1 Day Private Tour to Terracotta Warriors, No Shopping

Welcome to spend a day with us exploring Xi’an, the ancient capital of 13 dynasties! In the morning, your private guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel and then transfer you to the Terracotta Army Museum by a comfortable 1-hour drive, during which the guide will brief you on this Eighth Wonder of the World.

At the museum, observe thousands of life-size terracotta warriors created about 2,200 years ago to protect Qin Shi Huang (259 - 210 BC), China’s first emperor, in his afterlife. Each of the soldiers in the three pits is unique in appearance, like they were replicas of a real army. Interestingly, you can tell their status by headwear - the common soldiers generally wear no crown and some wrap their hair with a piece of cloth, while the generals feature long crowns. Try to distinguish them by referring to more hints from your professional guide! Aside from an array of vivid figures, you can also see myriad terracotta horses, bronze chariots, and weapons like crossbows, swords, and spears. Moreover, expect to be awestruck more by Qin artisans’ craftsmanship at a new exhibition featuring 230 representative historical artifacts excavated since 1974. Find red remains on the lips of some terracotta heads and the purple sleeves on soldiers, learn from your guide and official explanatory illustrations, and gain an insight into the coloring techniques and the color aesthetics of the Qin Dynasty (221 - 207 BC).

For lunch, it is suggested to go back to downtown for more and better dining options at your own expense. Your guide will be glad to offer some local food suggestions, like the popular Chinese Hamburger, which has been listed as the Intangible Culture Heritage of Xi'an. Since you may have lunch at a later time, a big breakfast this morning is necessary!After lunch, let’s head to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, which is a witness to a famous monk Xuanzang’s pilgrimage to India for Buddhist scriptures in the 7th century. The religious pagoda has a total of 7 floors, with the height of each floor decreasing gradually, not only subtly enhancing the stability but also making it more beautiful and imposing. An intriguing legend goes that once a monk joked that he wanted to eat meat, and just then the Buddha was incarnated into a wild goose and fell to its death in front of him as a warning. To commemorate this, a pagoda was built at the place where it took place and was named ‘Wild Goose Pagoda’. With your guide, prepare to learn more about the stories behind it.

Next, follow your guide’s steps to ascend the Xi’an City Wall. Take a leisurely walk and enjoy the panoramic city views. With a total length of 13.74 kilometers (8.5 miles), the ancient City Wall is a masterpiece of defense, complete with gate towers, arrow towers, turrets, barbicans, suspension bridges, and a moat, providing all-round protection for the imperial city in ancient times. During your stroll, you might be surprised to find that only the base platform at the southwest corner is round rather than the regular square shape. There is a popular anecdote that when the wall was constructed in 1374 AD of early Ming Dynasty, the emperor demanded to seek innovation and not adhere to old ways, thus the counselors took the royal order and incorporated a circular corner. For a different experience, bikes, single or tandem, are available for rent to pedal around the wall. If you’re interested, your guide could help you with the rental, which is at your own expense.Later, take the chance to admire Xian’s iconic 600-plus-year-old Bell and Drum Towers standing in the city center, as we drive past them. Afterward, we’ll reach today’s last stop, the Muslim Quarter, a well-known lively community with dozens of streets offering a variety of local delicacies, including beef and lamb BBQ, Crumbled Bread in Mutton Stew, and Biang Biang Noodles. After a simple glimpse into its unique ethnic market culture on the main street, the guide will send you back to your hotel. Of course, you can stay longer for dinner and then take a taxi back to the hotel by yourself. It is recommended that you taste a bowl of authentic spicy Biang Biang Noodles, which is generally made of three strands of long, wide noodles, vividly nicknamed by locals as Belt-like Noodles. Your guide will be willing to give you some advice on choosing a restaurant.

This is the end of your private one-day Xi’an Terracotta Warriors tour, and we hope you really enjoyed it! Other popular sights in Xi’an such as Shaanxi History Museum, Mt. Huashan, and Famen Temple also await your exploration. If you have more time, please cast your eyes on our 3 or 4 days’ in-depth tours or contact us for a customized itinerary.

► Recommended Night Activities (at your own expense):
After the visit to the Muslim Quarter, take a short walk to the Defu Lane to experience Xi’an’s modern vitality and romance beyond its ancient charm. There, the folk or rock music, along with the aroma of wine wafting from the distinctive bars decorated in retro industrial or Mediterranean style will entice you to explore their mysterious interiors. Also, the graffiti walls, vintage street lamps, and exquisitely carved doors will all be excellent backgrounds for your fashionable photos. Also, you can go to the restaurant theater Tang Dynasty Palace to enjoy a grand dinner show, where the live accompaniment of traditional instruments like the panpipe played by China’s only classical orchestra and the dance adapted from Tang murals will offer you a unique visual and auditory feast. We will be glad to provide you with the ticket booking service if you are interested.