How to Spend 2 Days in Xian

With two days in Xian, you’ll have enough time to explore beyond the Terracotta Warriors and essential city sights. Learn more about the city’s history at one of its excellent museums, and treat your tastebuds to its multicultural cuisine. Here’s how to get the most out of your 48 hours in Xian.

Day 1: Essential Xian

**Morning:**No trip to Xian would be complete without a visit to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Get an early start for the 1-hour drive to the site, where you can explore the three excavation pits and learn about how the life-size figures were made and discovered. 

**Afternoon:**Back in Xian, take in the Old City from one of the best vantage points, the top of its ancient city walls. If you want to make the entire 8.5-mile (14-kilometer) circuit, hop on a bike; alternately you can walk a portion of it on foot to get a better sense of its immense size. For added value and convenience, combine the Terracotta Warriors and a bike ride along the walls into a single tour.

**Night:**All that sightseeing is likely to work up an appetite. Luckily, Xian is a city that knows how to eat. As the sun goes down, head out to explore the culinary landscape with a walking or tuk-tuk tour. Sample local delicacies from street vendors, such as steamed pork buns, barbecued-meat skewers, or pita bread soaked in lamb soup.

Day 2: Historical Xian

**Morning:**Kick off your morning with a visit to one of the city’s top attractions, the Shaanxi History Museum, where the enormous collection tells the story of Xian and the surrounding Shaanxi Province. A visit to the museum can be combined with another top landmark, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, in a half-day tour.

**Afternoon:**Continue your deep dive into Xian’s long and storied history with an afternoon visit to the Banpo Village archaeological site. Walk among 6,000-year-old ruins of a neolithic village—thought to be one of the oldest human settlements in China—to learn more about how some of China’s earliest residents lived.

**Night:**End your Xian trip with dinner and a show. Choose between the classic combination of a dumpling feast and Tang Dynasty Dinner Show, or head to the historic Huaqing Palace for an epic love story known as The Song of Everlasting Sorrow. Book a tour with hotel pickup and drop-off for a hassle-free final evening.