Eligible ordinary passports allow stays of up to 30 days. Entry deadlines vary by nationality: check the official country list and your embassy’s current notice.
City guide
Xi’an: what to arrange, and when
This is not a sightseeing guide. It lists the things in Xi’an that need arranging ahead as a foreign visitor. We have only just started on this city, so every local task is still unchecked.
Film
Xi’an in 51 seconds
What not to miss, set to original music. No narration. Captions are in English.
Every number in this film4 checked
- Farmers digging a well found the Terracotta Army in 1974. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.China Daily · CNN Travel
- More than 8,000 life-size soldiers, about 2,200 years old, some 40 km east of the city.China Daily · CNN Travel · StudyCLI
- The City Wall runs 13.7 km around and is wide enough to cycle.Horizon Guides · StudyCLI
- The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda was built in 652.The Collector
Book before you go
Terracotta Army tickets with a foreign passportBeing checked
Shaanxi History Museum reservationBeing checked
City Wall: tickets, gates and bike hireBeing checked
Getting around
Get from Xi’an Xianyang Airport into the cityBeing checked
Reach the Terracotta Army from the city centreBeing checked
Arrive by high-speed train at Xi’an NorthBeing checked
Before you fly
Link a supported foreign card to Alipay or WeChat Pay. Government guidance describes no standard platform fee up to CNY 200 and 3% above it; promotions and issuer charges can differ.
Bring your passport to an operator-run shop for a local SIM. Choose a plan with a phone number and SMS; a data-only eSIM does not supply them. Exact payment acceptance and delivery of every verification code are not established.
Register on the official 12306 English site or app with your passport, pass identity verification, then buy. Do the verification days ahead.
Turn this into a day-by-day plan
The planner puts these stops in a sensible order, keeps visits off closed days, and works out each booking deadline in your time zone.