China2 days

Xi'an: Terracotta Warriors, City Wall & Muslim Quarter — 2 Days

Walk the Ming-era city wall, view 2,000 clay warriors from the Qin dynasty, and navigate the Great Mosque through narrow market streets.

This two-day itinerary centers on Xi'an's primary archaeological and architectural anchors. Day one takes you to the Terracotta Warriors—6,000 individually sculpted clay figures, each with distinct costume and facial features, arranged in battle formation across three open pits and buried for 2,000 years before their accidental discovery in 1976. The afternoon moves to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a Buddhist structure that housed Sanskrit texts and relics brought overland from India by the Tang-dynasty monk Xuanzang. Day two follows the 13-kilometer Ming-era City Wall on foot, then descends into the narrow streets of the Muslim Quarter to reach the Great Mosque, constructed during the Ming dynasty's Hongwu reign and enlarged under the Qing, built atop earlier religious sites dating to the Tang.

Highlights

Walk through three open pits of the Terracotta Warriors at the Qin mausoleum, viewing approximately 2,000 individually sculpted clay soldiers in formation
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda held Buddhist relics and classics brought from India by the hierarch Xuanzang.
Walk the complete 13-kilometer Ming-era City Wall encircling Xi'an's old city
Navigate the narrow lanes of the Muslim Quarter and visit the Great Mosque, the oldest and most significant mosque in China, with structures dating from the Tang dynasty onward

Day by day

1Terracotta Warriors & Big Wild Goose PagodaBig Wild Goose Pagoda · Terracotta Warriors site

The morning begins at the Terracotta Warriors site, the Qin dynasty's most significant archaeological find. In 1976, farmers digging a well near Xi'an uncovered the edge of this underground army, buried for roughly 2,000 years. Three main pits are open to visitors; within them stand close to 2,000 of the estimated 6,000 warriors ever sculpted. Each figure was individually formed from clay and bears distinct costume, height, and facial expression. The warriors stand in battle formation. A bus transfer brings you to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the afternoon, a seven-story Buddhist structure from the Tang dynasty. The pagoda originally held Sanskrit classics and relics transported from India by the Buddhist monk Xuanzang. The temple grounds include a northern square where a musical fountain show occasionally performs, depending on season and schedule.

2Ming City Wall & Great Mosque via Muslim QuarterGreat Mosque · Muslim Quarter · Xi'an's ancient City Wall

The day opens with a walking tour of Xi'an's ancient City Wall, the longest and most intact defensive wall remaining in China, stretching over 13 kilometers around the old city's perimeter. Built during the Ming dynasty and maintained through subsequent periods, the wall offers views across the urban landscape and provides context for the city's historical boundaries. From the wall, the route leads into the Muslim Quarter's narrow streets, where markets, small shops, and restaurants line passages that have serviced the community for centuries. This pedestrian exploration culminates at the Great Mosque, the most prominent mosque in China and a working place of worship. Construction began during the Hongwu reign of the Ming dynasty, with later additions during the Qing. Earlier religious structures occupied the same site as far back as the Tang dynasty, layering Xi'an's long history of religious pluralism into a single complex.

Where you go

Map: Xi'an: Terracotta Warriors, City Wall & Muslim Quarter — 2 Days route — Numbers follow the itinerary order. © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap

1Big Wild Goose Pagoda
2Terracotta Warriors site
3Muslim Quarter

Included

Included:
English speaking guide service
Private transfer in air-conditioned van
Entrance fee
Picnic lunch on the Great Wall

Not included

Do Not Include:
International airfare
China Visa
Hotel accommodation