Book the Terracotta Army and Shaanxi History Museum before filling the rest of the calendar. The routes keep the walled city, Lintong, the southern museum district and the north-east ruins on separate days, so you spend your time exploring instead of crossing Xi'an in traffic.
Use the Bell Tower as your centre point. The Muslim Quarter and City Wall are close; the Terracotta Army and Huaqing Palace form a separate eastern day; the museums and Tang sights sit mainly to the south.
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Read guide →Xi'an is easier when your passport bookings, mobile payment, data and Chinese place names are ready before the first morning. Opening arrangements can change, so confirm the official page again when you reserve.
Use the same passport number for every real-name reservation and carry the original document. The Terracotta Army requires passport identification for ticket purchase and entry.
Official Terracotta Army visitor guide →The Terracotta Army can stop sales when its daily capacity is reached. Shaanxi History Museum releases timed reservations and closes on Mondays except public holidays. Build other days around these two bookings.
Official museum booking instructions →Lines 2, 3, 4 and 6 cover most central stops. Buy a single ticket or activate Xi'an in Alipay's Transport section. For ride-hailing, paste the exact Chinese destination name and verify the licence plate.
Official transport guide for foreign visitors →Link an international card to Alipay or WeChat Pay and keep some RMB cash as backup. Street vendors may accept cash but may not have change for large notes.
Official overseas payment guide →Bell Tower is best for metro access and food; South Gate is quieter and better for the wall. Show your passport at hotel check-in. If you stay outside a hotel, accommodation registration is normally required within 24 hours.
Official accommodation guidance →兵马俑, 西安钟楼, 西安城墙永宁门, 陕西历史博物馆 and 大雁塔 will get you farther than an English screenshot. Save your hotel's Chinese name and phone number too.
See where each name fits →The Terracotta Army and Huaqing Palace are east of central Xi'an. Treat them as one full excursion and leave the evening flexible; traffic and queues make a timed museum booking afterward risky.
Open the Terracotta Army guide →Shaanxi History Museum normally closes Mondays; Xi'an Museum normally closes Tuesdays. Put both in different parts of a longer itinerary so a closure does not break the whole week.
Check the official museum schedule →Take a power bank, tissues, water, sun or rain protection and your passport. Call 110 for police, 119 for fire and 120 for medical help; ask your hotel desk to write the destination in Chinese when needed.
Open the slower seven-day plan →Planning information checked 10 Aug 2026. Reconfirm live opening hours, ticket release times and temporary closures before travel.