Xi'an City Day Tour

Pick up from your hotel in Xian. First visit Shaanxi Provincial History Museum. If you are interested in Chinese history, Shaanxi Provincial History Museum is a must on your Xian trip. It is one of the four largest museums in China ( the other three are Forbidden City Museum, Shanghai Museum and Henan Provincial Museum).

It is a giant architectural complex in the Tang-dynasty style. It occupies an area of 70,000 square metres, and the construction area being more than 50,000 square metres. It focuses on the highlights of the Shaanxi culture and depicts the development of the Chinese civilization.

Travel Tips for Shaanxi Provincial History Museum

No matter you are a history buff or not, it is worth a visit on your trip to Xian, a cursory walk through should do the trick .

1. Shaanxi History Museum is closed for the entire day every Monday , except the Chinese national public holidays.

2. If you don't have enough time to visit Terracotta Army, you may visit Shaanxi History Museum instead. The collection of terracotta warriors is even more impressive

than the those in the Terracotta Warriors Museum by the quality of the selected ones on show.

3. Cameras and phones are allowed inside the museum, but you don't use flash.

4. There are small stalls to sell souvenirs of replicated exhibits, including the teapot, terracotta Warriors, books and so on.

5. The washrooms are clean, convenient.

6. Not kids friendly. No interactive activities for kids. The exhibits are mostly bronze and pottery pieces behind glass, boring for kids.

Then continue to visit Big Goose Pagoda for its outside visit (stop for photos and no ascending). Big Goose Pagoda is one of the oldest structures in China. Originally Big Goose Pagoda was consisted of a brick structure of five storeys and was about 60 meters high.

First built in 589A.D.in the Sui Dynasty. Between AD 701 and AD 704 during the reign of the Empress Wu Zetian five more storeys were added to the pagoda making ten in all. Unfortunately it was damaged during World War II and reduced to seven storeys, which is as it remains today. The Big Goose Pagoda is one of the city's most distinctive and outstanding landmarks, possibly the most beautiful building left in Xian today.

1. Actually the pagoda is part of Daci'en Temple, which were both originally built in Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the temple precedes the pagoda.

2. The main entry fee doesn't only allow to you to see the pagoda from its outside, it also gives you the chance to visit the beautiful gardens, valuable artifacts

and magnificent buildings on the ground in the temple.

3. Additional fee for ascending Big Wild Goose Pagoda: RMB 30 ( not included in the main entry fee).

After lunch, move on and ascend the Bell Tower. In Chinese history from Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), each city had a bell tower and a drum tower. The bell was sounded at dawn and the drum at dusk each day in ancient time, a means of telling time. The two are located in the center of the Xian city connecting the four roads from east, south, west and north within the city wall. Atop the Bell Tower you will have a panoramic view of the Xian City.

The bell tower has a brick base, a three-layer and two-story wooden tower. You need to ascend the outside stone steps up to the first floor of the tower.

1. Have a panoramic view of the four main streets leading to the four gates of Xian city and the surrounding buildings like Drum Tower and some shopping centers,

a mixed old and new world.

2. Appreciating the delicate engravings on the wooden windows on the four sides of the tower and a close look at the traditional Chinese architecture.

3. Watching and listening to a bell music performance, beautiful music and amazing costumes. The music show is included on your entry ticket.

The 15-minute show is done hourly, 8 times a day.

After Bell Tower, you head to Xi'an Forest of Stone Tablets.

It was originally built in 1087. The Forest of Stone Steles in Xi'an holds a big collection of steles in China.

It is a classical courtyard styled structure at the site of former Confucian Temple in Sanxue Street, Xian, close to the south gate of Xi'an City Wall.