2-Day Xi’an of Best Value: Terracotta Army & Pandas

Group guests will enjoy a transfer from your respective hotels, provided by your guide and driver, at the time agreed upon in advance via email, WhatsApp or WeChat. We appreciate your understanding that the pick-up time might need to be advanced to 7:30 or even 7:00 during the crowded summer vacation of July and August or Chinese holidays, to allow enough time for sightseeing.

For private tour guests, your private guide and driver will meet you at your hotel at the time you specify, approximately from 8:30 to 9:00.


Now, let’s drive 1 hour to the Terracotta Army Museum, home to the burial objects of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259 - 210 BC), the first emperor of ancient China. 


Once there, let’s embark on a 2.5-to-3-hour historical exploration. Stand by the guardrail of the viewing platform to overlook more than 8,000 life-sized terracotta warriors and horses in the three burial pits, and you’ll find that the hairstyles, expressions, and even beards of the figurines are all different, as if they were real portraits of soldiers from the Great Qin Empire of 2,200 years ago. When entering an exhibition, marvel at hundreds of typical archaeological finds up close. Look at the figure with his hands clasped - it was a government clerk, with a knife at his waist used for correcting mistakes on bamboo slips. Further ahead, you’ll see a statue of a musician sitting in front of a row of bronze waterfowl to attract the birds to dance for the emperor’s enjoyment. While more treasures are believed to lie hidden within the emperor’s super-large tomb, archaeologists dare not excavate it for fear of unknown consequences. Unexpected pitfalls everywhere, hundreds of tons of toxic volatile mercury, and landslides possibly caused by excavations would take the lives of whoever steps into the tomb, not to mention it would damage or even destroy the treasures.
After the visit, your guide will accompany you to enjoy a buffet lunch, which includes regular western dishes, local flavors like Chinese Hamburger and hand-pulled ribbon pasta, seasonal fruit, as well as a glass of soft drink.


Afterward, let’s drive back to downtown to enjoy more city highlights. 


Continue our visit to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, built 1,300 years ago to store the Buddha statues and translated scriptures brought from India by the venerable monk Xuanzang. Growing up in a Buddhist temple, Xuanzang was deeply edified by the religious culture and always longed for the support of the emperor to visit the birthplace of Buddhism. 17 years after his arduous spontaneous travel, he finally returned with myriad precious scriptures, eventually received the approval from the emperor, who commissioned the pagoda as a center for Xuanzang’s translation work. His efforts here eventually sparked the widespread rise of Buddhism across the country.
Later, let’s climb onto the City Wall. With over 600 years of history, it has transformed from a key military defense into a cultural landmark linking past and present. Stroll along the wide walkway and stop occasionally at crenels to overlook the ancient or archaistic structures scattered among modern high-rises. Explore the ‘horse faces’ - platforms protruding from the wall, often topped with corner towers or watchtowers. These projections are spaced at regular intervals, a pattern determined not by chance but by the effective range of ancient bows and crossbows. Single and tandem sightseeing bikes are available on the wall; if you’re interested, your guide can assist you with rental at your own expense.
Finally, we’ll get to the lively Muslim Quarter, the best-known food lovers’ paradise in Xi’an. If you’d like to discover more local delicacies like Crumbled Bread in Mutton Stew for dinner on you own here and enjoy the nearby nightscapes of the iconic Bell and Drum Towers, you can get off here and finally go back to your hotel by yourself. If not, your guide and driver will escort you directly back to your hotel.

After picking you up at your hotels, let’s go and see the national treasures of China, the giant pandas - without going to Chengdu, their globally recognized home! Actually, there are also many wild giant pandas in south Xi’an’s Qinling Mountains we’re about to visit, with the highest population density in the wild in China. 


Let’s hop in our comfy vehicle and embark on a 1.5-hour journey to a hidden gem outside the city: Qinling Four Rare Animals Science Park, a comprehensive park integrating wildlife rescue, scientific research, popular science education, and sightseeing.
Upon arrival, let’s make a beeline for the Panda House to watch those fur balls eat and play. There are approximately 10 to 15 pandas living here, among which every 2 to 3 reside in a “luxury villa” with a spacious yard that mimics the wild. See if you’re lucky enough to catch if Qi Zai, the park’s undisputed superstar, happens to be “on duty” today. Due to a minor genetic mutation that reduced melanin production, it became the world’s sole brown-and-white panda, unlike others’ typical black. Also, expect to spot other star pandas, such as the wives of Qi Zai, the elder Zhu Zhu and Zheng Zheng, sitting leisurely and munching on bamboo; the adorkable A-bao whose ear was bitten by Qi Zai; and the cute cubs and adolescent pandas climbing trees, chasing each other, frolicking, or even fighting! If time permits, we’ll also invite you to discover three other first-class nationally protected animals, including golden snub-nosed monkeys, crested ibises, and takins. 
► Friendly Tips:
1. Due to lots of gentle slopes inside the park, we recommend wearing comfortable sneakers.
2. To protect the animals and their home, please avoid shouting, tapping the enclosure glass, and unauthorized feeding.


Afterward, we’ll drive 1.5 hours back downtown. Enjoy a hearty lunch of local food before the upcoming afternoon of cultural immersion. 
Let’s continue the trip to Shaanxi History Museum, a large modern museum known as the “Pearl of Ancient Capital, Treasure House of China”, to learn about the profound Chinese civilization from the Stone Age to about 1840. Follow your guide to gain insights on all the highlights like bronze vessels, terracotta warriors from Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum, and gorgeous mural paintings. Examine the Bronze Tiger-Shaped Tally of Du County, a small token to mobilize armies in the Qin Dynasty (221 - 207 BC). It was created in half: the right half was held by the Qin emperor and the left half by a general - only when the two halves fitted together could over 50 soldiers be dispatched. Moreover, take a close look at the Agate Cup with Beast Head of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD). Modelled after the Greek kylix and crafted by Persian craftsmen using rare sardonyx, it is the pinnacle of cultural exchange along the ancient Silk Road.
At the end of the day, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel. Thank you for travelling with us!