4 Days Private Xi'an Tour with Mt. Hua

As your flight touches down in Xi'an, your expert guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area of the airport and take you downtown. If you arrive in Xi’an by train, your guide will meet you at the Railway Station instead.

You will be directly taken to Shaanxi Archaeology Museum, China’s first archaeological museum. It is dedicated to housing historical treasures from this land yet to be unearthed and exhibited. If you are ever curious about the evidence of Chinese history, come here to visit this special museum, to swim amid 5,000 plus historic artifacts in display, each having its own story to tell. Here, you will read the history from an archaeological perspective.

After the visit, your guide will escort you back to your hotel. Check in and have a good time the rest of your day.

This morning, we will take a trip to the Terracotta Army Museum, the world-famous mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, founder of the Qin Empire (221 - 206 BC) and the imperial history of China that lasted some 2,000 years. You’ll visit his burial pits, in which his funeral objects of lifelike terracotta warriors and horses, as well as elaborately-made bronze weapons, chariots and horses, stately arranged to form a grand battle array, and marvel at the formidable military power and advanced manufacturing techniques of Qin people. The soil partition walls may also grab your attention. In the ancient times, they were mainly used for bearing weight, to protect the clay figures from external impacts, just as the load-bearing wall of our houses. Now these walls serve as a barrier against weathering, or the terracotta warriors will suffer erosions. Besides, to keep this historical site intact, any careless move would accidentally damage these 2,000-year-old potteries. Thus, from the detailed patterns of their wear, you can also get to have a glimpse into the hierarchical culture of the politics and military under Emperor Qin’s rule today. 

As for lunch, we’ll leave it on your own to let you explore around the museum on your own. There are many restaurants aside from Mcdonald's and Subway. It’s of course suggested that you taste some local foods, with the advice of your guide.★  What makes us different
►  Home visit to the discoverer of the first terracotta warrior
With us, you have a chance to visit the family of Mr. Yang Zhifa, discoverer of the first terracotta warrior, who lives several minutes’ walk away from the museum. Take this exclusive chance to talk with Mr. Yang and his family, witness the hoe and wooden cart he used for the unexpected discovery in 1974. Want to know what the first warrior looked like? Fulfil your desire and take a look at its 1:1 copy in his house.

►  DIY your own mini clay warriors
Are you curious about how the terracotta warriors were made 2,000 years ago? You’ll get a chance not only to know it, but to do it yourself! Let’s come to a workshop converted from a traditional cave dwelling used for residence in the past. You’ll choose your favorite molds provided for you and start to make your own cute terracotta warrior following expert instructions. The whole process takes about 40 minutes. Finally, carve your name on your warrior and take it home.

Continue your private Xian 4 days tour to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in the Jianfu Temple, one of the three temples for translating sutras that witnessed the prevalence of Buddhism in Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD).

Let’s call it a day’s trip now. Your guide will escort you back to hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today, we will have a private day trip to Mt. Huashan, the Most Precipitous of the Five Sacred Mountains of China sung in folklore and poems. You’ll immediately understand why it’s called so, as you stand on peaks viewing pathways set between sheer drops, or directly feel it for yourself by walking them or narrow plank paths on the cliffs. Follow your guide to scale this world-renown mountain, you’ll surely have a “breathtaking” memory here in a literal sense.

To save your energy to appreciate the thrilling vistas, you’ll take a cable car to the steepest West Peak first, and go relatively down the rest of your hike, taking in every landscape along the way that is worth your while. You’ll go on a trek from West Peak to North Peak, where you can take a cable car and get down. Then your guide and driver will escort you back to your Xi'an hotel by private car.

►  Alternative trip to Qianling Mausoleum & Famen Temple
If you are not interested in Mt. Huashan, we can arrange a visit to Qianling Mausoleum and Famen Temple instead.

After 1.5 hours' drive from the city, you will arrive at Qianling Mausoleum, where buried Emperor Wu Zetian (624 - 705 AD) of Tang Dynasty, the first and only female Emperor that ever existed in the history of China, along with her husband Emperor Gaozong (628 - 683 AD), the third emperor of the dynasty. This royal joint tomb holds some of the biggest mysteries of China’s history yet to be unraveled, like the headless Stone Statues of 61 Foreign Officials and Emperor Wu’s blank Wordless Grave Stele, which definitely are something to behold.

Then, we will take a one-hour ride to Famen Temple. This royal Buddhist temple dating back some 1,700 years ago is world-famous for enshrining the bodily relic of Sakyamuni's Finger Bone, presented by India’s greatest King Asoka. Your pilgrimage to the magnificent place will be a unique add-on experience for you.

After visit, we will transfer you back to Xi'an.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

In the morning, we will visit the City Wall, a masterpiece from Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 AD) and the largest and the most complete of all Chinese ancient walls that live to tell their history. Walk, cycle or take an electric car on its walkway, stop here and there to appreciate the ancients scattering against the modern background beneath, and touch its black bricks to feel China’s past. One way or another, this is a trip that would merit your time. Please note that renting bike or electric car is at your own expense, and your guide is glad to help.

Then continue our visit to the Great Mosque, distinctive for its Islamic core but with a traditional Chinese architectural design. You’ll walk on successive courtyards and past pavilions with traditional Chinese roofs featuring graceful curved eaves. You’ll be like strolling in a real classical Chinese garden, but being constantly reminded by various signs that you are actually in a mosque, such as the presence of Arabic and the overall orientation towards Mecca.

To the east of the mosque is the famous Muslim Quarter, a snack street popular among both tourists and locals. Here, you get to experience an energetic food market of local community. For lunch, we will arrange a featured local restaurant here for you to try Liang Pi (cold skin noodles), Rou Jia Mo (Chinese burger), or Biang Biang Mian (hand-pulled belt-wide noodles), all of which are hallmarks of Shaanxi cooking. Your guide may also tell you some intriguing facts about these foods, like the name of Biang Biang Mian, whose complicated Chinese characters “Biang” might take you aback.

After that, your 4 days Xi'an tour draws to an end and we will transfer you to Xi'an Airport for your homeward flight. We wish you a pleasant trip home!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, local flavor lunch