2 Days Xi’an Tour from Beijing by Night Sleeper Train

From Beijing to Xi’an, both trains and flights are very convenient. High speed trains usually take 4.5 to 6 hours and mainly operate in the day time. There are also night sleeper trains available. For saving you time and cost, we would arrange you to take an overnight train with soft sleeper berth from Beijing to Xi’an today. To ensure you more sightseeing time in Xi’an, we usually choose the train schedule of Z179 18:26/06:43+1, so you need to get to the Beijing West Railway Station before 17:00 to catch the train. The transfer to the station is not included and you may take taxi or metro to get there. The train journey tonight takes around 12 hours and 17 minutes.

Tips:

Accommodation: Overnight soft sleeper train

You will arrive at Xi’an station at 06:43 this morning. Your English-speaking guide will pick you up from the exit, holding a welcome board with your name written on it. Then get on a comfortable car and start your private Xi’an tour today. If you want to have breakfast first, your guide will recommend you the proper dining place. You may order and pay for yourself.

After that, we will drive directly though highway for around one hour to the Terracotta Army Museum, which is located 45 kilometers (28 miles) away from downtown Xi’an. Along the way, you guide will give you a brief introduction to the Xi’an city and also some background information on the Terracotta Army.

The Terracotta Army, also known as the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, is the burial pit of Qin Shi Huang (259 BC-210 BC) - the first emperor of China. The purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife. The construction work started when he was 13 and lasted for 39 years. More than 8,000 terracotta warriors and horses with different gestures and vivid expressions have been discovered here. Upon arrival, your expert guide will be excited to show you around this world-famous museum. It mainly contains three pits and an exhibition hall. The first pit, including 6,000 clay infantries, is the main force of this powerful army. The second pit, with many arms such as cavalries, crossbowmen and chariots, is a multi-arms special troop with complicated arrangements. While the third pit, the only one that had not been burned, is the headquarters of this ancient army, with many colorful painted terracotta warriors. Also there display many valuable items discovered from the Qinshihuang’s mausoleum site, in the exhibition hall. All of these will definitely astound you. Lunch today is by your own arrangement. You may have lunch outside the museum site with the guide’s assistance. While, if you are not feeling hungry at the moment, we would suggest you go back to downtown Xi’an to have a late but better lunch of the local food. Get back to downtown Xi’an, and we will head to visit the City Wall of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), which is the best-preserved and largest ancient city wall in China. It is an enclosed rectangle architecture with a total length of 13.7 kilometers (8.5 miles), and contains a series of defense facilities like moat, ramparts, barbican, archery towers, suspension bridge, etc. Walking on the wall, you will overlook the city, and have a general understanding on how the ancients protect the capital through it. Bicycle riding is allowed on the wall. If feel interested, you may rent a bike to ride half or one circle on the wall at your own expense. It should be an exciting and rewarding experience.

Finally, we will get to the famous local snack street - Muslim Bazaar where gathers various shops and food stores. The 500-metrer (546-yard) long street is paved with the blue stones. On both sides of the street are the imitated architecture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1911). They are owned by the Muslim people who have been living here for hundreds of years. Here, you will not only be able to taste authentic local foods for dinner tonight, but also pick some small gifts for your families or friends. To enter or leave the Muslim Bazaar, you will walk through the Drum Tower, and also you can view the majestic Bell Tower from a distance. Take photos of these two ancient tower buildings. They are especially beautiful at night.

As your Xi’an tour from Beijing comes to the end, we will transfer you back to Xi’an railway station to catch an overnight train bounding for Beijing. The train schedule we might use is D44 20:35/08:22+1 (11h47m), or T42 20:20/09:22+1 (13h2m). After arrival at Beijing the next morning, please get to your own booked hotel by yourself. We hope you a nice trip onward!