Meet your private guide and separate driver at your central Xian hotel and travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
Dating from the Tang dynasty in 652 AD, this sacred building was constructed to hold precious Buddhist relics brought from India. First built with five stories, it stands seven stories — 210 feet (64 meters) — high today. Admire the pagoda as your guide recounts its history and see the surrounding plazas, including the musical fountain at North Square.
Continue to the Shaanxi History Museum, a showcase of Chinese treasures through the ages. Use your skip-the-line ticket for fast-track entry, and enjoy a tour of the Tang-era highlights.
View the most interesting Tang artifacts, and inspect the collection of extraordinary mural paintings from the tombs of more than 20 of the period’s nobles. See the best of the 600 paintings, learning about the daily life of the noble classes during the Tang dynasty from the colorful and detailed scenes.
After a Chinese lunch at a restaurant, drive to Xian's City Wall, China’s best-preserved city fortifications. Standing 39 feet (12 meters) tall and running 8.5 miles (14 kilometers) around old Xian, these 600-year-old, Ming-era battlements feature wide ramparts, watchtowers, gate towers, and parapets. Follow your guide to the top, and stroll on the wall, absorbing the panoramas over old and new Xian.
As the start point of the Silk Road, Xian attracted thousands of foreign traders, including Muslim communities. Today’s Muslim Quarter is still home to ancestors of these peoples who lived here harmoniously with native Han communities. Explore this lively multicultural area of narrow streets and bazaars, and discover its food culture, a window into Islamic and other culinary influences from Silk Road times.
After enjoying the vibrant atmosphere here, your tour ends with a hotel drop-off.
