Two-day Beijing Express Tour to Terra Cotta
Warriors and Army, City Wall and Big Goose Pagoda
Tour Xian from Beijing by taking the world's
fastest high-speed bullet train and save!
Highlights:
* Xi’an is known as China’s “valley of the kings”, and
you’ll experience this rich heritage at the Terracotta
Warriors, which showcases the city’s illustrious and
royal past. Experience dumplings, Xian style, along with
the Tang Dynasty show, a dancing and colorful
extravaganza illustrating Xian's glory age.
* Xi’an was a key link in the famed trade route of the
Silk Road, which brought the spices of East Asia to
Arabia and Europe. By visiting the Muslim quarter you’ll
learn more about this colorful time in Xi’an’s past.
** For those with a tight schedule, this is an excellent
way to experience Xian and all that it has to offer.
Detailed Itinerary
(TOUR CODE: XA-EXPRESS2DAY)
Day 1: Beijing to Xian (L)
You will take a morning flight at 8
am or 7 am from Beijing and arrive in Xian in two hours. Upon arriving at
Xian Airport you will be met by your English-speaking
guide and driver.
After a quick and refreshing lunch at a nearby
restaurant, you’ll get a chance to walk or take a bike
ride around Xian's still functioning city wall. Xian is
one of the few Chinese cities that still has its city
wall intact. Next is a visit to the Muslim Quarter. Xian
has one of the largest Chinese Muslims populations, so
obviously the city’s Muslim Quarter is extremely
important. Here you can find many Muslim restaurants and
food stands, and shops selling traditional handicrafts.
Almost all the local food and snacks are also available
at the Muslim Quarter.
We’ll first set out for the
Big Goose Pagoda. This
pagoda is surrounded by a still functioning Buddhist
temple (named Da Ci’en Temple). The Big Wild Goose
Pagoda is one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in
China. The Pagoda was built in the Tang Dynasty
(618-907) for the study of Buddhist scriptures. Although
it has been attacked by centuries of weather, war and
seismic activity, which destroyed most of the original
material of the structure, a pagoda by this name and
style still exists on the site. A gourmet lunch will
follow this visit.
You'll then be taken for some
relaxation and fun at the
Huaqing Hot Springs. The
Huaqing Hot Springs has
been the site of a famous imperial bathing pool and
various palace complexes over its 3,000-year history. It
is a National Cultural Relic and one of China’s Hundred
Famous Gardens.
Huaqing (Hua means brilliant, Chinese or flowery; qing
means pure or clear) Hot Springs is located about 35
kilometers east of the city of Xi'an, at the foot of Li
Mountain. The present day site is only a small part of
the Tang Dynasty Palace, covering an area of 85,560
square meters. Entering by the west gate to the hot
spring, you will see Nine Dragon Pool, Lotus Flower Pool
and Frost Drifting Hall. All these structures were
rebuilt in 1959 according to the Tang architectural
style.
For dinner, you’ll have a real
treat with Xi'an unique
dumpling banquet, followed by
the
Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show. Xian, an ancient
city that has been the nation's capital during no less
than eleven dynasties spanning more than a thousand
years is regarded as the home if not the birthplace of
the great dumpling tradition. It was here that the art
of creating the most tasty and delicate of dumplings was
refined and no visit to the city is complete unless you
partake of a Dumpling Dinner.
This is an experience for the dumpling connoisseur, the
flavors, shapes and colors will tempt the palette, while
the elegant names and stories attached to each variety
are truly amazing. It is no less amazing that a simple
way of preparing food has become so very popular and
sophisticated that it is now considered to be as much a
work of art as a tasty morsel.
The
Tang Dynasty
Music and Dance Show is an outstanding exponent of this
ancient stable and prosperous society, keeping alive its
splendid culture and providing an insight into the
peaceful life style of the period. As an art form, the
show has its roots in folk fetes, when dances were first
performed by people as part of rituals of prayer for a
good harvest or a better life. Combining poetry with the
skilled playing of musical instruments, singing, dancing
and also stunning costumes, the modern presentation is
certain to give you an impressive view of ancient China
including its splendid history, brilliant arts, distinct
traditions and customs.
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The Famous Dumpling
Banquet |
Tang Dynasty Dance Show |
For the night you will be staying at the four-star
Ramada Hotel in Downtown Xian. The morning buffet
(included) offer a huge variety of eye-catching northern
Chinese food.
Day
2: Xian-Beijing (B, L)
Following breakfast in the hotel, we'll drive to visit
the famous Terra Cotta Warriors.
The Eternal
Romance of the Terracotta Warriors
"Qin Shi Huang drank mercury, thinking it would
give him eternal life."
- BBC, Aprl 12, 2017
The
Terra Cotta Warriors and
Horses Museum is the result of the most significant
archeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is
ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers
east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum. Upon
ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), Qin
Shi Huang, later the first Emperor of all China, had
begun to work for his mausoleum. It took 11 years to
finish. It is speculated that many buried treasures and
sacrificial objects had accompanied the emperor in his
afterlife. A group of peasants uncovered some pottery
while digging for a well nearby the royal tomb in 1974.
Life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses
arranged in battle formations are the star features at
the museum. They are replicas of what the imperial guard
should look like in those days of pomp and vigor.
The museum is divided into three sections: No. 1 Pit,
No. 2 Pit, and No. 3 Pit respectively. They were tagged
in the order of their discoveries. No. 1 Pit is the
largest, first opened to the public on China's National
Day, 1979. There are columns of soldiers at the front,
followed by war chariots at the back. No. 2 Pit, found
in 1976, contains over a thousand warriors and 90
chariots of wood. It was unveiled to the public in 1994.
Archeologists came upon No. 3 Pit also in 1976. It is
the command center of the armed forces. It went on
display in 1989, with 68 warriors, a war chariot and
four horses. After pausing for lunch at a nearby
restaurant, we’ll the drive back to Xian.
Return Transportation
Choices:
1) Take high-speed
train #G666 (5:05pm) or #G670 (5:55pm),
arriving in Beijing before midnight. If you are in a rush and want to
skip the Big Goose Pagoda or City Wall, you are take an
earlier train G662 at 2:40 pm to come back to Beijing in
the afternoon.
2) Take an overnight sleeper train
(Z20, Z44, T42, T44) at 19:00 and arrive in Beijing at 8
am the next day morning.
3. Take an evening flight at 9 pm
and arrive in Beijing in two hours.
Optional Day 3:
See pandas in Xian (temporarily suspended)
Attention panda lovers! You can stay an extra night in
Xian to see
Giant Pandas as well as several other
precious species (Golden Monkeys, Clouded Leopards,
etc.) that you won't see in a regular zoo! You can see
all of this and more as we take you to the
Louguantai
Wild Animal Breeding And Protection Center, merely a
two-hour drive from Xi'an. Contact us today to find out
how you can visit this animal paradise!
Beijing Tour and
Complimentary Train Station/Airport Transfer to Xian
Please also keep in mind that
we are based in Beijing, and as your port of entry into
China is likely to be Beijing, please do not hesitate to
ask us about our
Beijing city tours, as well as our world famous
Great Wall adventure programs.
If you wish to combine your Beijing tour/Great Wall with
us, we'll give you a free train station or airport
transfer from your train/flight to Xian. Please keep in
mind that this is with a Beijing tour/Great Wall hike
only.
BEIJING-XIAN HIGH-SPEED BULLET TRAIN
SCHEDULE
Train # |
From |
Time |
To |
Time |
Train # |
From |
Time |
To |
Time |
G87 |
Beijing W |
14:00 |
Xian N |
18:40 |
G88 |
Xian N |
13:10 |
Beijing W |
17:50 |
G651 |
Beijing W |
7:05 |
Xian N |
12:48 |
G652 |
Xian N |
7:50 |
Beijing W |
13:17 |
G653 |
Beijing W |
8:21 |
Xian N |
14:11 |
G654 |
Xian N |
8:50 |
Beijing W |
14:20 |
G655 |
Beijing W |
10:05 |
Xian N |
15:43 |
G656 |
Xian N |
10:05 |
Beijing W |
15:35 |
G657 |
Beijing W |
11:06 |
Xian N |
16:47 |
G658 |
Xian N |
10:40 |
Beijing W |
16:26 |
G659 |
Beijing W |
12:08 |
Xian N |
17:35 |
G660 |
Xian N |
11:35 |
Beijing W |
17:12 |
G661 |
Beijing W |
14:43 |
Xian N |
20:41 |
G662 |
Xian N |
14:40 |
Beijing W |
20:33 |
G663 |
Beijing W |
16:00 |
Xian N |
21:52 |
G664 |
Xian N |
16:03 |
Beijing W |
21:38 |
G665 |
Beijing W |
16:53 |
Xian N |
2:44 |
G666 |
Xian N |
17:07 |
Beijing W |
22:50 |
G667 |
Beijing W |
17:38 |
Xian N |
23:05 |
G670 |
Xian N |
17:55 |
Beijing W |
23:20 |
Learn
details of the one-day tour, please visit
One-Day Tour page.
To
Compare the difference above two express tours, please visit the
Xi'an Express Tour pages.
Other
travel options and tour programs about Xi'an from
Beijing or Shanghai.
*
Beijing-Xian One-day Train Tour
*
Beijing/Shanghai-Xian One-day Flight Tour
*
Beijing/Shanghai-Xian Two-day Flight Tour
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