Five-Day Independent Trip to Xi’an, October 2020
Dates: October 18 to 22, 2020, five days and four nights
Travelers: a couple (in our 40s)
Location: Xi’an, Shaanxi Province
This is our second solo trip as a couple, after a Yunnan tour back in 2000.
D1: Shenzhen – hotel – Yongxingfang – Gao Family Mansion – Muslim Quarter – hotel
D2: hotel – City Wall – Chang’an Da Pai Dang – Daming Palace National Heritage Park – Yangruitang Iron Pot Lamb (Weiyang branch) – hotel
D3: hotel – Shaanxi History Museum – Dayuecheng – Dayan Pagoda – Datang Everbright City – hotel
D4: hotel – Terracotta Warriors – Huaqing Palace – Resurrection Army performance – Song of Everlasting Sorrow performance – hotel
D5: hotel – Saige Shopping Center – hotel – Xianyang Airport
Flights: We flew China Southern Airlines round-trip. Departing 09:40–12:35 on an Airbus A330 – such a comfortable large aircraft – 1,100 yuan for two. Returning 17:05–20:00, 1,400 yuan for two. Round-trip total: 2,500 yuan.
We mostly used the metro. Just switch to Xi’an in the WeChat “Ride Code” and you’re good to go. Didi was our second choice – lots of cars, quick pick-ups, and affordable, usually around ten-something yuan. We didn’t try the buses – haha, there are plenty but we passed. For the Terracotta Warriors day, we booked a group tour with hotel pick-up and drop-off, so we took a tour coach.
We stayed at Puyin Hotel, 7th Floor, Wangfujing Department Store, No. 66 Nanguan Zhengjie, Chang’an Road, Beilin District. Four nights: 1,256 yuan. The hotel offers a paid airport transfer arranged through a travel agency, 30 yuan per person, very convenient. The airport bus costs 25 yuan to Xi’an Hotel, still a fair bit of walking; the metro station is right downstairs but requires three transfers – not fun with luggage and security checks. If you have big bags, definitely book the transfer. The hotel occupies the seventh floor of Wangfujing South Gate store. Some rooms are windowless. We originally booked a Youhuangju room but found it too small after one night – especially with a huge, unusable pillar. We raised the issue, and the hotel promptly upgraded us for free to a Qinglianju. High ceilings, and the pillar moved from beside the bed to near the wardrobe – visually much better. Powerful shower, spacious bathroom, and a laundry room. The location is fantastic: Metro Line 2 is incredibly useful. A convenience store downstairs, Starbucks next door, SKP across the street. We didn’t order breakfast. Overall, highly recommend.
D1: We landed at Xianyang Airport at 12:30. We’d booked the hotel’s airport pick-up, essentially a shared transfer through a travel agency – still very handy. After a short wait for other guests, the driver dropped everyone at their hotels. We freshened up and headed to Yongxingfang for food. Originally we’d planned to visit Sajinqiao, but the driver said snacks are best at Yongxingfang, so we switched. Honestly, it was a bit disappointing. Hygiene left much to be desired. Two shops had queues, and we fell into the trap – big time. One was Zichang rice cakes: we paid, then waited almost 30 minutes for our order. I honestly don’t get the hype – they were ice-cold. I heard others ask for them to be heated, but the vendor said they couldn’t. Some even demanded refunds out of impatience. Next door, a roujiamo – the filling wasn’t hot enough, fatty, greasy, oily. I ate half and – ugh – felt so full I couldn’t eat anything else all evening. Not satisfied, we went to the Muslim Quarter and also caught a shadow puppet show at Gao Family Mansion. The Muslim Quarter is like any other city’s pedestrian street – stinky tofu, squid tentacles, octopus balls. The shadow puppet show? Just okay, couldn’t understand a word – haha – it was maybe 15 minutes long. Way too full to eat more, we ended up having a 10-yuan claypot rice noodle near the hotel in a residential area – and were happy. Leaving the metro, we made a detour to see the night view at Yongning Gate, commonly known as the South Gate.
D2: Bought a rice ball at the hotel’s convenience store and enjoyed it sitting in the next-door Starbucks, which opens at 8 a.m. Once fed and watered, we headed for the City Wall.
City Wall: We entered at the South Gate (Yongning Gate) and exited at the North Gate (Anyuan Gate). Tickets 54 yuan per person – word has it they might ban climbing the wall one day to protect the relic. Once on top, turn left and you’ll find bike rentals: 45 yuan/3 hours for a single bike, 90 yuan/3 hours for a tandem. Cycling on the wall was an absolute joy – few people, only tourists because you need a ticket, and the occasional jogger. The wall is wide enough for four cars side by side. The surface isn’t perfectly flat, but with a gentle breeze, it was so comfortable. There are plenty of public toilets, too – no worries. There was a little market along the wall, giving it a lovely human touch. We lazily cycled for an hour, taking photos, and got off at Anyuan Gate. I wouldn’t go further – the East Gate is pretty far, and there are only those four bike return points. Anyuan Gate is also fairly close to our next stop, Daming Palace, but we still took a Didi – haha.
It was still early, so we had our first meal at Chang’an Da Pai Dang. Much like Nanjing Da Pai Dang, it serves local specialities. Scared off by yesterday’s roujiamo, we ordered the famous calabash chicken and a few signature dishes. I also ordered a bowl of osmanthus wine – one bowl, about 100ml, sweet. My husband had stomach issues, so I drank it all – nothing happened, haha. After lunch, we strolled around Daming Palace.
Daming Palace: There are two guided interpretation points – Danfeng Gate and the museum. Start at Danfeng Gate to get a good overview; it’s fairly informative. Daming Palace in a word: HUGE! But apart from its size, there’s not much else – maybe some foundations and a model. You can honestly skip this one, haha.
Yangruitang Iron Pot Lamb: genuinely delicious. We weren’t hungry, so we just ordered half a kilo and a shredded zucchini salad. The lamb was tender and melt-in-your-mouth, but we simply didn’t have a second stomach.
D3: We booked museum tickets and a guided tour in advance on Ctrip, saving us the hassle of snatching slots on the museum’s official WeChat account. Shaanxi History Museum (including the basic exhibition halls and the Treasures Hall) + guided tour of 2 hours = 244 yuan for two. We booked the 10 a.m. slot, meeting at 9:30 at the main entrance. Around 8 a.m., we had a simple breakfast across from the museum. The tour ended close to 12:30. We visited four halls in total; only the fourth, the Treasures Hall, requires a ticket. After four halls, my legs and back were wrecked. Honestly, I didn’t feel it was the absolute must-see others claim – sure, there are plenty of treasures, but they’re not really my thing. The famous “blocks” (fang) from *The Longest Day in Chang’an* no longer exist.
We’d planned to walk back to Xiaozhai Station and visit Saige Shopping Center, but we were so exhausted we headed straight to Dayuecheng instead, since our afternoon was for Dayan Pagoda and Datang Everbright City. We went to the top floor of Dayuecheng, where there’s a public viewing area to gaze at Dayan Pagoda from a distance. We grabbed coffee at Maan Coffee next door and waited for dusk. Once the lights came on, we went downstairs and entered Datang Everbright City. It’s huge! Wide! The surrounding buildings match perfectly. I fell in love with the “Chang’an red” – that deep, understated red glow on the lanterns, so regal and elegant, like the ones on the city wall. You absolutely must come see this.
D4: Today we booked a group day tour on Ctrip: Terracotta Warriors + Huaqing Pool + Lishan, an 8-person Hanfu tour + Song of Everlasting Sorrow middle zone A ticket + hotel pick-up/drop-off at a downtown metro station = 1,398 yuan for two. This is my fourth time in Xi’an and fourth time seeing the Terracotta Warriors, so no awe anymore. Huaqing Pool is still just a small pond. I didn’t climb Lishan, nor did I watch the Xi’an Incident performance (extra fee). Later, we saw the guide-recommended “Resurrection Army” show, telling the story of a Qin soldier named Heifu going off to war and coming home in the form of a terracotta warrior. The show has several acts, mostly watched standing and moving around. At over 200 yuan, it wasn’t great value. For the Song of Everlasting Sorrow, I chose middle zone A seats. I’d read that the front rows could get splashed, but our seats were Row 9, dead center – fantastic, not a single drop of water. Very satisfied. However, the seating is random, and the travel agency can’t control it. Tickets for middle zone A are over 300 yuan, but totally worth it – highly recommended. After the performance, thousands poured out. Following the agency’s SMS directions, we found the designated bus in the car park, which took us near Beidajie or Bell Tower metro stations.
D5: We made the most of our last half-day and visited Saige Shopping Center. It has an indoor waterfall and a long escalator. The flagship Chang’an Da Pai Dang is here too, along with lots of other restaurants, though the 6th floor was under renovation. With no better option, we ate at Chang’an Da Pai Dang again. This time we tried flower tea, sipped “Peach Blossom Chant” wine, and ate “Feizixiao” (lychee shrimp). Finally, we returned to the hotel, and the driver punctually took us to Xianyang Airport. Xi’an trip over.
Final thoughts:
Polite citizens: Every “thank you” got a warm “you’re welcome” – from breakfast stall aunties to Didi drivers. Every car yielded to pedestrians, whether there was a zebra crossing or camera. On the metro and escalators, people let others exit before boarding – no pushing or shoving.
Spaciousness: Main roads, side roads, bike lanes, and pavements are all wide, with few e-bikes. Datang Everbright City is straight, broad, and long – rare to see in Shenzhen. Street stall culture: Breakfast carts, late-night snack stalls, and snack wagons are everywhere, convenient for locals, though hygiene isn’t great. I only bought a roasted sweet potato. Toilet revolution: There’s still room for improvement, especially in scenic spots. Malls had serious toilet shortages; coffee shops and tea houses with no toilets meant a long walk – not friendly at all. After the Song of Everlasting Sorrow performance, thousands rushed to a single toilet – queues were endless. Food: meat, meat, meat; noodles, noodles, noodles. My Cantonese stomach couldn’t take it – one meal kept me full for two. Plus walking non-stop every day, this might be the only city where I actually lost weight. Epidemic control: From boarding in Shenzhen to entry at Xianyang Airport, the “Xi’an Resident One-Code Pass” was required everywhere – flights, metro, malls, attractions, tour buses all needed the QR code to track movements. Enforcement was stricter than Shenzhen, and mask-wearing was more common. The pandemic didn’t seem to hit the city hard. Travel infrastructure: Didi, tour agencies, package tours, airport transfers, luggage services – all very convenient. It felt like there were more tourists than permanent residents – haha.
