Four-day Xi'an Tour

    You will meet your guide at Xi’an Xianyang International Airport or Xi’an North Railway Station. He or she will take you to a local restaurant for lunch. After checking in at your hotel, you will be guided to visit the Giant Goose Pagoda and the Ancient City Wall. An optional activity recommended to you is to watch a wonderful Tang-Palace dance show after dinner.

    The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is situated at Cien Monastery. It was built by Master Xuanzang in the year of 652. The master traveled to India and brought Buddha’s holy books and statues back to China. The pagoda used to be the place where all of the statues and books were preserved. It is a seven-storied pagoda, is 64.5 meters(211.6 feet) in height.

    In Xi’an, the Ancient City Wall is one of the main magnets for visitors. It is one of the few well-preserved defensive constructions which have survived in the world. The wall was initially built in the Tang Dynasty(618-907) and reconstructed in the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). It is 12 meters(39 feet) high and 13.74 kilometers(8.5 miles) long.

    In the morning, your will be guided to Shaanxi History Museum. After lunch, you will pay a visit to the Terracotta Warriors. During your tour at the site, you may also get a rare opportunity to make a miniature terracotta warrior with your own hands under instructions given by local potters. In the afternoon, you will ride your car to Huayin County where Huashan Mountain is situated. It takes about one and a half hours to get to Huayin County from Xi’an. You will spend the night in the town of Huayin.

    Shaanxi History Museum is situated in the south of the city proper. It covers an area of 6.5 hectares(16 acres) and houses over 1.71 million historical curiosities. As the first modernized museum in Mainland China, Shaanxi History Museum has become one of the must-see attractions in Xi’an.

    The site of the Terracotta Warriors is located 40 kilometers(25 miles) to the east of downtown Xi’an. There are over 8,000 life-size statues in three vaults. The warriors, horses and chariots are lined up and divided into cavalry and infantry units. All the statues were made and buried over 2,000 years ago. In March, 1974, some peasant farmers discovered several statues of warriors, when they were digging a well nearby the site. They reported the discovery to the government. Then, some archaeologists came and unearthed the vaults. The statues served as the funerary items for Emperor Qin-Shihuang, the first emperor in Chinese history. As one of the top three attractions in Mainland China, the assemblage of Terracotta Warriors and Horses has been billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World and added to the list of world cultural heritage sites by UNESCO in 1987.

    In the morning, you will ride your private car to Huashan Mountain. After hiking the mountain, you will be escorted back to your hotel in Xi’an.

    Huashan Mountain is one of the most famous mountains in China. It is known as the West Mountain. The mountain lies about 120 kilometers(75 miles) to the east of Xi’an. It is a holy land of Taoists and a wonderful destination for hikers. The Visitor Centre is located at the foot of the North Peak of Huashan Mountain. The visitors usually go directly to the North Peak from the Visitor Centre by cable car. The ride takes about 10 minutes. The altitude of the North Peak is 1,614 meters(5,295 feet) above sea level. A path leads up to the East Peak from the North Peak. The path is called Ear-Scratch Cliff by locals. Its name indicates that the path is so narrow that the hikers have to press their head against the cliff when they pass through. It takes about two hours to hike up the path to the East Peak. On the way, the visitors will pass by many sightseeing spots, such as the Heavenly Ladders, the Sun and Moon Cliff, the Green-Dragon Ridge and the Golden-Lock Mountain Pass. The East Peak is 2,096 meters(6,877 feet) above sea level. The view of sunrise on the East Peak is quite spectacular. The visitors need to keep hiking about one hour along the path to the South Peak which is the summit of Huashan Mountain, 2,155 meters(7,070 feet) above sea level. On the way to the summit, they will pass by the South Heavenly Gate and Changkong Plank Walkway. The plank walkway is hanging on cliffs. It is considered as the most fearsome path in the world. There is another path near the plank walkway. The hikers can choose either of the two paths to pass through. It takes about half an hour to get to the West Peak from the South Peak on foot. The West Peak is 2,083 meters(6,834 feet) above sea level, is the most ideal point in the scenic area to have a panoramic view of the mountain. It is also called the Lotus Peak due to its lotus-like shape. Lastly, the visitors need to walk about 20 minutes to the West-Peak Cable Car Station and descend to the exit by cable car. However, some of them choose to enter the scenic area from the West Peak and get out from the North Peak so that they can greatly save their energy and catch the best time to the most beautiful sightseeing spot, the West Peak.

    You will be guided to visit some sightseeing spots in downtown Xi’an in the morning, including the Grand Mosque, the Muslim Quarter, the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower. Then, you will be transferred to the airport or the railway station.

    The Grand Mosque of Xi’an is quite famous in China. It was originally built in 742, during the reign of Emperor Tang-Xuanzong. The present buildings in the mosque can be traced back to the year of 1466. The mosque stands out in the Muslim Quarter where the visitors can leisurely stroll down the bustling street and try some local snacks.

    Both the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower are landmarks of Xi’an. The two towers were constructed during the reign of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. The former was built in the year of 1380, and the latter can be dated back to the year of 1384.