Discover Xi'an's Best Highlights: Iconic Landmarks and Hidden Gems
Xi'an, a city with a long history and deep cultural heritage, boasts highlights such as the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Ancient City Wall, Tang Paradise, and Muslim Quarter, offering a rich experience of ancient wisdom, Buddhist culture, historical defense, Tang Dynasty style, and local cuisine.
Xi'an,as a city with a long history and deep cultural heritage, has many highlights, and the following is an introduction to some of them not to be missed:
1. Terracotta Warriors and Horses
Introduction: The Terracotta Warriors and Horses, or Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, or the Terracotta Warriors for short, is known as the Eighth Wonder of the World and one of the world's top ten rare treasures of ancient tombs. The whole Terracotta Warriors consists of three terracotta pits arranged in zigzag shape, which is the largest underground military museum in the world.
Features: The Terracotta Warriors and Horses are famous for their grand scale, large number and realistic images. Standing in front of the huge terracotta pits, you will be impressed by the wisdom and craftsmanship of the ancients.
Introduction: the big wild goose pagoda, also known as Ci'en Temple Pagoda, is a crystallization of Buddhist culture in the Tang Dynasty and one of the landmarks of Xi'an. It is located in the Daci'en Temple and was built by Venerable Xuanzang to preserve the scriptures and statues of Buddha brought back from Tianzhu.
Features: The Big Wild Goose Pagoda consists of three parts: the foundation, the body and the brake of the pagoda, and a large number of literati inscriptions and Buddhist relics are preserved inside the pagoda. Climbing to the top of the pagoda, you can overlook the whole city of Xi'an.
3. Xi'an ancient city wall
Introduction: The Ancient City Wall of Xi'an is one of the largest and best-preserved Ancient City walls in China. It was built during the Hongwu period of Ming Dynasty and is an important historical and cultural heritage of Xi'an.
Features: The ancient city wall has four main city gates (Changle Gate in the east, Yongning Gate in the south, Anding Gate in the west, and Anyuan Gate in the north) and numerous archery towers, enemy towers and other military facilities. Visitors can walk or ride bicycles around the city to experience the ancient city's defense system.
Introduction: Tang Paradise is a large-scale cultural theme park displaying the style of the Tang Dynasty, located in the southeast of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It is centered on Hibiscus Lake and covers an area of more than 1,000 acres.
Features: With the Tang Dynasty culture as its theme, the Tang Paradise combines various cultural elements such as Tang Dynasty garden art, literature, music and dance. There are Tang Dynasty palaces, gardens, rivers, rockeries and other landscapes, as well as numerous antique buildings and performance programs.
5. The Muslim Quarter
Introduction: The Muslim Quarter is one of the famous food streets in Xi'an, and a good place to experience Xi'an folk culture and taste authentic Shaanxi snacks.
Features: The Muslim Quarter has a variety of food stalls and restaurants, such as mutton buns, cold skin and meat buns. In addition, there are rich historical and cultural heritages and folklore performance programs, which allow visitors to taste the food and feel the strong cultural atmosphere at the same time.
If you have any questions or would like to customize your trip, please contact us! Here are some recommended travel packages that include Xi'an:
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What Our Clients Say?
Based on 10,000+ traveler reviews
Daniel Dorothea
Canada
Reviewed on April 29,2025
Shopping on Nanjing Road in Shanghai was just amazing! It's truly the "First Commercial Street of China", where tradition and modernity blend perfectly. You can find awesome souvenirs and experience the trendy vibes in cool stores. The neon lights at night are just spectacular, shining bright like Times Square in New York. The food here is incredible too. I had a feast for my taste buds. Shanghai, I'll definitely be back!
Destination(s):
Shanghai
Date of
Experience:
May 08,2024
Elvis Eva
Canada
Reviewed on June 20,2025
As a solo traveler from Canada, I was nervous about navigating China alone—but this 11-day tour was PERFECT! From hiking the Great Wall at sunrise (Day 3) to gasping at the Terracotta Army (Day 5), every day delivered ‘pinch-me’ moments. The real showstopper? Zhangjiajie’s Avatar Mountains (Day 7)! Our guide made the stone pillars come alive with stories.
Massive thanks for handling all logistics—bullet train tickets, entry passes, car! And the 4-star hotels surprised me.
Destination(s):
Beijing Xian Zhangjiajie Shanghai
Date of
Experience:
June 02,2025
Simon
America
Reviewed on May 29,2025
Our 2-day Zhangjiajie tour was beyond spectacular! As someone who’s visited Beijing and Shanghai for work, this trip revealed China’s wild, magical heart. Day 1 in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park felt like stepping onto Pandora—I’m a huge Avatar fan, and Yuanjiajie’s floating peaks left me breathless. The misty pillars and lush valleys like pure movie magic!
Then came Fenghuang Ancient Town, we eat dinner beside the thundering waterfall. It seems Unreal! The night views of stilt houses glowing over the river were straight from a fairy tale.
For fellow Avatar lovers and adventure seekers: Don’t miss this bucket-list experience! 10/10 would return.
A Well-Traveled Film Buff, May 2025
Destination(s):
Zhangjiajie
Date of
Experience:
May 08,2025
