Travel Guide to Xi’an
Xi'an is a city rich in history, dating back thousands of years as the ancient capital of China for many dynasties. It’s where Daren was born and where his family is from, which makes it all the more special to share this place with you. There are many amazing sites to see & things to do so be sure to check out our travel guide for some of the best spots!
Accomodation
You’ll be staying at the HUALUXE Xi’an Tanghua hotel for the wedding weekend. We’ll cover your stay for Friday the 23rd and Saturday the 24th. The hotel is centrally located, with lots to see and do nearby.
If you’d like to arrive earlier or stay longer, you can book additional nights at a discounted rate of 900RMB per night, which includes an upgrade to a 60㎡ 1 bedroom suite. If you prefer a different room type, just mention it when booking and the hotel will share the best available discounted rate.
To book extra nights, please email reservation@hualuxetanghua.com and tina.shan@hualuxetanghua.com. Be sure to mention you’re part of Skyler & Daren’s wedding group and include your preferred dates.
Getting to Xi’an
The airport you’ll fly into is Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (XIY). If you are coming from another city, we recommend using Trip.com to book plane or train tickets in advance however train tickets can only be purchased 2 weeks prior.
Getting Around
The easiest way to get around China is by ordering Didi’s through WeChat. The subway is also a convenient option. Both Alipay and WeChat have built-in QR codes that you can scan at each subway station so you don’t need to purchase a train ticket.
In China, you can’t use a physical card directly—you’ll need to link your card to either WeChat or Alipay. We recommend setting up both apps in advance to make your transition smooth.
Preparing Travel to China
We highly recommend downloading these apps ahead of time to make your travel smoother!
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WeChat is the main messaging and payment app in China. With it, you can link your bank card to make payments, book taxis, order food and more.
You cannot pay with a physical card in China, it must be linked to Wechat or Alipay.
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Alipay is another widely used payment app in China that lets you link your card for easy transactions. You can also book train tickets, access a subway card and more.
We highly recommend setting up both Alipay & WeChat before you travel.
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C-Trip is a handy website and app where you can find accommodation, book train or plane tickets, and book tickets to tourist sites like the Terracotta Warriors.
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A VPN is essential when traveling to China. Without one, you won’t be able to access many of the apps and sites you probably use every day, like Instagram, gmail, or even certain web browsers. We personally use Anycast VPN, which costs around $10 a month, but there are plenty of other good options out there.
We highly recommend downloading a VPN on all your devices before you travel to China, as it can be difficult to do this once you’re already here.
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Translate app
Baidu Translate app
Google Translate app
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It would be helpful to buy an international eSIM before traveling to China—Nomad eSIM is highly rated and often considered one of the best options.
If you prefer, you can also purchase a physical SIM card at the airport upon arrival.
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Amap is the best map option to get around China and you can change the settings to English. Google maps will require VPN. Apple maps is ok to use too.
Site Seeing
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The Terracotta Warriors are a massive collection of life-sized clay statues buried near the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BCE). They were discovered in 1974 by farmers digging a well, and they are considered one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century.
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The Xi'an City Wall is a preserved 14km (8.7 miles) long Ming Dynasty fortification. Visitors can explore the wall by walking or renting a bicycle, taking roughly 2–3 hours to complete the loop.
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It’s best known for its lively food streets, where you can try local food like roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), lamb skewers, and hand-pulled biangbiang noodles. The area is rich in culture located among colorful stalls and souvenir shops.
We recommend going at night - the quarter really comes alive!
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One of China’s best museums, showcasing artifacts from Xi’an’s time as the capital of multiple dynasties.
We recommend booking tickets well in advance as they are generally booked out.
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100/10 recommend! Daren & I went to this show and it was incredible. It’s an outdoor musical drama performed about an hour outside of Xi’an city. It brings to life the love story between Emperor of the Tang Dynasty and his beloved wife.
As it’s a bit outside of the city, it’s best to arrange a car to bring you there and back.
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Daren & I went to this last summer and it was epic!
It’s a large-scale immersive theatrical performance that brings to life the history and culture of the Qin Dynasty (the first imperial dynasty of China).
