Terracotta Warriors Museum
Without a doubt one of China’s most famous and popular tourist sites, the Terracotta Warriors is the most impressive underground attraction in China. This incredible collection of well over 6,000 figures was accidentally unearthed by a group of peasants trying to dig a well in 1974. Instead of water, they found a 2,000-year-old statue of a warrior made to protect the Tomb of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the founder of the Qin Dynasty and the first man to rule over a unified China. Fast-forward thirty-some years and the emperor’s underground army has become an enormously popular tourist destination.
Our thoughts? The details on each warrior are fantastic! However, there were so many people literally pushing by and over trying to take 101 selfies, that the experience was unsettling. I would advice to go there in the afternoon when tour buses are done and gone, unless you like to fight for your perfect picture. Also, the price for this attraction in my opinion is way too high and discount is not given for foreign students.
Terracotta Warriors Museum is open daily, 8:30am-5:30pm and cost 150CNY ($23/£15).
How to get to the Terracotta Warriors Museum
Options to visit the museum include by public bus or private tour. We chose the public bus option, which is cheaper and obviously more independent.
Starting point in our case was Xian Railway Station or Muslim Quarters.
You can go to the east square of Railway station to take tourism bus no.914/915 for reaching destination. The whole journey takes about one hour and cost 8CNY ($1.1/£0.7). You will arrive to little station where free shuttle bus goes to museum.
But what’s next after you visit subterranean army?
The answer is plenty, and here are some of other things we did.
X’ian City Wall
Xi’an is worth a visit simply for a view of the walls. Originally built in 1370 in the Ming Dynasty, the City Wall of Xi’an is one of the best preserved fortifications in China. The restored 12-meter-high wall stretches around 13.74 km of city. You can rent a bike for 45CNY and cycle on the wall and see the city through a unique angle.
We didn’t rent bikes nor took an electric trolley, I guess it was so called leg day and a challenge to walk half of the wall was accepted.
Entrance to the wall cost 54CNY ($8/£5) or 27CNY ($4/£2.5) for students.
Eat street food in X’ian Muslim Quarters
Xi’an’s famous Muslim Quarter can be found 100 meters northwest of the Drum Tower. It’s also one of the best food streets in Xi’an. Narrow alleys are packed with tiny restaurants that spill out onto the street. This is the perfect place to spend a golden-lit evening sampling excellent food on offer.
Most symbolic local buys include hand-cut wheat noodles, cumin-sprinkled lamb kebabs, roasted walnuts and beef dumplings.
We are very lucky as our Alley Youth Hostel was located in the heart of vibrant area so we could enjoy amazing street food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also hostel was the cheapest we could find (20CNY/$3/£2.20 for dorm bed), but to get this price you have to book online at least a day before arriving.
X’ian Bell and Drum Towers
Bell tower is situated in the very middle of the city. Originally built in 1384 Bell Tower is touted as the largest and best-preserved wooden bell tower in China.
Drum Tower is just across the square from Bell Tower, so you can shoot two sights in one go. Dual entry to both towers cost 50CNY ($7.5/£5). We didn’t go inside, as after seeing towers on a city wall it was enough to take in for the day.
That sums up our three day stay in X’ian which we dearly enjoyed. That to be said, food played a major role in this statement:) next stop- Chengdu.
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