XA07: 5 Days Private Xian & Luoyang Tour

Our guide will be expecting you outside the arrival hall of the airport. On the way to the hotel, you will visit one of the landmarks of Xian, the City Wall. Constructed between 1374 and 1378 during the Ming Dynasty, it is the best-preserved city wall with a total length of 11.9 km (7.4 miles) and a height of 12 meters (39 feet). If time permits, you can either walk or rent a bicycle to ride on the wall to have a panoramic view of this ancient city.

Meals: No meals, advice freely available

You will spend the whole morning to visit the amazing Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum which is believed to be the most significant archeological excavation of the 20th century in the world. Thousands of life-sized soldiers and horses were neatly arranged in battle formations with distinct expressions on each face, reflecting the mighty forces and advanced manufacture of the Qin Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. The Bronze Chariots and Horses and the exquisite bronze weapons displayed in the museum will also give you a deep impression. Then continue to visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the afternoon. Built in 652 during the Tang Dynasty, the seven-storey square cone-shaped pagoda was used to house the Buddhist statues and sutras brought back from India by master Xuanzang. It is not only a Buddhist masterpiece but also regarded as one of the landmark construction of Xian City. 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today's private tour starts from Shaanxi History Museum, which boasts large collection of historical items which reflect Chinese culture and history from the prehistory period to the mid 20th century. The museum is also the first modernized museum in China, so the advanced facilities will provide you an easy access to enjoy these rare exhibitions. Then a local family visit with home cooked a la carte lunch (valued at CNY120.00 per person and included in our price) is specially arranged for you to have a close touch with the daily life of local people and taste the authentic home-made dishes. We can also arrange Chinese food cooking class in our family visit for free if you would like to have a try. In the afternoon, you will continue to visit the oldest, largest and best-preserved Islamic mosque in Xian, the Great Mosque. Though is an Islamic mosque, it was constructed in the traditional Chinese style, so the buildings are pavilions with painted columns and flying eaves rather than domes and minarets. On the way to the mosque, you will walk through a local snack street, Muslim Street, where many delicious local food and interesting souvenirs could be found.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Home-cooked a la carte lunch

After breakfast, you will take a high-speed train to arrive at Luoyang in 2 hours. Lunch is on your own. Upon your arrival, our local guide will transfer you to visit the Longmen Grottoes. The entire carving work here has lasted over 400 years from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Northern Song Dynasty, showing the prosperous Buddhist culture from the late 5th century to the 10th century. There are altogether some 2,300 caves and niches filled with countless Buddha statues and inscriptions in Longmen Grottoes.

You will then visit the White Horse Temple, which was the first temple invested and built by the court after Buddhism was introduced into China about 1,900 year ago during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Later, it became the center of China's Buddhist activities. The last stop of today is the Royal Chariot and Horse Pits of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Based on these archeological discoveries, a museum was built to display the giant horses and chariots sacrificial pits of over two thousand years ago.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

In the morning, you will turn to Shaolin Temple to have a Kung Fu tour. Situated among the dense forest at the foot of Songshan Mountain, it was originally built in 495 during the Northern Wei Dynasty, and was greatly expanded when Bodhidharma, a famous Indian monk and the patriarch of Chinese Zen, came to impart Zen Buddhism in China. Besides its long history, the temple is much more famous for Shaolin martial arts, the performance of which you could watch while visiting. When the private tour is finished today, our guide will see you off at the airport. Please board on your flight for the connecting trip on time!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast