In March 1974 farmers digging a well in a field outside Xian hit fired clay. What they had found was the outer edge of a buried army: something over eight thousand life sized soldiers, along with horses, chariots and officials, arranged in battle formation to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor to unify China, who died in 210 BC. Every face is different. The pits are still being excavated fifty years later, and the tomb mound itself, a kilometre away, has never been opened.
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Xian was Chang'an for most of its history, capital under thirteen dynasties, and the eastern terminus of the Silk Road. At its Tang height around the eighth century it was probably the largest city in the world, and the caravan trade left a Muslim community, the Hui, who have been here for over a thousand years and whose quarter is the best street food in China. The Ming city wall still runs fourteen kilometres around the centre, complete, and you can cycle the whole circuit on top of it.
What Makes Xian Different to Pack For
A continental climate with four real seasons
Summers are hot and humid at 30°C to 38°C, winters are cold and dry at minus 5°C to 5°C, and spring and autumn are short and pleasant. Xian sits in the Guanzhong basin, which traps whatever is in the air.
A merino wool base layer for women is the foundation of a winter visit, where you will be standing still in unheated excavation halls at 2°C, and it is the layer that handles a humid summer week without needing washing.
Winter air quality is a genuine consideration
From November to February the basin traps coal smoke and dust and the AQI regularly goes above 150 and sometimes far higher. If you have asthma this is a real factor, and N95 masks are worth packing rather than buying.
The Terracotta Army halls are unheated
Pit 1 is an aircraft hangar over an excavation. In winter it is the same temperature as outside, and you will be in it for two hours.
Payment and internet run on the mainland rules
Unlike Macau or Hong Kong, Xian is mainland China: Alipay or WeChat Pay for everything, and a VPN installed before arrival.
Recommended Tours and Experiences
The Xian Packing List
Footwear
Comfortable walking shoes with support, because the Terracotta Army site is large and you will cover several kilometres on concrete between the three pits and the museum.
For Huashan, the sacred mountain two hours east with its plank walk bolted to a cliff, waterproof hiking shoes with serious grip are necessary rather than optional: the stone stairways are steep, worn and wet, and there are thousands of them. Do not attempt Huashan in trainers.
Clothing
Layers for the season, weighted toward warmth in winter: base layer, mid layer, proper coat, hat and gloves, because the excavation halls and the wall are unheated and exposed. Summer needs light breathable clothing and a way to cope with humidity.
A packable rain jacket for the July and August rains and for the mountain.
Modest dress in the Muslim Quarter and at the Great Mosque, where shoulders and knees covered is expected and a scarf is useful for women entering the prayer hall areas. Xian is a large modern city and casual clothing is fine everywhere else.
For sun
A wide brim sun hat, sunscreen and sunglasses. The city wall has no shade for fourteen kilometres and the Terracotta site's outdoor stretches are exposed. Haze hides the strength of the sun rather than reducing it.
Practical
Alipay or WeChat Pay set up with an international card before you arrive. A VPN installed before arrival. Your passport, required to buy train tickets and to enter every major site. N95 masks for winter. A refillable bottle, since hot water dispensers are everywhere. An offline translation app, because English is limited outside the main hotels. And a power bank.
What to Wear at Key Sites
The Terracotta Army
Three excavation pits and a museum about an hour east of the city. Pit 1 holds the main formation under a vast roof; Pit 3 is the command post; the bronze chariots in the museum are the finest objects on site.
Practically: go in the order 2, 3, museum, then 1, so that you finish on the best rather than starting there. Warm layers in winter, because the halls are unheated. It is crowded from mid morning, so arrive at opening or after three. Photography without flash is allowed. Allow four hours including travel. A guide is worth it because the site explains itself poorly.
The city wall
Fourteen kilometres of Ming fortification, twelve metres high and wide enough on top to drive on, completely encircling the old centre.
Practically: rent a bicycle at the South Gate and ride the full circuit, which takes about two hours at a gentle pace. The surface is uneven brick, so it is a bumpy ride. Fully exposed to sun and wind. Tandems are available. Sunset is the best light and the busiest time.
The Muslim Quarter and the Great Mosque
Streets of Hui food stalls behind the Drum Tower, and a mosque founded in 742 built entirely in Chinese architectural style with courtyards and a pagoda style minaret.
Practically: the Great Mosque is set back down a lane and most visitors walking the food street never find it, which is a shame because it is the most interesting building in Xian. Shoulders and knees, and non-Muslims cannot enter the prayer hall. The food street is crowded, greasy and excellent: roujiamo, biangbiang noodles, yangrou paomo, persimmon cakes. Go hungry and carry cash or a payment app.
The Bell and Drum Towers
Two Ming towers at the centre of the walled city, the Bell Tower on a roundabout and the Drum Tower at the entrance to the Muslim Quarter.
Practically: both are climbed by steep wooden stairs and both stage short musical performances. The Bell Tower is reached by an underpass, not across the traffic. They are best seen lit at night.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda
A seventh century brick pagoda built to house the sutras that the monk Xuanzang brought back from India, in a Buddhist temple complex with a large musical fountain square in front.
Practically: the pagoda can be climbed by narrow stairs for a view over the southern city. The fountain shows run at set times and draw enormous crowds. The temple is active, so keep voices down.
Huashan
One of the five sacred mountains of China, two hours east by high speed train, with five peaks, cable cars and the notorious plank walk, a line of wooden boards bolted to a vertical cliff face.
Practically: the plank walk requires a harness which is provided and clipped on, and it is genuinely exposed with a vertical drop. It is safe if you use the harness correctly and terrifying regardless. The mountain is thousands of stone steps, steep and slick, with weather that changes fast; take layers, water, grip and a head torch if you are doing a sunrise. Cable cars cut out the worst of the climb.
What Not to Bring
Leave the assumption your bank card will work, because on the mainland it mostly will not. Leave the plan to install a VPN after you land.
Leave trainers for Huashan. Leave a light jacket for a winter visit to the pits. Leave a drone, which is restricted near the archaeological sites. And leave the idea of seeing the Terracotta Army in an hour.
Essential Resources for Women in Xian
Emergency numbers in China: 110 for police, 120 for ambulance, 119 for fire. English is not reliably available on these lines, so use a translation app or ask your hotel to call. 12301 is the national tourism service hotline and has some English capacity.
Tourist support: China has no tourist police force as such, though tourist service centres operate at the Terracotta Army site, the city wall gates and the main squares, and the Xian Culture and Tourism Bureau handles complaints about operators and overcharging. A theft needs a Public Security Bureau report for insurance, and your hotel will usually help arrange it.
US Embassy: the US Embassy in Beijing at china.usembassy-china.org.cn covers China, with consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang and Wuhan. There is no US consulate in Xian and the Chengdu consulate closed in 2020, so the nearest posts are a flight away and a lost passport is a significant disruption. Enrol in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program at step.state.gov before you travel.
Main hospital or clinic: Xian Jiaotong University First Affiliated Hospital and the Second Affiliated Hospital are the largest, with international or VIP wards that handle foreign patients, and Xian International Medical Center is the newer private option. English is limited outside those wards. Payment is expected up front and insurance is rarely billed directly, so keep funds accessible.
Official health authority: the National Health Commission at en.nhc.gov.cn. The local issue is air quality: winter AQI in the Guanzhong basin regularly exceeds 150 and occasionally goes far higher, and it is a genuine health consideration rather than an inconvenience if you have asthma or a respiratory condition. Check the daily reading and carry N95 masks. Tap water is not drinkable.
US State Department travel advisory for China: current advisory level and detail, including the guidance on exit bans and arbitrary enforcement of local laws, which is the substantive part of the China advice and is worth reading properly. Read it directly rather than relying on this page.
UK FCDO travel advice for China: entry requirements, safety and health guidance, including visa rules, the advice on political sensitivities and photography near government or military sites, and the air quality information.
Official tourism authority: China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism at mct.gov.cn, with the Xian tourism bureau and the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum's own booking site for timed Terracotta Army entry, which is required in peak season and sells out.
Solo women safety assessment: Xian is a very safe city for a woman travelling alone in terms of crime, and the difficulties are logistical rather than physical, which is the same shape as Chengdu and the mainland generally. Violent crime against foreigners is rare, the metro is modern, security screened and comfortable late, the walled centre is busy until well past midnight, and a woman eating alone in the Muslim Quarter or cycling the wall alone attracts curiosity at most. Street harassment is uncommon; being photographed by other tourists is more likely than being bothered. Petty theft happens in crowds: the Muslim Quarter food street at night, the Terracotta Army entrance, the Bell Tower underpass and the railway station, which is one of the busiest in China. A zipped bag in front of you covers it. Scams are the more likely annoyance, mainly unofficial tour operators at the railway station selling Terracotta Army trips that take you to a jade factory and a fake tomb first, and teahouse and art student overcharging. Book the site through your hotel or go independently on the 5 or 306 public bus from the station, which is cheap and straightforward. Use Didi, which has an English interface, rather than hailing. The real friction is the same three things as everywhere on the mainland: set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with an international card before you fly, because without it you cannot easily buy a metro ticket or a bowl of noodles; install a VPN before arrival, because Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked and you cannot download one easily once there; and carry your hotel's name in Chinese characters with an offline translator, because English is thin. Winter air quality is a genuine health matter here. The physical hazards worth naming are Huashan, where the exposed plank walk and thousands of wet stone steps are a real mountain risk and the harness is not optional, and the unheated excavation halls in winter, which leave people colder than they planned for. Be aware that photographing police or military installations is taken seriously.
Reading On
Xian is four and a half hours from Beijing by high speed train and has a large international airport, and it is the one Chinese city where the ancient layer is still the main event. The China travel guide for women is the parent for the country and the China packing list for women covers a trip across it. East, the Beijing packing list for women covers the Wall and the Forbidden City and the Shanghai packing list for women the coast. South west, the Chengdu packing list for women covers Sichuan and the pandas. South, the Zhangjiajie packing list for women covers the sandstone pillars of Hunan and the Guilin packing list for women the Li River karst. On the coast, the Hong Kong packing list for women and the Macau packing list for women are the two Special Administrative Regions, with their own entry rules. The travel packing guide for women is the parent for all destinations. For why a thin wool layer works in an unheated hangar at 2°C and a humid August, the best merino wool base layers for women explains the fibre, and the Roman Trail collection is where the tops themselves live.
If the outer journey is calling you, the inner one usually is too. Explore SoulMap at romantrail.com/blogs/soulmap.
