3 Days Xian Heritage and Culture Tour

When your flight arrives, you will find your guide waiting for you outside the baggage claim area at Xi'an Airport, holding a welcome sign with your name on it. Be ready for your exciting journey ahead!

On your way to the downtown area, we will first take you to the Han Yang Ling Mausoleum, which buries the emperor and his empress of Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD). This excavated joint tomb has been renovated into a world-renowned museum and becomes a great counterpoint to the Terracotta Army, with its unique funeral objects of wondrous doll-sized terracotta figurines. This is also the place to exhibit some unearthed tri-colored glazed potteries of Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD), known for their bright colored glaze dominant in yellow, brown and green and their artistic delicacy, which you’ll surely fall in love with at the first sight, just as others do.

★  What makes us different
With us, you get to have a Mixed Reality experience in this majestic mausoleum. Your guide will take you to enjoy immersive vivid displays realized by holographic imaging technology (fees included in our price). Join us to travel thousands of years into the past: stand right before those “revived” terracotta eunuch, officials and soldiers, and watch the emperor holding court!

After this magical trip, we’ll drive to downtown Xi’an and check in at a select hotel. Have a good rest of your day!

After breakfast, we will drive for around one hour to the Terracotta Army Museum, an astounding discovery found to be the mausoleum for Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259 - 210 BC), the founder of Qin Empire, the first empire ever existing in China’s history. You’ll shudder before this World's Eighth Great Wonder, wondering at those delicately-sculpted clay soldiers and horses, bronze chariots, as well as bronze weapons full of details, altogether forming a spectacle of a real war. About the earthy-gray terracotta warriors, there is a curious fact you might be interested - they were colorful once! Even at the moment they were unearthed in 1974! It’s a pity that the colors were then irretrievably stripped off within minutes by exposure to light and oxygen. Just take the chance to appreciate this marvelous feat now, as it might've been fading unnoticeably, just as the colors.

In the afternoon, we’ll take you to do something unusual, a privilege that otherwise you would find it hard to access.

★  What makes us different
►  Visit Discoverer of the First Terracotta Warrior
Only by following us will you learn about a different Terracotta Army, including the fascinating story of its discovery by a local farmer. Let’s walk into the home of Yang Zhifa, the man who unearthed the first fragments in 1974, see the hoe and cart he used at the time, and learn some secrets about the discovery. This remarkable find transformed Yang overnight from a poor farmer into a government-funded professional signer sitting in the museum. If you’re lucky enough to meet Mr. Yang at his home, talk to him or maybe get his autograph.

►  Hands-on Experience of Making a Mini Warrior
Ever wondered how the Terracotta Warriors were created? Now’s your chance to experience it for yourself! Let’s check out a unique workshop led by local artisans of the few who adhere to the traditional way of pottery making. In this cave dwelling workshop, you’ll learn how to mold your own mini warrior using techniques passed down for over 2,000 years. The red mud you’ll be working with comes from the same depths (7-9 meters underground) as the material used by the Qin artisans! Can’t wait to create a personalized souvenir - a mini warrior with your own name inscribed?

Then we will come to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a splendid pagoda specially built in the Tang Dynasty to store the Buddhist scriptures and statues brought back from India. It has developed into a landmark of Xi’an, with its surrounding areas being a must-visit tourism zone, including Great Tang All Day Mall at the southern foot of the pagoda, popular for its phenomenal one-stop service and spectacular lightings at night. Some two thousand meters (1.2 miles) long, the mall street was designed to reproduce the prosperity of Tang Dynasty. You’ll be guided around here, to experience its vibrant diversity.

We’ll take you back to hotel after a day’s trip. Have a good night and let’s look forward to a new tomorrow.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today we will first visit the City Wall Remains Museum at the foot of the City Wall. Here, you get to visit the ruins of the Tang Hanguang Entrance, which was the starting point of the Silk Road built during Sui Dynasty (581 - 618 AD) and a witness to the glory of the past. With an area as large as half a soccer field, it reminds its visitors of the magnificence of the original gate.

Then, we’ll climb up the City Wall, accessible from inside the museum. Constructed as the military defense system during Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 AD), it has now become a vantage point to savor a bird’s-eye view of Xi’an. You’ll witness a modern city built over ancient ruins, with historical buildings scattered here and there across the entire land. You can also a take a look at the City Wall Park beneath, where real life happens. Walk, bike, or take an electric tourist car - we’ll leave your way of sightseeing on your choice. Please note that riding a bike or car is at your own expense, and your guide will be glad to help.

Next, we’ll continue to visit the Great Mosque, a standout among all mosques due to its classical Chinese garden architecture. With glazed tiles, wooden pavilions, and a landscaped symmetrical layout, the temple complex is a real testimony to the integration of Islamic culture into China’s society. For local Muslims, it is a haven of pilgrimage; for locals and tourists, a peaceful harbor in the bustling city.

Walking out of the mosque, we will head to the nearby Muslim Quarter for lunch. There will be various local foods for you: Bread and Mutton Soup (Yang Rou Pao Mo), Chinese Hamburger (Rou Jia Mo), Cold Skin Noodles (Liang Pi)… All are popular specialties of Shaanxi province. You also get to watch the impressive making process behind some traditional foods, like it of brittle candy, pull candy and hand-pulled noodles, and your guide will tell you their stories.

After that, your guide and driver will transfer you to the airport for your departure flight, and your Xi'an 3 days tour will end here. Thank you for traveling with us!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Local flavor lunch