Classic High-end 5-day Xi'an Tours

Arrival in Xi'an, your guide and driver will pick you up at the airport.

Visit the Xi'an City Wall
The 14th-century Ming Dynasty City Wall, stretching 13.7 km, is one of the world's best-preserved fortifications. Its 12-meter-high ramparts, watchtowers, and arrow slits showcase ancient military ingenuity. Rent a bike to traverse its entirety, passing the South Gate's ceremonial drum performances and moat-side willow trees.

Yongxingfang Food Street
This Tang-style food alley brims with Shaanxi delicacies: Zichang Pancakes (buckwheat crepes stuffed with shredded potatoes), Hulu Chicken (crispy fried whole chicken), and Fuzhuan Tea (aged fermented brick tea). Try the viral “Smash Bowl Wine” ritual—toss a clay bowl after drinking for good luck.

Calligraphy & Painting Class
At the “Ink Art Studio,” learn calligraphy and Chinese painting, write Tang poetry with traditional wolf-hair brushes under a master calligrapher's guidance. Practice strokes like “the silkworm head” and “the swallow tail” on rice paper, then create a personalized seal carved with your Chinese name.

After dinner , transfer to the Hotel: Grand Mercure Xi'an South (Qujiang).

Morning: Terracotta Army Museum

Discover Emperor Qin Shi Huang's 2,200-year-old necropolis, where 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers stand guard. Pit 1's infantry and chariots reveal Qin military hierarchy, while Pit 2's kneeling archers display ancient armor details. The Bronze Chariot Hall houses gold-and-silver relics symbolizing imperial afterlife journeys.

Lunch: Daqin Liyan Restaurant
Savor Qin-era dishes: Liangpi (hand-ripped wheat noodles with chili and vinegar), Qin Royal Soup (slow-cooked lamb with goji berries), and Honey-Millet Cake infused with osmanthus. The rustic decor features replica bronze ding vessels and terracotta figurines.

Afternoon: Huaqing Palace
This Tang Dynasty hot spring retreat hosted Emperor Xuanzong and his concubine Yang Guifei. Wander lotus-filled courtyards, dip your hands in the 43°C Lotus Pool, and view frescoes depicting their tragic romance. The onsite Imperial Source Museum displays jade bath tools and poetry tablets.

Dinner: Yuyangong Imperial Banquet
Dine at the restaurant at the entrance of the Huaqing Palace.

Evening: “Song of Everlasting Sorrow” Show
This outdoor spectacle combines water screens, drone-lit mountains, and floating stages to dramatize Xuanzong and Yang's love story. Over 300 dancers in silk costumes perform under the stars, accompanied by live guqin and pipa music.

Morning: Muslim Quarter & Great Mosque

Explore Beiyuanmen Street's bustling stalls selling Yangrou Paomo (lamb stew with crumbled flatbread) and Persian Rose Pastries. The 7th-century Great Mosque blends Chinese pavilions with Arabic calligraphy—note the moon tablet inscribed with Quranic verses and the cedarwood “Phoenix Pavilion.”

Lunch: Defachang Dumpling Restaurant

Afternoon: Shaanxi History Museum

Dive into 370,000 artifacts spanning Zhou to Qing dynasties. Highlights include tri-colored glazed camels, Qin Dynasty Terracotta warriors, and Silk Road Sogdian gold coins. The “Tang Dynasty Treasures” room displays master pieces of gold and silver ware of the time.

Chang'an Twelve Hours Theme Park
Dress in rented hanfu (Tang-style robes) to wander replica markets, tea houses, and lantern-lit alleys. Watch street performances like “The Night Banquet” dance and “Acrobatic Tea Art,” where performers pour boiling water into cups from 1-meter heights.

Evening: Datang Everbright City

Stroll this illuminated pedestrian street featuring holographic shows like “Eternal Beacon Tower” and street performers dressed as Tang scholars. Don't miss the 20-meter-high Giant Tang Lady Statue with her flowing silk robes.

Moring: Famen Temple

This Tang Dynasty temple houses Buddhism's most sacred relic—Sakyamuni's finger bone—in its underground palace. Marvel at the octagonal Zhenwu Pagoda and 1,400-year-old bodhi tree. The museum displays gold-plated sutra cases and Empress Wu Zetian's embroidered robes.

Lunch: Famen Temple Vegetarian Feast
Savor Buddhist Meal: Lotus Root Soup with wolfberries, Mushroom-Stuffed Buns mimicking meat textures, and Walnut Tofu drizzled with honey. Meals are served in a tranquil courtyard with chanting monks.

Afternoon: Qianling Mausoleum
The joint tomb of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian features 61 headless stone statues (foreign envoys) and the enigmatic Wordless Stele. The Sacred Way is lined with stone lions and mythical qilin beasts guarding the “Sleeping Beauty” hill.

Evening: Yuanjia Village
This Ming-style folk village offers hands-on activities: grind flour at a watermill, press oil from sesame seeds, and taste Biángbiáng Noodles tossed with chili and garlic. Visit craft workshops making shadow puppets and wheat-straw paintings.

Dinner: Yuanjia Village Food Street
Feast on communal dishes: Liquor-Braised Pork Belly, Buckwheat Cold Noodles with black vinegar, and Crispy Persimmon Cakes. Dine under red lanterns while listening to Shaanxi opera snippets from nearby teahouses.

Morning: Xi'an Museum

Housed near the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, this museum focuses on Xi'an's lesser-known history. Exhibits include Tang Dynasty epitaphs detailing scholars' lives, Silk Road maps annotated with caravan routes, and a replica of Xuanzang's scripture-loaded backpack.

Small Wild Goose Pagoda
Climb this 43-meter Tang-era pagoda, which survived 70 earthquakes thanks to its honeycomb brick structure. The adjacent Jianfu Temple Bell Tower houses a 8,000-kg Ming Dynasty bell struck during morning rituals.

Farewell Lunch

Afternoon: Departure
Private transfer to Xi'an Airport or the Xi'an North Railway Station.