Joanna James
Often credited as the cradle of Chinese civilisation; Xi'an has been the capital city throughout many dynasties and is even today the second most visited city in the country.
Xi'an is a city that has been deeply influential in shaping China to become what it is today and the historical value of this city attracts a large number of tourists; mainly to see the world-famous Terracotta Army. Being China's second most popular tourist destination the number and quality of hotels in Xi'an have skyrocketed in recent years. If you ever visit this amazing city checkout the Grand Park Xi'an its one of the best-recommended hotels in Xi'an. Some attractions and sites you should visit include; The Ancient City Wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, The Bell Tower, Hukou Waterfall and Mount Hua.
The cuisine of this city has largely been shaped by its geographical location in the middle of China at a crossroads where many culinary styles meet like Cantonese and Sichuan meet. Famous dishes of the region include; Roujiamo, Xi'an Kabobs, guantang baozi, biang biang noodles and yangrou pao mo.
The streets of Xi'an hold countless shopping possibilities and can very fairly be called a shopaholics paradise. The city has large shopping malls with top-tier brands while many tiny markets, stalls and boutique shops sell beautiful craft items and antiques for very reasonable prices. Replicas of the Terracotta Army are however the biggest seller here.
'Western Peace' is what Xi'an means; this was a name given to the city when it was revitalised in the 14th century by the Ming Dynasty. However, Xi'an had been a prominent city in China even as far back as 3000 years ago over the course of years served as the capital for 13 dynasties – gaining its reputation as the birthplace of Chinese civilisation. The city is located where the legendary Silk Road ends and because of that were integral to the economy of China in historic times.
The best time to visit Xi'an is during either spring or autumn when the weather is cool but not too cold. During summer the climate can get quite arid while dust storms also usually occur. The rainy season falls roughly around July – September though there isn't much rain, however.
The Xi'an Xianyang airport is the largest in Northwest China and serves as a hub for many flights to other parts of Asia and China. The city has two concentric ring—roads that surround it making travelling from place to place in the city quite easy. Xi'an has two metro systems which connect most of the city's biggest attractions and some of the best train stations in China.
If you like a little adventure visit the city's iconic wall and cycle along its massive ramparts in a very unique experience available only in Xi'an.
From the 1st of December 2019, Xi'an will become another one of China's tourist cities to adopt a 6-day visa-free policy.
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