Late Winter Sunshine: 7-Day Xi'an Family Trip – 1/9 Trip Preparation
Due to its length, this article will be split into four parts. There won't be exaggerated praise; rather, it records the pitfalls and lightning bolts of the journey, aiming to offer alternative travel ideas. Fellow travelers, please choose prudently.
2020 was a surreal year. As Wuhan natives, we endured an extremely tough and long spring, a somewhat bleak hot summer, a gradually recovering golden autumn, and then the coldest winter in recent years. For our family of three, who bid farewell to two relatives one after another, 2020 was even harder to bear.
So after everything settled down, we carved out about a week and decided to go to Xi'an.
For this trip, my husband's idea was very simple: to see tombs.
They say each place has its own charm: Beijing has its girls, Suzhou its bridges, Shanghai its crowds, and when in Xi'an, it's undoubtedly the tombs. As the most influential ancient capital in history, it boasts unparalleled burial complexes. I've even suspected that the 'compactness' of Xi'an's commercial districts is related to the hundreds of massive tomb complexes occupying too much available land.
Although I personally prefer natural scenery to cultural sites, with a 5-year-old in tow and such a cold winter, for safety reasons we skipped Mount Huashan and Hukou Waterfall. Instead, we chose surrounding mausoleums, city museums, and temples of all sizes, embarking on a journey of birth, death, and rebirth.
Part 1: Preparations Before the Trip
Travel planning aspects:
I frequently used Ctrip (for booking guided tours, checking attraction opening hours, etc.), Qyer, Mafengwo (to read others' travel itineraries), and Bilibili (mainly for food recommendations, haha). Booked tickets on Ctrip, and accommodation on Meituan.
One more thing: if you're pursuing a high-quality trip (food, accommodation, cultural background, etc.), it's worth reading related books beforehand. Personal tips and website descriptions can hardly delve into a city's deeper significance. Some specialized travel websites or public accounts publish city-themed books, offering a much better reading experience. For instance, just before departure, I happened upon a Lonely Planet article about Xi'an—wow, the writing and pictures were so professional it blew me away!
Travel gear aspects:
1. We checked the weather forecast in advance; temperatures could drop to -10°C, so each person brought two sets of outerwear (one down jacket, one cotton coat), two sets of innerwear, four pairs of underwear and socks (two thick, two thin), two pairs of shoes (one warm, one comfortable for walking), plus hats, gloves, and scarves (turns out gloves were really inconvenient and went unused). Other items like a power strip, notebook, ziplock bags, and alcohol-free hand sanitizer proved very practical. What I regretted was not bringing sunglasses, because the weather was splendid and under the cloudless sky, everything vividly demonstrated what 'bright as day, blinding to the eyes' means... Remember to check the forecast and choose gear according to your habits.
2. Our hotel had water-heated radiators, so the room was quite warm; washed outerwear dried within a day (for long winter trips, I recommend choosing hotels with laundry facilities, and bring a small bottle of disinfectant to use with detergent). But sleeping was awkward: the quilt was too thick—too hot under it, too cold without. We ended up removing the duvet insert and layering thin blankets and clothes just to make do.
3. Accustomed to Wuhan, we really couldn't adapt to the northern dryness. The first night there, our leg skin started flaking and itching, and after two days it cracked and hurt. We went from applying body lotion once a day to twice, then to smearing on sheet mask essence... Finally, we endured until we got home—and believe it or not, the moment we returned to Wuhan, it got better. I think this dramatic change, besides the wind and dryness, might also be related to water quality. However, our faces were unaffected thanks to moisture from wearing masks all the time—truly, physical protection is the most effective. Dryness-prone folks, be sure to bring body lotion and hand cream.
Travel preparation aspects:
1. We traveled in the off-season, and Xi'an's attractions were very easy to book—basically you could reserve same-day. But near holidays, it's safer to book in advance. Now, most Xi'an sites sell tickets via public WeChat accounts, scanning a QR code or ID card to enter—safe and convenient, except a few that only take cash or allow free entry by scanning Alipay directly. Also, many sites state that free-ticket children need to bring their original household registration booklet, but we didn't need it; our kid (1.1m tall) got free entry to all attractions without any documents requested. For specific free-ticket policies, check attraction details on Ctrip or ask their customer service; they responded promptly.
2. Due to pandemic prevention, before arriving in Xi'an, activate the 'Xi'an One-Code Pass' on Alipay, as almost every place requires scanning a code. For the metro, search 'Xi'an Electronic Metro Card' on Alipay; for buses, choose 'Chang'an Tong Electronic Card'.
Since children don't need a ticket on high-speed trains and we had plenty of time, we opted for the high-speed train round trip. Luckily, in this sensitive period combined with the off-season, the trains weren't full; the seat next to ours stayed empty (there's a display near the luggage rack showing seat occupancy, so you can check if your neighboring seat is taken in advance). So bringing the kid along was no problem.
For those without children or solo travelers, booking flights in advance offers good price advantages, and factoring in time saved, it's even a gain. Haha, it's a personal trade-off.
Since it was a family trip, we kept daily pace light; we'd look for family fun after returning to the hotel. So we chose a homestay with a projector, washing machine, and heating. Homestays are more personalized and quirky than hotels, though possibly less standardized. Given our budget, comparing hotels under 200 RMB with similarly priced homestays, the homestay offered better value and met our needs better.
Our homestay was in an office building at Exit A of Zhonglou (Bell Tower) Line 2 metro station—very convenient for both metro and catching high-speed trains. The bus stop was just 100 meters from the hotel door. Truly convenient. Downsides: cleaning wasn't thorough (e.g., under the bed), the quilt was utterly mismatched with the heated room, and the decor was dated. But at that price, what more could you ask for?
Choosing accommodation area: Beilin District is quite bustling with concentrated commercial areas; Lianhu District near Bell and Drum Towers has many homestays. Foodies should pick Sajinqiao area (I once walked half an hour from Bell Tower to Sajinqiao early in the morning just for a bite of Fatty Zeng Gao). The main Huimin Street thoroughfare is noisy, greasy underfoot, lacks good food, and isn't close to bus or metro stops. Other commercial hubs include Saige Plaza, outside the South Gate, and Century Square. In short: for sightseeing as top priority, stay near Bell Tower metro station, then anywhere inside the city walls with metro access. For food as top priority, pick Sajinqiao. For comfort and style as top priority—I've never considered that so I wouldn't know—but walking on the city wall, I saw a cluster of artsy homestays at its foot; you can probably book them online.
Forgive my long-windedness and exhaustive details; I hope it helps you.
Regarding itinerary planning:
First, here's a map of attractions inside Xi'an's city wall.
Lastly, for the impatient ones, here's the itinerary:
Day 1: Saturday – Arrive at North Station – Hotel – Bell and Drum Towers – Huajue Temple – Gao Family Mansion – Shopping
Day 2: Sunday – Hanyangling – Qianling – Yongtai Tomb – Famen Temple (joined a day tour)
Day 3: Monday – Terracotta Warriors (half-day tour) – Sajinqiao – Tang Paradise
Day 4: Tuesday – Shaanxi History Museum – Saige International Shopping Center – Xingshan Temple
Day 5: Wednesday – Small Wild Goose Pagoda – Xi'an Museum – Daci'en Temple – Big Wild Goose Pagoda – Great Tang All Day Mall – Big Wild Goose Pagoda Square Music Fountain
Day 6: Thursday – Banpo Museum – Yongxingfang – Qinglong Temple – Century Square
Day 7: Friday – Stele Forest – Guanzhong Academy – Ancient City Wall
