Chinese-style Hot Springs and Skiing: A Two-Day Self-Drive Weekend Trip to Trendy Xi'an

This weekend, I, Yaya, flew to Xi’an for a short self-drive escape. Just two days, but I managed to hit the city’s must-see landmarks, soak up Han and Tang dynasty culture, go skiing, relax in hot springs, and feast on Xi’an’s famous food—absolutely blissful!

Itinerary & Highlights

Day 1: Morning – Rent hanfu and get makeup done. Drive from downtown to Huaqing Palace (about 1 hour). Afternoon – Tour Huaqing Palace and soak in the hot springs. Evening – Watch ‘Camel Bell Legend’ (drive 1 hour), then stroll Datang Everbright City (drive 1 hour). Return to city hotel: Wyndham Grand Hotel.

Day 2: Morning – Zhaojin International Ski Resort (2-hour drive). Afternoon – Ski, then drive to Mount Taibai (1.5 hours). Evening – Soak in hotel hot springs. Overnight: Yulongwan Hot Spring Hotel.

Day 1: A Journey Through a Thousand Years

First thing in the morning: rent a hanfu. Xi’an is absolutely perfect for hanfu photography! Even though the weather wasn’t great when I visited, I still managed to get loads of beautiful shots. A word of caution: Xi’an in winter is pretty cold, so ultra-thin Tang-style costumes aren’t ideal. I’d suggest renting a thicker Ming-style hanfu and adding a red cape—problem solved. The red pops wonderfully in photos and keeps you warm at the same time.

Exploring Huaqing Palace in Hanfu

‘High on Mount Li stands a palace, its crimson towers and purple halls layer upon layer.’ That’s how Bai Juyi described Huaqing Palace, one of the famed ‘Eight Scenic Spots of Guanzhong.’ It’s especially famous for King You of Zhou’s beacon-fire prank, the legendary romance between Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei, and the world-shaking Xi’an Incident. A royal garden steeped in legend and a place that rewrote Chinese history.

Huaqing Palace is built against Mount Li, facing the Wei River, with a grand scale and magnificent architecture. As you climb the hillside, exquisite red-walled, green-tiled buildings appear one after another all over the slopes.

So the No.1 must-do at Huaqing Pool is to wander around the palace grounds in hanfu and snap those photos.

Walking into Huaqing Palace felt like stepping back in time. Dressed in hanfu, every corner was a perfect photo op. Especially in winter when it’s not crowded—I felt like I had the whole place to myself, free to strike any pose I liked.

Gazing back at Xi’an, I couldn’t help but recall Du Mu’s poem ‘Passing Huaqing Palace’: ‘Looking back at Chang’an, the mountain is a brocade of blossoms, one by one the palace gates on the peak swing open. A rider’s dust stirs a concubine’s smile─who knows it’s only litchi fruit coming.’

Washing Away Silkiness in Huaqing Pool

Huaqing Palace is also known as Huaqing Pool, originally called ‘Hot Spring Palace.’ It boasts a 3,000-year imperial garden history and a 6,000-year hot spring utilization history, renowned at home and abroad. Because it’s on Mount Li, it’s also called Li Palace.

Winter is here, so of course you can’t miss bathing where Yang Guifei once bathed. Thus, the No.2 must-do is to soak in the Huaqing Pool hot spring and experience what Yang Guifei’s legendary bath felt like. Though the ticket’s a bit pricey, as the saying goes: ‘Of the 2,600 hot springs under heaven, only Huaqing Pool ranks first.’

Inside the Imperial Baths Palace, there are many halls perfect for photos, with separate buildings housing various hot spring pools. Interestingly, upon entering I spotted a giant birdcage—was that meant to symbolize Yang Guifei as a caged canary?

We soaked in Baoji Pool, an open-air hot spring with an antique charm. While soaking, you can enjoy complimentary fruit, snacks, and even instant noodles—a very nice touch.

Unfortunately, the large-scale live-action show ‘Song of Everlasting Sorrow’ is suspended during winter because it’s just too cold outdoors. So the No.3 must-do at Huaqing Pool had to remain a regret for this trip—next time! Tips: Huaqing Palace and the hot spring area are ticketed separately or as a combo. Palace entrance: 120 yuan/person.

The Show That Moves: Camel Bell Legend

So we went to see another performance that showcases Xi’an’s glorious history as the Silk Road’s starting point—‘Camel Bell Legend’!

The story begins with a tender farewell between a newlywed couple (‘Escorting You a Thousand Miles’), then follows a westbound camel caravan that braves volcanoes, avalanches, sandstorms, desert dangers, and wolf pack attacks, narrowly escaping death. The whole show is divided into a prologue (‘Time Revisited’) and six acts: ‘Escorting You a Thousand Miles,’ ‘Peril on Wolf Trail,’ ‘Exotic Lands,’ ‘Auspicious Rain Washes the Dust,’ ‘Welcoming the Husband Home,’ and ‘A Flourishing Empire in Cathay.’

Not only does the stage rotate 360 degrees, but a volcano, waterfall, and a slowly rising giant Buddha all appear—and real camels and wolves run right before your eyes! Truly the only show on the move; the effect is mind-blowing.

After watching the whole thing, I was really impressed by the exotic atmosphere. My favorite part was the final ‘Flourishing Tang’ scene—when envoys from all nations came to pay tribute, I genuinely felt the pride of a thousand years ago when the world came to the great Tang.

After the show, you can head to the nearby snack city. There’s a ton of Xi’an eats—grab a bowl of Xi’an noodles, some fried or sugar-coated flatbread, so satisfying! A special shout-out to the ‘huluji’ (calabash chicken) there—crispy and delicious.

The Brilliant Nights of Datang Everbright City

In the evening, we drove back downtown. Since it was the weekend, we absolutely had to experience Xi’an’s most stunning night scene at Datang Everbright City. On weekends, it’s incredibly lively and fun!

Not only are there a dazzling array of specialty snacks, but also all kinds of art installations and games, plus a gathering spot for street performers. We even lucked into a parade float procession, full of beautiful people in ancient costumes and even spotted ‘Li Bai’—so much fun!

That night, word has it that Ning Jing and Huang Li from the hit show ‘Sisters Who Make Waves’ came to perform at the city, and the crowd went wild. Too bad we only found out after we got back—missed it!

Walking through here in hanfu, I truly felt like I’d returned to the brightly lit avenue of old Chang’an, taking in the prosperous splendor of a magnificent empire a millennium ago.

Today was so packed with activities. For the first night, I highly recommend staying at the Wyndham Grand Hotel right next to Datang Everbright City. The surroundings are grand and beautiful, with a strong Xi’an character, and the location is super convenient—just a 3-minute walk to the city.

The rooms are huge, complete with a dedicated walk-in closet. Open the door and you’re greeted by a wall of neon-lit starry sky…

Oh, and the breakfast here is also very sumptuous.

Day 2: Skiing & Hot Spring Soaking

Originally, the plan for the second day was to hike Mount Taibai, ski, and soak in hot springs, but the mountain was temporarily closed. So we changed plans and headed to Zhaojin International Ski Resort in Tongchuan.

What’s the Biggest Ski Resort in Northwest China Like?

Driving north from Xi’an, it’s about 100 kilometers and 1.5 hours to the resort. There’s also a direct shuttle bus, but you need to book it online a day in advance. On the day you go, you can catch it at the Administrative Center Metro Station before 8 a.m., and the return trip is around 4:30 p.m.

This is the largest ski resort in Northwest China and probably the best one near Xi’an. The ski season lasts up to three months, the longest in Shaanxi. It’s said they use snowmaking equipment designated for the Winter Olympics, so the snow quality is excellent. There are eight runs in total, but since I visited early in the season, the advanced runs didn’t have enough snow to open yet, and you couldn’t take the cable car up to check them out. Still, from aerial photos, those runs looked seriously steep and thrilling.

The intermediate and beginner runs, though, were very beginner-friendly. I saw plenty of cool guys and gals skiing with style—so sharp!

It’s also great for kids. Right next door is a dedicated family snow play area with snow mazes, dynamic snow tubes, children’s sleds, snow assault vehicles, creative snow walls… all sorts of fun snow activities.

If you’re a first-timer, you can hire an instructor who’ll have you skiing in an hour. And the rescue team here offers great service—one of the guys, seeing I was too scared to come down the intermediate slope, actually stayed with me and even helped shoot a video.

Tips:

1. Opening hours: Day session 8:30–17:30, night session 18:30–21:30. Open from December to March.

2. Ticket prices: Vary by weekday/weekend and day/night. Weekday day 128 yuan, night 78 yuan. Weekend day: 4 hours 198 yuan, unlimited 298 yuan, night 98 yuan. Tickets include basic equipment only. Ski suits 30 yuan, gloves 8 yuan. You can also rent goggles, and cute knee and hip protectors.

3. Private instructor: 260 yuan per hour (one-on-one); 200 yuan per person per hour for a group of three.

Yulongwan’s Taibai Wonderland Hot Spring

Because I’d already booked a hot spring hotel near Mount Taibai, after skiing we made our way back to the mountain. Tonight we checked into the Yulongwan Hot Spring Hotel in Baoji.

The hot spring here is laid out like a classical garden, with many pools linked to Taibai themes and inscribed with poetry. Both the indoor and outdoor areas are extensive, offering a wide choice of soaking pools.

At night, colorful lights shimmer through the rising steam, giving it a true Taibai fairyland feel. Best part? After a lovely soak right at the hotel, you can just drift off to a blissful sleep.

And just like that, the three-day-two-night Xi’an weekend trip came to an end. Though there was a last-minute change of plans, it was still utterly blissful. If you’ve got a flexible flight pass, you can do like I did—hop on a plane and treat yourself to a unique hot-spring-skiing-gufeng weekend in Xi’an.