By plane

Xi'an Xianyang International Airport is located 40 km northwest of the city centre, in Xianyang. Flights are available to Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dunhuang, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Harbin, Hangzhou, Hohhot, Kunming, Lhasa, Lanzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Urumqi, Wuhan, and Xining within China, International flights are available to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Macau, Seoul as well as Nagoya, Fukuoka, Niigata, Tokyo and Hiroshima in Japan, and Singapore via Kunming. As Xi'an is located in the heartland of China, it takes no more than 2 hours to fly to most major Chinese cities.

By train

There are plenty of trains transporting passengers to and from most of the major cities inside China. Keep in mind train tickets may only be available if booked far in advance (most ticket sales open 10-21 days in advance; an agent can help book but will probably charge significant commission fees). Traveling in a seat (hard or soft-class) means you will share the car space with lots of locals.

By bus

The main long-distance bus station is located across from main railway station.

Bus service is available to: Huashan (2-3 hours), Lanzhou (8-10 hours), Luoyang (5-7 hours), Taiyuan (12 hours), and Zhengzhou (9-12 hours).

By car

Traffic is heavy, right of way is unheard of, and the rule of thumb is "keep going no matter what" (although drivers do note red lights).

City Wall of Xi'an, Shaanxi Provincial Museum, Forest of Steles, Grand Mosque, Mao Ling Mausoleum

City Wall of Xi'an

As the world's largest city wall, the Xi'an city wall has been restored and is wide enough to easily ride 5 bikes across. You can hire one at the top of the South or East gate; you must return it where you got it, but beware bikes will not be rented if there is any chance of rain, because the top of the wall becomes slippery.

Shaanxi Provincial Museum

This museum houses a collection of local artefacts that span the entirety of the province's history from the Neolithic through the Qing dynasty. In particular it contains fabulously well preserved pottery from nearby Banpo neolithic village (also worth a visit) and many excellent Shang Dynasty bronzes.

Forest of Steles

This collection of 2,300 stone tablets (many written to provide an "official text" of the Chinese classics) and epitaphs is the largest and oldest of its kind in China. This includes the famous Nestorian Stele, dating back to the 7th century. It depicts the coming of Nestorian Christianity to China. The Nestorian Stele is in Showroom Number 2 and is the first stele on the left.

Grand Mosque

Built in a perfect mixture of Islamic and Chinese architecture styles with seating for 1,000 worshipers and the Muslim Street district around it.

Mao Ling Mausoleum

The tomb of the fifth emperor of the Han Dynasty, includes many stone carvings.

January - March
October - December

Information not available

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