Day01 Banpo Musuem - Huaqing Hot Spring - Mt. Lishan

We suggest you start your visit to the highlights of Xi’an eastern tourist route with the Banpo Museum. To arrive at Banpo Museum, you can take subway line 1 to Banpo Station and leave from exit A. Afterwards, walking westward for about 5 minutes, turning left and walking southward for 2 minutes, you will get to the museum. Alternatively, you can choose buses No. 105, 269, 406 or 416 to Banpo Bowuguan (Banpo Museum) Station or buses No. 15, 11 to Banpo Gongjiao Shuniu (Banpo Transit Hub) Station, both of the two stations are within a few minutes walking distance to the museum. Right built on the archeological site, the museum well shows people the Neolithic civilization about 6000 years ago. The displays are interesting and interactive with descriptions in English. The admission fee is CNY 65 from Mar to Nov, and CNY 45 from Dec to Feb. A normal visit usually takes about 1.5 to 2 hours.

After that, continue your visit to Huaqing Hot Spring. Leaving from the entrance of the museum, you need to walk northward along the Banpo Road for about 250 meters, turn left at the intersection, continue to walk for 110 meters, and then you will get to the Gongjiao Shuniu (Banpo Transit Hub) Station. Here you can take bus No. 307 and get off at Huaqing Hot Spring Station. Huaqing Hot Spring, also called Huaqing Palace, is one of the most famous ancient royal gardens in China. Early in the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century BC-711 BC), King You built a palace here to enjoy the hot spring. The palace was rebuilt many times in the subsequent dynasties. In particular, in the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong spent each winter in the palace with his favorite concubine Yang Yuhuan. Therefore, Huaqing Hot Spring is also famous for the moving love story between Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Yuyuan. The yearly average temperature is 13 °C, and the best times to visit are spring and autumn.

Then continue your trip to nearby Mt. Lishan, which can be reached by a 10 minute walk. With an altitude of 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) and being covered with pine and cypress, Mt. Lishan has always been a famous site since ancient times for its beautiful scenery and profound cultural and historical background. If it is sunny, we suggest you enjoy the beautiful sunset on the mountain. Colored by the rosy sun, the mountain becomes more charming and attractive. The admission fee of the mountain is CNY70 from March to November and CNY 45 from December to February. If you don't want to climb the mountain, a cable car is available for CNY 35 upward, CNY 30 downward, and CNY 60 for a round trip.

After a full day's tour, check in at a local hotel. You can find many economical hotels near Huaqing Palace. Here we would like to recommend the 3-star Lintong Hotel. You may relax yourself by enjoying a hot spring at the Angsana Xi'an Lintong. At night you can also go to Huaqing Palace to watch the song and dance performance, Song of Eternal Sorrow if interested. The ticket price for the show ranges from CNY 219 to CNY 988 according to different seats.

Day02 Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum

After checking out of the hotel, visit Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, which includes Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum and Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum. Take a taxi at a cost of CNY 20 or the tourist bus No. 5 (306) or bus No. 307 at a cost of CNY 3 to the museum. The drive takes about 20 minutes. You will see the eighth world wonder, the terracotta warriors and horses - thousands of life-sized clay soldiers and horses, delicate bronze chariots and horses, as well as bronze weapons and other clay wares. Then you can take the free shuttle bus to visit Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum, which is one of the best preserved and majestic mausoleums in China.

Afterwards, take the shuttle bus back to the parking lot of Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum and transfer back to Xi'an city by tourist bus No. 5 (306) or bus No. 307. If you are catching a flight, take tourist bus No. 5 (306) to Xi’an Railway Station and then catch the airport shuttle bus in front of the Jiefang Hotel (beside McDonalds).