Two-day Shanghai Express Tour to Terra Cotta Warriors and Army, City Wall and Big Goose Pagoda

Tour Xian from Shanghai 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 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.
*** You can continue traveling to Beijing by train or air at the end of this tour. You can also leave for any other any other domestic or international destination such as Tibet or Chengdu or Hong Kong.

 Detailed Itinerary  (TOUR CODE: XA-EXPRESS2DAY-SH)

Day 1: Shanghai to Xian (L)

You will take a morning flight at 8 am or 7 am from Shanghai 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.

Alternatively, you may take an early bullet train at 6:09 or 7:24 in the morning and arrive in Xian in early afternoon, if the early flight fare isn't friendly cheap.

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.

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-Shanghai (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, April 12, 2021

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 Shanghai 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 Shanghai in the afternoon.

2) Take an overnight sleeper train (Z20, Z44, T42, T44) at 19:00 and arrive in Shanghai at 8 am the next day morning.

3. Take an evening flight at 9 pm and arrive in Shanghai in two hours.

Optional Day 3: See the pandas in Chengdu

Attention panda lovers! You can extend your trip to meet the precious Giant Pandas in Chengdu now! Simply take China's famous high-speed bullet train from Xian to Chengdu, the home of pandas. It will take only three hours to get transferred to Chengdu. You will see the most pandas in the world by visiting the Panda Reserve and Research Center. You may also do a full-day voluntary work for the pandas by preparing  food and feeding them in the panda base. The survival of this species has been threatened in the past, so all conservation efforts are of paramount importance. Contact us today to find out how you can be a part of the efforts to preserve the giant pandas of China in a nature reserve.  You will receive a certificate of having been a proud volunteer.   

Shanghai Tour and Complimentary Train Station/Airport Transfer to Xian

Please also keep in mind that we are based in Shanghai, and as your port of entry into China is likely to be Shanghai, please do not hesitate to ask us about our Shanghai city tours. If you wish to combine your Shanghai tour/Great Wall with us, we'll give you a free train station or airport transfer from your train/flight to Xian.

IF YOU FIRST ARRIVE IN BEIJING ...

Learn details of the one-day tour from Beijing, please visit One-Day Tour page.