2-Day Private Tour in Xi'an: Explore Terracotta Army, Local Artisans, Food Culture
5.0
17 Ratings
Embark on a 2-day private tour in Xi'an and delve into the fascinating world of the Terracotta Army, local artisans, and food culture. Uncover the secrets of ancient craftsmanship, create your own clay warriors, and indulge in a culinary adventure in the Muslim Quarter.
Duration: 2 days
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights

The Dignified Terracotta Army, The Great Mosque and Bustling Muslim Quarter.

The Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses - After driving for 1½ hours from Xi’an, you’ll meet the terracotta warriors that you have seen in photos, books, and on television hundreds of times. Discover the army’s secrets with the help of your guide. How were the warriors made? How are they preserved? What were their original colors?

Then your guide will bring you even closer to the warriors as you learn how to make miniature versions from a local shokunin family at their cave dwelling.

Learn traditional techniques used 2,000 years ago and try your hand at molding and carving. Have a nice interaction with the family and listen to their stories for a taste of the locals’ real lifestyles.

There are only a few craftsmen left who continue to work in a traditional way. Visiting their workshops is a good way to support the local community, which should be sustainably developed.

Muslim Quarter - In the afternoon, you will be driven back to the downtown area where you will visit the Great Mosque and have fun in the Muslim Quarter. Challenge yourself to take a food adventure, finding both traditional dishes and special snacks that have gone viral.

What's Included
  • Lunch
  • Making clay warriors.
  • Bike or Eco-car fee on the City Wall.
  • English speaking professional guide
  • Transport between attractions, including pickup and return to your hotel.
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Accommodation, travel insurance and any other personal expenses during tour.
Additional Information

While marveling at the Terracotta Army, learn about the historic process of its creation at an artisan’s workshop located in a traditional cave dwelling. Explore the culinary delights of the Muslim Quarter to develop a better understanding of its food history. By observing the ancient artifacts present in various museums, you may begin to comprehend the rapid development of China. Experience the enchanting beauty of the ancient capital.

• Visit the terracotta soldiers dating back to 2,200 years ago and enjoy a fun and innovative learning experience.
• Discover the art of clay warrior creation with a local craftsman in his/her traditional cave house that is slowly fading away.
• Set out on a gastronomical journey and uncover traditional and trending food items that are gaining popularity.

  • Passport information is required for entrance ticket, please forward each individual traveler’s full name and passport number at the time of booking.
  • You will receive details about the tour guide and pickup in your voucher the day before. And the tour guide will also call you through hotel or leave a message for you about the exact pickup time the night before tour.
  • Hotel pickup and drop off services are available within the 3rd Ring Zone of Xi’an City.
  • If you need to catch your onward flight or train after tour, we can transfer you to Xi’an airport or high-speed train station directly.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(17 Ratings)
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Helen
May 30, 2018
Wonderful trip - We had a wonderful two day trip to Xian accompanied by Roger, our guide. He was extremely informative and helpful at all times. We saw all the sights and had time to wander around in the evenings. We particularly enjoyed cycling all around the city walls - a beautiful experience.
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Sqs442
May 25, 2018
Rocky Rocks! KO the Whole Thing - We had 2 days to see Xi'an and Rocky was the perfect guide to make sure we saw all we could see in that period of time. He was amazingly knowledgable. He loves this city and is proud to share its many amazing features. Terracota Warriors, Temple, Muslim Quarter, great food...he made it all happen. He went out of his way to get me a Starbucks which was a bit of a scavenger hunt to locate. Rocky is a friend to his clients and a loving host for his beloved city. You just cannot do better than Rocky and China Highlights for your touring of Xi'an. Rocky, you ROCK!
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Irishsusan
May 15, 2018
Fun trip - We spent two days with Robbie our guide and his driver. No problems with any part of the tour. The visit to the Terracotta Warriors was definitely a highlight, even thought this was my second visit. We also enjoyed spending time with a local family, learning how to make dumplings. Being picked up at the airport and dropped off at the train station was so helpful, no worries about transportation.
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Juliohcepeda
May 3, 2018
Wonderful tour of Xi'an through China Highlights. Our tour guide Susan Yang was outstanding!! - My girlfriend and I arrived in Xi'an from Shanghai by air and we were picked up at the airport by Susan and a driver. We were driven to our hotel and in the morning of April 12th, we were picked up to visit the Terracotta Warriors, Pits 1,2 and 3. This was a fascinating tour mainly because I had seen an exhibition of these warriors in my home town of Memphis, Tennessee 23 years ago and they had impressed me tremendously. After touring the 3 pits we went to a museum on site and saw many more artifacts of the Qin dynasty. Then we visited a cave where we were able to make our own warriors using clay and mud from the area under the supervision of an expert. This was also a wonderful experience. In the afternoon Susan accompanied me to tour the City Wall even though there was a persistent drizzle. We entered through the North gate and came out through the East gate. We walked about 4.5 miles on the very wide wall. I loved this experience. Then we visited the Muslim quarter where I saw all kinds of exotic food in street stands and I even bought a suitcase that I needed for my souvenirs and a silk pajama. In the evening I toured the Bell Tower which is located in the center of the city and I took many pictures of the city lights from the top of the tower. This was magnificent. I couldn't go to the Drum Tower because they close it at 8 pm. The next morning we visited the Shaanxi Province History museum which I loved because it has artifacts from the bronze age and covers all the dynasties from the Zhou, Han, Qin,Tang emphasizing the period when Xi'an was the capital of China after being unified by emperor Qin Shihuang in 220 BC. The only issue was the excessive number of people. We had to push in order to be able to see the artifacts. Finally we visited the Wild Goose Pagoda and I went to the top of it (7 floors by stairs). I enjoyed the view of the city from the top, took many pictures and enjoyed every minute of this experience. Susan was an outstanding tour guide explaining us everything that was in Mandarin and interpreting for us when we wanted to communicate with Chinese people. Susan made our tour so pleasant even though the weather was rainy all the time.
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Amy
Apr 30, 2018
Great trip with Yuan in Xi'an - We had an amazing few days in Xi'an visiting the Terracotta warriors, booking signing and photo with the farmer who found the terracota army in his field, giant goose pagado, traditional dance show and home made dumplings making. Our trip to Xi'an was made even more memorable with our fantastic knowledgeable, caring and sincere tour guide Yuan. He was amazing in asking us what our preferences were, understood we liked to take our time taking photos and showed plus explained to us traditional dumpling making. His English was very fluent, he is well travelled and a caring guide. I would highly recommend his outstanding service and when planning on visiting Xi'an again I would definitely go back and ask him to be our personal tour guide again. Thanks so much for a great time in Xi'an and making it memorable Yuan.
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Christian
Apr 8, 2018
The Terracotta Warriors were amazing! - An excellente agency which organized our short trip to Xian very well. In the 2 days we saw apart from the Terracotta Warriors, also the city wall of Xian, where we went for a bicycle tour and visited the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Due to an own chaffeur and well timed schedule, we didn‘t have to hurry, there was enough time for a relaxed lunch and to do some shopping. During the whole trip, we had a german speaking tour guide, who spoke the language very well and answered all our questions. Before we booked this trip we had some doubts about the language skills of the tour guide but she exceeded our expectations. In conclusion, we can only recommend China Highlights. It offers an individual tour, without any hurry and high-skilled and very helpful tour guides.
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Schlegelv11
Mar 25, 2018
Amazing trip to Xi'an! Nothing but good - My boyfriend and I recently did the 2 day tour of Xi'an and it was FANTASTIC. I admit I was nervous booking through a company I didn't know about, but I have to say, China Highlights sure does know how to put together a great tour. Special shoutout to our tour guide, Sophia, who was such a wonderful tour guide. She made sure that we knew where we were going the whole time, was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and helped us find the good deals and local spots. The hotel picked was fantastic and it was very cheap to also have a driver who took great care to pick us up and make sure we got to our flight on time. I cannot emphasize how much I would recommend this tour, and especially Sophia, to other people!
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Davidagould
Mar 8, 2018
Great few days in Xi'an - My wife and I loved our time in Xi'an, with our guide Robbie. The Terra-cotta warriors were obviously a highlight, but we also enjoyed the other sights and experiences that Xi'an has to offer, and as a local, Robbie was an excellent guide to show us around!
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Ann-maree
Feb 25, 2018
2 day trip highlights of China - must do - Whitney from China Highlights was amazing in creating the itinerary that suited our needs. We kept changing our ideas and she kept changing the itinerary to whatever we wanted. No problems at all. Everything from the pick up at our hotel to the tours to being dropped back at our hotel the following day was perfect. We were very lucky to have Ken assigned to be our guide in Xi'an. He picked us up from the bullet train station and showed us the City Wall, the Muslim Qtr and then ensured we were checked in to our hotel. Next morning he picked us up and took us to the Terracotta Warriors and then to a wonderful lunch which he selected from the menu. He then dropped us off at the bullet train station and ensured we were fine before he left. If you want 2 days which include highlights of China definitely request Ken for your guide and Whitney to help you create your holiday. We even booked another tour whilst we were on this one with China Highlights.
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Manoabob
Dec 3, 2017
Nothing but OUTSTANDING - All I can say is WOW. The tour was great, well put together and Linda Wang was nothing short of amazing. Her friendliness, kindness, helpfulness, and superior service is beyond anything we have ever experienced on past tours. Lind displayed a professional understanding and comprehension of the area and sites with a great personality and sense of humor. She went the extra mile to ensure all our needs were met. Linda is commended for her professionalism. I would highly recommender Linda to anyone wanting a tour of Xi'an.
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