Xi'an Transportation

As one of top travel destinations in China, Xi’an boasts an advanced transportation network, enabling tourists to conveniently and smoothly get to and travel around.
 About 1-hour-long drive to downtown Xi’an, the Xi’an Xianyang International Airport is the only gateway for foreign tourists to arrive in the city by plane. It has flights to 55 cities in 27 countries, with direct ones to London, Paris, Milan, Singapore, Moscow, and Seoul. After you land in Xi’an, a metro, a taxi, and an airport bus can all take you to the downtown area.

If you plan to visit other Chinese cities and then travel to Xi’an, to spend less time in transit, it’s also suitable to take a plane, especially from those relatively far away from the city. For example, it just takes about 2.5 hours from Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, or Kunming to Xi’an by air, and the flight from Harbin or Hong Kong to Xi’an takes about 3.5 hours.

Terminal 5 of Xi'an Xianyang International Airport

Tourists Waiting for Security Check

 Read more:
How to Travel from Xi’an Airport to City Center
Xi’an Xianyang International Airport Maps
 In addition to air transport, taking a high-speed train to the Xi’an North Railway Station or the Xi’an Railway Station is also efficient, in particular from cities not so far away from Xi’an. For instance, it respectively takes about 3, 4, and 5 from Wuhan / Chengdu, Beijing, and Chongqing to Xi’an by high-speed train. Even though the direct flights from these cities to Xi’an take only about 2 hours, in view of the long distances between airports and city centers and also long check-in time, the high-speed rail is more convenient and time-saving, in comparison.

Which of the two stations should you choose? The answer is the station having a high-speed train coming first, because both of the Xi’an North Railway Station and the Xi’an Railway Station are connected to metro stations, providing you with 30 and 20-minute access to the city center of Xi’an. Much more high-speed trains arrive at the North Station, and the Xi’an Railway Station mainly handles regular train rides. Plus, the latter is closer to the city center and adjacent to the must-visit Xi’an City Wall, so that people travelling light can immediately begin their sightseeing after exiting the station.

High-speed Train in Xi'an North Railway Station

Xi'an Railway Station

 Read more: Xi’an Train; Xi’an Train Schedule
 Xi’an provides diverse and convenient public transportation options including metros, taxies, buses, and bikes, which allow you to get to Xi’an attractions easily and enjoy the sights.
 Travelling around downtown Xi’an, you’re the most recommended to choose metros as your means of transportation. There are totally 12 metro lines operating in Xi’an, connecting major attractions. For example, Metro Line 2 links the Bell Tower, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, and the Xi’an City Wall; Metro Line 3 passes by the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, the Qinglong Temple...

In addition to the extensive line coverage, the Xi’an Metro is basically not affected by bad weather and features a low risk of delay, ensuring your smooth travel. Besides, the metro fare is relatively low, and a single journey costs CNY 2 to 13.

Xi'an Metro Map

Carriage of Xi'an Metro

 

Typical Green Taxi in Xi'an

For visitors in a family tour with the elderly and children members travelling together, and those in a group of 2 to 4 people, taking a taxi to attractions is undoubtedly the best and most comfortable option. By taxi, you can skip the journey to the bus / metro station, and enjoy door-to-door transportation from the hotel to the attraction, which is fast and convenient.

The taxi fare of Xi’an is in a reasonable range, and it generally costs you CNY 10 to 40 to travel between attractions in downtown Xi’an by taxi. Taking a taxi to the attraction outside downtown Xi’an is also a good idea, and such a drive costs you CNY 100 to 200 to the Huaqing Pool or the Terracotta Army Museum, and CNY 300 to 500 to the Huashan Mountain. By the way, to endure an efficient tour, it’s not suggested to hail a taxi on a rainy day, during morning and evening rush hours, or in the area surrounding the Bell Tower that is prone to congestion.
 Buses in Xi’an mainly include city buses, direct tourist buses, and sightseeing buses.

Xi’an has a dense city bus network, and you can take a city bus on bustling streets and alleys here and reach scenic spots a little farther from metro stations, such as the Shaanxi History Museum and the Guangren Temple. Moreover, it would be a wonderful sightseeing experience to take a city bus and pass through the gate of Xi’an City Wall.

City Bus on the Street of Xi'an

To visit attractions around Xi’an, taking a direct tourist bus is a convenient and economical choice. At the station near the Bell Tower or the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, you can take the direct tourist bus to the Terracotta Army Museum, and the journey costs CNY 30 and takes about 1 hour. Besides, a trip from the Xi’an East Coach Station to the Huashan Mountain by direct tourist bus takes you about 2 hours and costs CNY 40.

Currently, two types of sightseeing buses are put into use in Xi’an. One is the double-decker sightseeing bus, passing by many landmarks of Xi’an, such as the Bell Tower, the Xi’an City Wall, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. It comes every 20 minutes, and the fare is CNY 25. The other type is the Dang-dang Trolley in dark green and a retro style. Its route linking the city center with the Qujiang area allows you to enjoy gorgeous night views of Xi’an like the illuminated Bell Tower and Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Furthermore, if you get off near the Grand Tang Dynasty Ever Bright City, you can view the wonderful interactive performances here. The fare is CNY 25 and the entire journey takes about 1 hour.

Double-decker Sightseeing Bus in Xi'an

Xi'an Dang-dang Trolley Sightseeing Bus

 Blue, green, and yellow bikes are a common sight on streets of Xi’an, and renting one for a ride is quite worth a try. You can stop at any time to enjoy views you are interested in and explore shops along the way. On the tree-lined bike path, in the bustling alleys, and in the Xi’an City Wall Park, you can all enjoy a sightseeing ride and immerse yourself in the dynamic street scenes of the city.

What’s more, cycling on the Xi’an City Wall is a unique experience that you can hardly have elsewhere in China. While you’re cycling on this 600-year-old building, you will see a clear contrast between skyscrapers and ancient-style dwellings on both sides.

Neatly Arranged Shared Bikes in Xi'an

Cycling on Xi'an City Wall

 In Xi’an, the fares for the metros, taxis, and city buses can all be paid in cash. It’s notable that the automatic ticket-vending machines in metro stations only accept coins of CNY 1, and CNY 5 and CNY 10 banknotes. The bus fare is CNY 2 per trip and the fare box accepts exact change only.
 The Chang’an Pass Card can be used for taking both Xi’an metros and city buses, and you can buy it for CNY 13 either at the service center or at the self-service ticket-vending machine of the metro station. This card offers a 50% discount on bus fares and a 90% discount on metro fares. Furthermore, this card has a China T-Union logo indicating that in over 300 cities in China, you can use this card to pay your public transportation fares.

Chang'an Pass Card

Single Journey Ticket for Xi'an Metro

 Xi’an metros offer one-day and three-day passes, which can be purchased at the service center or the self-service ticket-vending machine of the metro station. These two kinds of passes respectively cost CNY 15 and 40, with periods of validity of 24 and 72 hours during which numbers of rides are unlimited.
 You can add the Chang’an Pass QR Code to Cards & Offers of WeChat or Transport of Alipay, and scan it to ride a city bus. To take a metro, you need to add the Xi’an Metro QR Code.
 After adding the Chang’an Pass - China T-Union Card to your mobile wallet, you can use the NFC function of your mobile phone and swipe it for fare payment at metro stations and on city buses.