What to see in Xi'an
The Terracotta Army, a city wall & 10 sights that deliver

Picture standing on the walkway above Pit 1, looking down at rank after rank of life-size clay soldiers stretching back into the distance — and no two faces are alike. They were sculpted more than 2,200 years ago to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor to unify China, and were discovered by farmers digging a well in 1974. Three pits are open today, with an estimated 8,000 figures in total. This is the sight that puts Xi'an on every world bucket list — you have seen the photos all your life, but standing in front of them is something else entirely.

No other major Chinese city still has its full city wall the way Xi'an does. Built in the 1370s under the Ming, it stands about 12 metres tall and is wide enough on top for vehicles to pass each other. The fun part: you can cycle the complete loop along the top of the wall — 14 kilometres, around two hours, past gate towers, corner forts and rows of red lanterns. On one side you look down at the old town, on the other at modern Xi'an. South Gate (Yongning Gate, 永宁门) is the main entrance and the best photo spot, and the whole rampart is lit at night.

The Bell Tower stands exactly where the city's four main streets meet — it has marked the centre of Xi'an since 1384. A three-tier wooden tower with green roofs on a brick-and-stone base, it glows gold above the roundabout at night. A short walk away is the Drum Tower, which once kept time alongside it (the bell rang at dawn, the drum at dusk); today both put on drum-and-chime performances at set times. Crucially, the gateway beneath the Drum Tower opens straight into the Muslim Quarter — you can walk right through.

You know that feeling when the smell of spices, the sound of meat being pounded and the smoke off the grills hit you all at once and you are hungry before you have ordered anything? That is the Muslim Quarter. It is home to the Hui — Chinese Muslims who have lived here since Silk Road days — and its lanes are packed with stalls selling roujiamo (the "Chinese burger"), lamb skewers, biang biang noodles, candied persimmons, glazed nuts and sweets of every kind. This is where locals bring out-of-town friends to eat, not just tourists. It is busiest, and best, after dark.

Ever wondered why the monk Xuanzang travelled all the way to India? The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is the tangible answer. Built in 652 AD inside Da Ci'en Temple, it was made to house the sutras and relics Xuanzang brought back from India. The square brick pagoda, seven storeys tall, has stood for more than 1,300 years; you can climb it for a view across the city in every direction. In front of it, the North Square holds one of the largest music fountains in Asia, with free shows several times a day — most beautiful after dark.

If you want to understand why Xi'an matters this much to Chinese history, this is where to start — over 370,000 artefacts spanning the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang dynasties, including ancient bronzes, Tang-tomb murals, the famous tri-coloured Tang ceramics (tang sancai) and exquisite gold and silver work. The building itself is a dark-tiled Tang-style design. The one thing to know: the main exhibition is free, but you must reserve in advance, and the daily quota fills fast. Plan several days ahead.

Honestly, without the sign you might walk past thinking it was a Chinese temple or an old garden — because the Great Mosque of Xi'an has none of the domes or minarets we usually associate with a mosque. Instead it is a series of Chinese courtyards flowing one into the next, with pavilions, gardens and carved stone gateways, blending Chinese architecture with Islam in a quiet, understated way. Founded in 742 AD under the Tang, it is still an active place of worship for the Hui community today. Tucked down Huajue Lane in the heart of the Muslim Quarter, it is so peaceful inside you forget the bustle just outside.

Datang Everbright City is the reason young travellers all over China want to fly to Xi'an — a 2.1-km pedestrian street lined with recreated Tang-dynasty buildings. From early evening every light comes on, with live performances, costumed artists posing as "living statues", dancers and music fountains. You simply stroll, eat and photograph; every corner is a shot. It sits right next to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and nearby is Tang Paradise (a paid park with an evening light-and-water show). This is the Xi'an night you should not miss.

If you have an extra day, Mount Hua more than earns it — one of China's Five Great Mountains, with sheer granite peaks that look as though they were cleaved with an axe, including the famous plank walk along a cliff face (长空栈道), said to be the most vertigo-inducing path in the world. The best part is how easy it is to reach: take the high-speed train from Xi'an North to Huashan North in just ~30 minutes, then a shuttle bus and cable car to the peaks — no need to climb all day if you would rather not. Allow a full day, or stay overnight to catch the sunrise.

Huaqing Palace tells one of China's most famous love stories — the imperial hot-spring retreat that Tang Emperor Xuanzong built for his consort Yang Guifei, set at the foot of Mount Li. In the evening, the open-air show "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" (长恨歌) uses the whole mountain as its backdrop, retelling their romance with spectacular light and effects (April–October). This is also the site of the 1936 Xi'an Incident, where Chiang Kai-shek was seized — his quarters still bear bullet marks on the glass. Since it sits in Lintong alongside the Terracotta Army, you can do both in a single day.