How to Spend 3 Days in Xi’an: A First-Timer’s Itinerary

Three days is a very good amount of time for a first trip to Xi’an.

Xi’an is one of China’s great ancient capitals, and in terms of visible historical layers, it can feel even older than Beijing. The city was once Chang’an, the eastern starting point of the Silk Road and the capital of several major Chinese dynasties, so history here is not limited to one palace or one museum. It is everywhere: in the City Wall, old temples, archaeological sites, neighborhood streets, and even in the way the old city is laid out.

With three days, you can cover the places you really should not miss, while still leaving room for a few quieter corners.

The Terracotta Army is obviously one of them. I first went during China’s National Day holiday, when the site was absolutely packed. I also made the mistake of not booking a guide, and the whole experience felt much flatter than it should have. On later visits, I planned it better and realized that this is one of those places where paying for a good guide is genuinely worth it.

Xi’an has also changed a lot in recent years. Grand Tang Mall is completely man-made and undeniably commercial, but I still think it is fun. Once the lights come on and the street performances start, the whole area becomes surprisingly immersive, especially after spending the morning looking at real Tang dynasty objects in the Shaanxi History Museum.

One small thing first-time visitors often do not expect: Xi’an has a strong midday break culture. Many small local restaurants close for a few hours between lunch and dinner, so if you are planning to eat at a specific neighborhood restaurant in the late afternoon, check the opening hours first.

For this itinerary, I would divide the three days by theme: start with the old city and City Wall, spend a full day in Lintong for the Terracotta Army, then finish with Tang dynasty Xi’an around the Shaanxi History Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and Grand Tang Mall.

Affiliate disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you book through these links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

3 Days in Xi’an at a Glance

Day	Route	Best For
Day 1	Beilin Museum → Shuyuanmen → Xi’an City Wall → Sajinqiao	Old city, local streets & sunset
Day 2	Terracotta Army → Lishan Garden → Huaqing Palace	Qin history & archaeology
Day 3	Shaanxi History Museum → Big Wild Goose Pagoda → Grand Tang Mall	Tang dynasty Xi’an

Before You Start

A little planning matters in Xi’an because several major museums require advance reservations.

The Xi’an Beilin Museum and Shaanxi History Museum are usually closed on Mondays, except during statutory holidays, so do not follow Day 1–3 blindly based on the weekday. Swap the days around if necessary.

The Shaanxi History Museum is especially difficult to book, so make that reservation one of your first priorities.

Day 2 is the longest and most tiring day of this itinerary. If you want to explore the Terracotta Army, Lishan Garden, and Huaqing Palace properly, start early. Travelers who prefer a slower pace can prioritize the Terracotta Army and Huaqing Palace, then treat Lishan Garden according to time and energy.

Day 1 | Xi’an Old City: Beilin Museum, Shuyuanmen, City Wall & Sajinqiao

On my first day in Xi’an, I would keep the focus on the old city itself.

There is no need to rush straight to the Terracotta Army or fill the day with major landmarks. One of the most interesting things about Xi’an is that its historic sites are still woven into everyday life. People live beneath the old city wall, noodle shops sit inside traditional streets, and after walking out of a museum, you are quickly back among local neighborhoods and busy lanes.

The route stays almost entirely within the old city: start at the Beilin Museum, walk through Shuyuanmen, go up the City Wall before sunset, then head to Sajinqiao for dinner.

Start at the Beilin Museum

Begin the morning at the Xi’an Beilin Museum, also known as the Forest of Stone Steles Museum.

If you have never heard of a “forest of steles,” you might expect a simple stone-carving museum. In reality, it feels more like a huge archive of ancient Chinese calligraphy and inscriptions.

The collection spans many dynasties and includes important works associated with calligraphers such as Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan.

Even if you know very little about Chinese calligraphy, it is still worth visiting.

You do not need to understand every inscription. For most travelers, slowing down for a few major works and noticing how writing styles changed across different periods is enough.

Allow around 2 hours here. Anyone genuinely interested in calligraphy, stone inscriptions, or Chinese art history could easily stay longer.

The museum requires advance reservation and is usually closed on Mondays, except during statutory holidays.

Walk Through Shuyuanmen

After leaving the museum, continue on foot.

This part of Xi’an is easy to explore without transportation, and I would stop somewhere nearby for a simple lunch first.

There is no need to chase a viral restaurant. If you see a small noodle shop with plenty of local diners, ordering biangbiang noodles or youpo noodles is usually a safe choice.

Xi’an noodle portions are often large, so keep that in mind if you plan to snack again later.

From here, continue into Shuyuanmen Cultural Street.

I would not treat Shuyuanmen as another attraction that needs to be “completed.” It works much better as part of the walk from the Beilin Museum toward the City Wall.

Shops along the street sell calligraphy, traditional paintings, seals, rubbings, and crafts, and you may occasionally see someone carving a name seal by hand.

Around 40–60 minutes is plenty before continuing toward Yongning Gate.

Enter the City Wall at Yongning Gate

Go up the Xi’an City Wall from Yongning Gate, also known as the South Gate.

If I could choose only one entrance, this would be it.

Yongning Gate is one of the most impressive gates on the wall, and it fits naturally into the route from Shuyuanmen.

Once you reach the top, the city suddenly opens up around you. The dense old city sits inside the walls, while modern Xi’an stretches far beyond them.

The best timing is around 1.5–2 hours before sunset.

You can rent a bicycle and ride part of the wall. The full circuit is nearly 14 kilometers, but there is absolutely no reason to finish the entire loop just to say you did it.

Ride slowly, stop when you want, and watch the rooftops, watchtowers, and skyline change along the way.

Sunset is usually when the wall looks best. As daylight fades, the gray bricks become warmer, the towers begin to light up, and the city below gradually shifts into evening.

If you rent a bicycle, check the latest return time before setting off. It is easy to stay longer for the night views and accidentally miss the rental deadline.

Eat Your Way Through Sajinqiao

After coming down from the wall, head to Sajinqiao for dinner.

Many first-time visitors go directly to the main section of the Muslim Quarter, but if food is the priority, I prefer this area.

It is still lively, but the small restaurants and food stalls feel closer to everyday local life.

A few dishes worth trying include:

• Lamb paomo
• Roujiamo
• Sour soup dumplings
• Zenggao (a sweet snack made with sticky rice and red dates)

One of the most interesting parts of lamb paomo is tearing the flatbread into small pieces yourself before handing it back to the kitchen.

If you have time, do it slowly. If not, you can usually ask the restaurant to cut it for you.

Popular restaurants can have long queues at dinner, but I would not become too attached to one “must-eat” shop. There are plenty of good options around Sajinqiao, and choosing somewhere busy with local diners is often more enjoyable than spending an hour waiting for one famous name.

Optional: Walk Along Shuncheng Lane

If you still have energy after dinner, finish with a short walk along Shuncheng Lane beneath the City Wall.

The tall gray wall runs along one side, with homes, small shops, bars, and local streets on the other.

There is no particular route you need to follow.

It is simply a nice contrast with looking down over Xi’an from the top of the wall earlier in the day. Walk for as long as you feel like, then head back to your hotel.

Day 2 | Terracotta Army, Qin Mausoleum & Huaqing Palace

For Day 2, give the entire day to Lintong.

This is the longest day of the itinerary, so start early.

The Terracotta Army, Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum area, and Huaqing Palace are all located around Lintong. Together, they create one of the biggest historical jumps of the trip.

You begin the morning among Qin dynasty burial pits and can end the afternoon inside a Tang imperial palace complex.

Public transportation is possible, but this is one day when a guided tour, private driver, or organized transfer can make the itinerary much easier.

I joined a tour on my first visit, and having some structure was especially useful here because so much of what you are looking at needs historical context.

Visit the Terracotta Army First

The first time I stood above Pit 1, what surprised me most was the scale.

Rows of warriors stretch deep into the hall, but once you look more carefully, their faces, hairstyles, and poses are different enough that they stop feeling like rows of identical statues.

Allow around 3–3.5 hours for the Terracotta Army.

This is also one of the attractions in Xi’an where I strongly recommend having some form of explanation, whether that means a guide or a good audio guide.

Without context, the visit can easily become Pit 1, Pit 2, Pit 3, followed by the feeling that you have simply seen “a lot of warriors.”

With some explanation, you begin noticing military formations, different ranks, construction techniques, excavation history, and details that are surprisingly easy to walk past.

If archaeology is not your main interest, do not spend equal time everywhere.

Take your time in Pit 1, then focus on the highlights in the remaining halls.

Continue to Lishan Garden

If you start early and still have enough time, continue to Lishan Garden, part of the wider Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum complex.

It is included with the Terracotta Army ticket, and a free shuttle normally connects the two areas.

The site is enormous, so there is no need to see every corner.

One particularly interesting section is the Acrobatics Figures Pit.

After seeing row after row of military figures, these more expressive statues offer a very different glimpse of Qin life. Suddenly the archaeological site feels less focused only on armies, tombs, and emperors.

The Bronze Chariot Museum is also worth spending some time in. The craftsmanship is far more impressive in person than it appears in photographs.

Eventually, you can reach the area around Qin Shi Huang’s burial mound.

There is no giant excavated palace or dramatic tomb chamber to enter. It is a quiet burial landscape, and in some ways that makes the scale of the entire mausoleum complex easier to appreciate.

Keep Lunch Simple

Lunch is one part of this day I would keep simple.

Find a nearby local restaurant, order noodles or another easy meal, sit down, and rest.

The Terracotta Army and mausoleum area already involve a lot of walking. Spending extra time crossing Lintong for a famous restaurant rarely adds much to the day.

Spend the Afternoon at Huaqing Palace

From the Terracotta Army area, continue to Huaqing Palace.

The atmosphere changes immediately.

The first half of the day is dominated by excavation pits, earth-colored archaeological sites, and imperial burial history. Then you suddenly arrive among Mount Li, hot springs, gardens, and palace buildings.

Two sections are particularly worth paying attention to: the Tang dynasty bathing pool ruins and the Xi’an Incident historical sites.

Several completely different layers of Chinese history overlap here.

If you are already tired, skip the climb up Mount Li.

The lower palace area has enough gardens, pavilions, water, and historical sites to make the stop worthwhile on its own.

Should You Stay for The Song of Everlasting Sorrow?

If you enjoy large outdoor performances, The Song of Everlasting Sorrow can be a memorable way to finish the day.

The setting is what makes it unusual.

Huaqing Palace, Mount Li, the water, and the night sky become part of the stage. Once it is completely dark and the lights hit the mountain and palace buildings, the whole production becomes very dramatic.

I prefer the earlier performance, mainly because getting back to central Xi’an afterward is easier.

After later shows, metro services may already have finished, so you may need a ride-hailing car, return shuttle, private transfer, or an overnight stay in Lintong.

And after a full day at the Terracotta Army, there is nothing wrong with skipping the show entirely.

Day 3 | Tang Dynasty Xi’an: Shaanxi History Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda & Grand Tang Mall

For Day 3, I would give the itinerary one clear theme: Tang dynasty Xi’an.

After the old city and the world of Qin Shi Huang, the atmosphere changes again.

Start with real artifacts preserved from ancient China, continue toward Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the history of Tang dynasty Buddhism, then finish after dark at Grand Tang Mall.

This is one of my favorite ways to structure a day in Xi’an.

In the morning, you are looking through museum glass at objects that actually survived from the Tang period.

By night, you are walking through a modern district created around today’s imagination of prosperous Chang’an.

Start at the Shaanxi History Museum

If you are interested in Chinese history, the Shaanxi History Museum is one place I would not skip.

Its collection covers an enormous period of Chinese history, including the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties.

The museum’s general admission is free, but not every gallery is included. Some special exhibitions, such as the Tang Dynasty Mural Painting Gallery, require a separate paid ticket.

I skipped the mural gallery on my first visit because I did not realize it was a separate exhibition. On a later trip, I finally went in and ended up spending almost two hours there.

The murals are faded, fragmented, and far less “perfect” than restored museum displays, but that is exactly what made them feel real to me. They are the kind of exhibits that reward slowing down and looking carefully rather than rushing through.

There is far too much to see properly in one visit, so do not exhaust yourself trying to read every display label. For first-time visitors, I would strongly recommend joining an official guided tour.

Without context, an ancient vessel, figurine, or piece of gold may simply look beautiful. Once you know who used it, when it was made, and what it tells us about life at the time, the experience becomes much more interesting.

The museum is usually closed on Mondays, except during statutory holidays. General admission is free, and reservations are normally released several days in advance through official channels.

Take a Break in Xiaozhai

After several hours inside the museum, keep lunch straightforward.

The nearby Xiaozhai area has plenty of restaurants, cafés, malls, and air-conditioned places to sit down.

There is no need to turn lunch into another sightseeing mission.

Eat properly, rest your feet, then continue with the afternoon.

Visit Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Da Ci’en Temple

After lunch, head to Da Ci’en Temple and Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda is one of Xi’an’s most recognizable landmarks, but its importance goes far beyond the tower itself.

The site is closely connected with Xuanzang, Tang dynasty Buddhism, and the cultural exchange between Chang’an and the wider world.

Visiting it immediately after the Shaanxi History Museum makes those connections much easier to understand.

You can enter Da Ci’en Temple and explore the grounds at your own pace.

Climbing the pagoda requires an additional ticket, but I would consider it optional rather than essential. For many first-time visitors, seeing the tower from the temple grounds and surrounding squares is already enough.

The North Square is also known for its musical fountain.

If a performance happens to fit your schedule, it can be fun to watch. But I would not reorganize the entire afternoon around it.

Show times can change seasonally, and the square becomes crowded before popular performances, so check the current schedule on the day.

Wait Until Dark for Grand Tang Mall

Grand Tang Mall is much better after dark.

During the day, I would not go out of my way to spend much time here.

Once the lights come on, though, the architecture, sculptures, decorations, and street performances completely change the atmosphere.

It is a free pedestrian district built around Tang-inspired architecture and large-scale lighting, with performances appearing throughout the area.

For a first visit, it is undeniably theatrical and fun.

Trying to chase every scheduled performance usually makes the evening more stressful than enjoyable.

The most popular shows draw huge crowds, and rushing from one performance spot to the next can quickly turn the night into another checklist.

Instead, simply walk.

Stop when something looks interesting, watch for a while, and continue when you feel like it.

For me, the best part of Grand Tang Mall is not any single performance. It is the atmosphere created by the entire district after dark.

Is 3 Days Enough for Xi’an?

For a first visit, three full days is a very good amount of time for Xi’an.

You can experience the old city, visit the Terracotta Army without rushing, and still devote a full day to the Tang dynasty side of Xi’an.

With four or five days, you could slow the itinerary down further, spend more time in museums, explore additional neighborhoods, or add another day trip.

But if this is your first trip and you want to understand why Xi’an feels so different from many other Chinese cities, these three days give you a very good introduction.

You are not just moving between famous landmarks.

You are moving through several completely different versions of Xi’an: the lived-in old city, the imperial world of Qin Shi Huang, and the Tang dynasty Chang’an that still shapes how the city imagines itself today.