Guangzhou - Xi'an - Wudang Mountain Family Trip during May Day Holiday

A mother who loves traveling starts to record the process of traveling with her children.

April 30, 2021 - May 5, 2021

My husband had already returned to Xi'an on a business trip. Although my husband is from Xi'an and my mother-in-law also lives there, we live in Guangzhou. Our first child went back when she was 3 years old, and then I got pregnant again, and the second child was born. Because of the temperature difference between the north and south, we didn't plan to return to Xi'an before the second child turned 3. When we were about to go back, the pandemic hit. This May Day, the situation had improved, so we arranged a family trip to Xi'an!

April 30: Guangzhou → Xi'an by high-speed rail. Travelers: Sister Fei, Sister Lin, Dad, and me.

After almost 9 hours, we arrived in Xi'an at around 8 p.m. The 8-hour train ride is still a bit long; flying would be better if possible.

May 1: Xi'an City Wall and Moat

Since we arrived in Xi'an during the May Day holiday, the crowds were immense, especially at the Tang Paradise area.

Xi'an City Wall and moat boat ride.

The Xi'an City Wall is a great place to teach children about ancient history. The wall is grand and majestic, and we explained the role of ancient city walls. Since it was the first day of May Day and we went in the morning, it wasn't too crowded.

Tickets for the city wall and boat ride were available right at the subway station. The flowers along the city wall were beautifully in bloom.

At noon, we found a small restaurant and ordered a bowl of cold noodles and a bowl of biangbiang noodles.

In the afternoon, we planned to visit the Tang Paradise, the Tang Paradise Scenic Area, and the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, but the dense crowds scared us away. It's not advisable to go with children during peak times.

May 2: Huaqing Palace

We originally planned to see the Terracotta Warriors, but due to the May Day holiday, we couldn't get tickets. So we changed our plan to Huaqing Palace.

We arrived at Lishan Mountain around noon. Since we had children, our schedule was flexible. We found a unique restaurant where we could wear ancient costumes. The food was served as set meals featuring Xi'an's local snacks. Although a bit pricey, the kids enjoyed a different sense of ceremony.

Although each dish was small, the taste was good, and we got to try many different foods.

The restaurant's name is: Daqin Xiaoyan.

Huaqing Palace — I only knew about Yang Guifei before, but I learned that the Xi'an Incident also took place at Huaqing Palace.

Huaqing Palace is beautiful with great scenery. It's worth a visit, though it was crowded.

Hotel for the night: Huahai Hotel — highly recommended. It has a classical, grand style with a Tang Dynasty feel. The garden is beautiful, and they offer free ancient costumes for both adults and children.

May 3: Xi'an → Wudang Mountain

Since the kids had to go back to school on May 6, my husband would return to Guangzhou with us. So we drove by ourselves. After a 4-hour drive, we arrived at Wudang Mountain in Shiyan, Hubei. We checked into the Jianguo Hotel at the base that night. Since we arrived late, we couldn't stay halfway up the mountain. But if you arrive early, it's recommended to stay on the mountain to have more time and climb to see the sunrise.

Wudang Mountain: ticket plus shuttle bus costs 230 yuan for adults, free for children.

The scenery at Wudang Mountain is indeed stunning. No wonder it's known as a place of talented people.

The stories of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" and "Zhang Sanfeng of Wudang" are legendary in my mind.

This is my first time writing a travel journal!