There are so many historical attractions in Xi’an you will be spoilt for choice, as well as deciding where to explore in Beijing. Today, the city bursts with such a great cultures and historical sites; intertwining past and present. I put together my Xi’an – Beijing itinerary to give some glimpse and inspiration when you are planning what to explore there.
Xi’an
- Day 1 – Terracotta Warriors Museum
- Day 2 – Mt. Huashan
- Day 3 – Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi’an City Wall, Bell Tower & Drum Tower, Muslim Quarters
Beijing
- Day 4 – Beijing Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, Nuijie Mosque
- Day 5 – The Huanghuacheng Lakeside Great Wall
- Day 6 – Beijing National Stadium, CCTV Headquarters, Galaxy SOHO
Xi’an Full Itinerary
Day 1 – Terracotta Warriors Museum
We landed in Xi’an Xianyang International Airport at midnight and planning to spend 3 nights stay at Ancient City Youth Hostel (45 RMB X 3 Nights = 135 RMB) which is at Xi’an city itself. The next morning we take a tourist bus running between Xi’an Railway Station to the Terracotta Warriors Museum which is 45 minutes away from Xi’an city.
Read more : The Army of Terracotta Warriors
Day 2 – Mt. Huashan
The Huashan trail is considered by some to be one of the most dangerous hiking trails in the world. The infamous Plank Walk In The Sky is the exact hike on the mountain that we are talking about here. This may not be something everyone is interested in doing, but if you are up for a little adventure, this will not let you down.
We took a local bus from Xi’an Railway Station to Huayin City and drop off at the foot of Mt. Huashan. We did not take the 6 hours of hiking route up the mountain, but rather opted for the West Peak Cable Car. Be sure to bring along your student card and make use of it. Discounts are only applicable when student identification cards are presented.
Swipe-over to view the experience hiking Mt. Huashan.
Walking across a narrow plank walkway nearly 5,000 ft in the air is absolutely surreal. The deadly Plank Walk In The Sky path itself is two-way of traffic, where we literally sharing the extremely treacherous path and limited space often with other hikers, sometimes only having room for one foot to stabilise.
Read more : Go Huashan, Or Go Home
Day 3 – Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi’an City Wall, Bell Tower & Drum Tower, Muslim Quarters
Most of the landmarks are covered with good public transportation. Xi’an Metro may be the best option for commuting around. It is cheap, convenient and fast transportation in the city which may be a good way to avoid your feet swelling after walking all around the urban city blocks.
The Small Wild Goose Pagoda is well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists. The masterpiece of Buddhist construction is a brick structure, square-pavilion pagoda which was built with layers of bricks without any cement.
We took a quick stroll to Xi’an City Wall and Bell Tower & Drum Tower, since it’s along the way to The Muslim Quarters. Just as its name implies, the Muslim Quarter is the hub of the Muslim community in Xian City. Delicious-looking street foods and souvenir market is another feature of the area.
A walk through the vibrant Muslim Quarters. Swipe-over to view more clips.
Later that day, we departed from Xi’an Railway Station sharp at 1900 and arrived at West Beijing in 0630 morning. I was sleeping like a baby for the entire journey with sleeper, making night-time travel more restful.
Beijing Full Itinerary
Day 4 – Beijing Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, Nuijie Mosque
As soon we checked in at our hostel, Happy Dragon Hostel for 2 nights (53.50 RMB X 2 Nights = 160.5 RMB), we went straight ahead to the largest ancient palace in the world, The Forbidden City. The palace is a very big place with lots to see; a typical visit covering the main palace buildings and the main museum displays will usually take a full day. If you are pressed for time, consider focusing on only the main halls and just a couple of the museum sections.
The first glance of The Forbidden City.
All around the ancient palace. Swipe-over to view more clips.
Summer Palace is the largest and most well-preserved royal park in China. This ‘Museum of Royal Gardens’ consists a superbly landscaped collection of gardens, temples and pavilions, where the imperial family retreated to escape the heat of the Beijing summer. Royal vibes.
One of the highlights in Tiananmen Square, the largest public square of such kind in the world, include the flag raising and lowering ceremonies at sunrise and sunset, as well as the changing of the guard at specific times throughout. The setting sun hangs over in the south of Tiananmen Square.
The whole city of Beijing is under the setting sun glare red and yellow.
Later that late evening, we made a trip to Nuijie Mosque for our prayers. It is the largest and oldest mosque in Beijing. I couldn’t walk around in the side areas and alleys, as it was already dark. The mosque is structurally based by traditional Chinese wooden palaces, infused with Arabic-style decorations for interiors.
Day 5 – Huanghuacheng — the Lakeside Great Wall
No visit to Beijing is complete without an excursion to the Great Wall. The stretch at Huanghuacheng, a couple of hours out of the city with uncrowded section (compared to other sections of the Great Wall), has fine, restored watchtowers and steep ramparts, from which you can gaze at the classic vista of the Wall snaking away over the nearby hills. Plus, Huanghuacheng is the only lakeside Great Wall in Beijing.
Read More : Huanghuacheng Great Wall
Day 6 – Beijing National Stadium, CCTV Headquarters, Galaxy SOHO
Beijing is a city strongly featured by its types of architecture, generally is comprised of ancient building and modern building. At the same time the movement slowly changing the cityscape each passing day.
The Beijing National Stadium – more often referred to as the Bird’s Nest Stadium, constructed for the 2008 Summer Olympics Stadium. Now the stadium caters for sporting events, concerts and many other large venue events until it once again host the Winter Olympics in 2022.
The China Central Television (CCTV) Headquarters is an unusual take on the skyscraper typology. CCTV Headquarters accommodating TV studios, offices, broadcasting and production facilities. The building is visible from most of Beijing; it sometimes comes across as big and sometimes small, from some angles strong and from others soft.
The iconic Galaxy SOHO is a 18-storey mixed-use entertainment, office and retail complex; infused with parametric design merging volumes between each building. The distinguish and fluid design made Galaxy SOHO establish as a major urban landmark for Beijing.
