6 Days in Xi'an: First-Timer Plan

Six days keeps the full 5-day plan (Terracotta Army, City Wall, Muslim Quarter, Mount Huashan, Shaanxi History Museum, Huaqing Palace) and gives Famen Temple its own dedicated day, since the thin public transit out there means it can’t share a day with anything else. Less time? Drop to 4 or 5 days . A full week? Move up to 7 days .

Book these before you go

Day Focus Travel time
Day 1 Terracotta Army, City Wall bike ride Terracotta Army: cash-only bus, about 1 hour each way
Day 2 Muslim Quarter, Bell/Drum Tower, Big Wild Goose Pagoda All within the city
Day 3 Mount Huashan About 2 hours each way by high-speed rail
Day 4 Shaanxi History Museum, night market All within the city
Day 5 Huaqing Palace Near Lintong, similar range to the Terracotta Army
Day 6 Famen Temple About 120km west, full day, thin public transit

Day 1: Terracotta Army and the City Wall

  • Metro from XIY to Xi’an North, transfer toward the Bell Tower, check in
  • Book the Terracotta Army ticket online ahead of time, CNY 120, no walk-up sales. The cash-only bus 游5/306 from Xi’an Railway Station’s East Square, CNY 7, about an hour each way
  • Evening: bike the City Wall, CNY 54 entry, about CNY 45 for 3 hours (CNY 200 deposit), a 13.7km loop, per the official City Wall site

Day 2: Muslim Quarter and the Pagodas

  • Bell Tower and Drum Tower combo ticket, about CNY 50
  • Huimin Jie street food: roujiamo, biang biang noodles, yangrou paomo, liangpi, plus the 742 CE Great Mosque
  • Big Wild Goose Pagoda grounds and tower climb, then the free North Square Music Fountain show

Day 3: Mount Huashan

  • High-speed rail from Xi’an North to Huashan North, about 30 minutes actual ride time, then a shuttle to the gates
  • West Peak cable car up, North Peak down, covering the main peaks in 5-6 hours
  • Plank Walk in the Sky: ages 15-55 only, harnessed and waivered, 2+ hour queues by midday, arrive early or skip
  • Budget the full 10-12 hours door to door

Day 4: Shaanxi History Museum and a Night Out

  • Real-name timed reservation, free admission but no walk-in entry
  • Afternoon around the Bell Tower shops, evening at the South Gate night market

Day 5: Huaqing Palace

  • East toward Lintong, entry roughly CNY 120, Tang-dynasty hot-spring pools and gardens
  • Find the building where Chiang Kai-shek was detained during the 1936 Xi’an Incident, the more defensible reason to visit than the pools alone

Why Does Famen Temple Need Its Own Day?

Because it’s genuinely isolated. Famen Temple sits about 120km west of Xi’an with thin public transit, so a DIY bus-and-transfer trip eats hours that an organized tour or private car skips entirely. Pairing it with the Terracotta Army or Huashan in one day just doesn’t work logistically; it earns a dedicated day here for a reason.

Day 6: Famen Temple

  • Book an organized tour or a private car rather than attempting public transit; the distance and thin bus service make this the one day trip where DIY genuinely costs you hours
  • The temple’s underground crypt held a relic believed by tradition to be a finger bone of the Buddha, discovered in 1987, a real archaeological find rather than tourist embellishment
  • Explore the temple complex and the museum built around the relic before heading back to Xi’an for a final dinner near your hotel

Book Famen Temple as a half-day-plus-transfer package rather than trying to DIY it; this is the one day trip on the list where the organized option genuinely saves real hours, not just hassle.

Read more: our Xi’an day trips guide ranks all seven options if you want to swap one of these six for another.