet other travellers — Han Tang Inn Hostel scores 9.6/10 from around 543 real guest reviews, a foreigner-friendly hostel that backpackers worldwide have recommended for nearly twenty years. What works for a woman travelling solo is that there's a separate female dorm to choose (safer and more reassuring than a mixed dorm), plus private en-suite rooms if you want your own space, in a location behind Beiyuanmen, about a 5-minute walk to the Bell Tower in a well-lit area, with Metro Line 2 walkable. The staff speak English and help you plan, and there's a tour desk for the Terracotta Army. Guests say over and over that it's clean, the staff are lovely, and it's the easiest place to find people to talk to. The honest catch: it's a hostel with simple facilities, some nights are lively from the social activities, and beds / rooms fill fast on Chinese holidays (book ahead) · confirm a female dorm bed is available when booking for peace of mind.