10 Days Xi'an & Luoyang & Pingyao Ancient Town Tour

Itinerary

Day 1: Xi'an City Tour

Stop At: Xi'an Mosque, Huajue Alley, Xincheng District, Xi'an 710043 China
Xi’an Great Mosque is one of the oldest and the best preserved mosque in China. It was first built in 742 AD in the Tang Dynasty, shortly after the introduction of Islam into China by Silk Road. It is situated in the middle of a very busy area with only narrow lanes and bazaars amongst shabby buildings. With a gorgeous blend of Chinese architecture style and Islamic culture, it’s a main religious sites for Chinese Muslims in the communities around and a great place worthy for a visit.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Temple of the Eight Immortals (Ba Xian An), Wu Dao Shizi Dongjie, Xi'an China
A famous Taoist temple with a history over 1,000 years. It’s a quaint temple of popular folk religion in Xi’an. Situated in the middle of an old district near the ancient city wall, this temple is quiet yet more atmospheric. Open markets of antiques and foods nearby show the earthly life of locals, with some Taoist fortune-tellers selling their skills. To explore this hidden religious world after being to some popular and crowded sites, you will get a chance to learn something about Taoism, to take nice pictures and to gain a great insight into the locals daily/community life.
Duration: 1 minute

Stop At: Xi'an Bell Tower, Lianhu District Junction of East main street, west main street, south main street and north main street,, Xi'an 710000 China
As landmarks of Xi'an, Bell Tower and Drum Tower have been standing in the center of the city for over 600 years. They were used for telling time in the past and now they are spectacular skyline decorating the city in its center. With painted beams and delicate wooden structure, they are the biggest Bell and Drum Towers in its kind in China. The twin towers have witnessed the high and low of the city and the huge changes happened in last 30 years. Both towers will be highlighted by light at night and will give a special aroma, taking people back to remote and splendid Xi'an of antiquity.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Dayanta), Enci Temple The southern part of Yata Road, Yanta District, Xi'an 710061 China
The Pagoda was fist built for housing Buddhist scriptures brought back to China from India by Master Xuanzang. He was the ultimate pilgrim who traveled altogether 17 years from 629 AD to 645 AD for searching original Buddha’s teaching. He was a great traveller and translator who contributed a lot for the culture exchanges between China and India in ancient time.
The surrounding area of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is also the most beautiful part of the city with lots of buildings built in ancient style. A visit of his place and a stroll in the area will immerse you with Buddhist culture and to see the combination of antiquity and modernity of the city.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Meals included:
• Lunch: Lunch in a nice local restaurant at your own expense.
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 2: Xi'an City Tour

Stop At: The Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, Qinling North Road, Lintong District, Xi'an 710600 China
You are going to see 2,000 life size Terracotta Warriors and Horses in a real battle formation. It was buried underground over 2,200 years and were made for protecting the Qin Emperor's afterlife. The visit of the museum covers three pits in original sites: Pit 1 as the principal combating force, Pit 2 as the mechanized troupe and Pit 3 as its underground command center. Extra exhibitions also could be seen in the museum, like Bronze Chariots found about 20ms to the west of the emperor's mausoleum, Terracotta acrobat figures and some bronze weapons.
It is definitely a treasure house with profound Qin Dynasty's history and culture and it's definitely a must-go site for people who are interested in Chinese history.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Huaqing Palace, No.38 Huaqing Road, Lintong District, Xi'an 710699 China
Huaqing Hot Spring Palace was once a favoured winter resort for emperors and concubines or other royal families to have a hot spring spa during the grand Tang dynasty. People in the area had utilized these hot springs since few thousand years ago, and it turned to be a palatial complex by the Qin and the Han Dynasties. With a history of over 3, 000 years, it boasts the only hot spring museum in China and was a place that had witnessed the rise and decline of few dynasties in China, and a place for modern Chinese to seek the lost grandeur of the grand Tang Dynasty.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Xi'an Banpo Museum, North of Banpo Village, Baqiao District, Xi'an 710038 China
The Banpo Village remains can be dated back to 6,000 years ago. The village was an authentic matriarchal clan community in the Neolithic Age. The village was very well built by ancestors with three particular sections for living, burying and making potteries. The remains of this village shows a high level of intelligence of the primitive people and it is a great place to show people the primitive communities and their way of life back to 6,000 years ago.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Meals included:
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 3: Xi'an City Tour

Stop At: Xi'an City Wall (Chengqiang), Zhongxin District, Xi'an 710001 China
As the best preserved and biggest city wall in China today, this 8.5 miles (14 kilometers) wall has been standing there for over 640 years. It's the best place for people to see the historical Xi'an and to understand the wisdom of working people in ancient China.
Biking on the top of this complete wall is the real highlight for most of visitors. It will show you a broad vista of the past and present Xi'an City.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Shaanxi History Museum, 91 Xiaozai E Rd, Xi'an 710061 China
In China, people always think that the history of Xi'an city and Shaanxi Province is like the microcosm of Chinese history, since there were 13 different dynasties had their capitals built in Xi'an with a time duration of more than 1200 years. Millions of relics and treasures were buried underground and countless historical and cultural heritages and monuments are dotted in the whole area.
Shaanxi History Museum is the treasure house of the most amazing discoveries. It's a must see place for amateurs and those who are really interested in Chinese history.
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Stop At: Tomb of Emperor Jingdi (Hanyangling), Zhanjiawan Village, Xi'an China
Tomb of Emperor Jingdi (Hanyangling Museum) is the tomb of the fourth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty. It was constructed from 154 BC to 126 BC and covers a total area around 24 square kilometers. Over 8,000 attendant tombs were built around with the Emperor and Empress' tombs in the middle.
81 burial pits were found around the emperor's mausoleum with various kinds of burial objects in them.They consist of cavalry guards of honor, warriors, imperial concubines, court maids and all kinds of chariots, weapons, tools, utensils, food storage and all sorts of other objects.
It is more like an underground kingdom with all Terracotta representations and daily necessities that the emperor might have in another world.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Meals included:
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 4: Day Tour to Huashan Mountain

Stop At: Mount Huashan, Within Huayin, Huayin 714200 China
Mt. Huashan, one of the Five Famous Mountains in China, is known for its breathtaking cliffs and narrow paths. Climbing Mt. Huashan no doubt is one of the unusual things to do in Xi'an. There are five main peaks in total. Among them, East Peak is the best place to enjoy the sunrise view and South Peak is the highest peak with a height of 2,154.9 meters (7,070 feet). Many tourists will choose to hike up North Peak and descend West Peak. However, if hiking is too difficult, cable cars are available on both of these peaks. The mountain is so dangerous that everybody needs to be careful and pay close attention to safety.
Duration: 9 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 5: Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum & Yaozhou Porcelain Museum

Stop At: The Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum, Yangping Town, Lingbao 472541 China
Yellow Emperor Mausoleum is located on Qiaoshan Mountain in the northern suburbs of Huangling County, Shaanxi Province. Its about 250 km to the north of Xi’an. Yellow Emperor is regarded as the forefather of Chinese nation and the creator of Chinese civilization. He is highly respected by Chinese all over the world. With towering cypresses and a river around, the ever-green Qiaoshan Mountain with the Yellow Emperor’s Mausoleum on it is a famous attraction in China. Yellow Emperor’s Mausoleum is the first ancient tomb listed as the Cultural Relics of National Importance under the Protection of the State. Known as “The First Mausoleum in China”, it has served as the symbol of Chinese civilization.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Yaozhou Kiln Site of Tongzhou, Huangbao Town, Wangyi District, Tongchuan 727001 China
As one of the porcelain making site, Yaozhou Kiln played an important role in the development of Chinese Porcelian making history.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Meals included:
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight at Yan'an Cave Hotel, 4 - stars hotel.

Day 6: Yellow River Waterfall and Cave Dwellings in Northern Shaanxi

Stop At: Hukou Waterfall, Hukou Town, Ji County 042200 China
Hukou waterfall is located to the up north of Shaanxi Province, about 360 km from Xi’an. It is the only waterfall along the 5000 km Yellow River and the second largest waterfall in China. After surging over thousand miles, when the river water is flowing down to Shanxi Province at teh intersection with Shaanxi, the wide Yellow River bed abruptly narrows down from 300 meters to 50 meters and then 30 meters, and the land suddenly drops down, turning the placid water into roaring rapids. The tremendous weight of water splashes onto the rugged rocks and river beds on the side, forming a magnificent waterfall of 15 meters high and 20 meters wide, as if the water is pouring down from a huge teapot, hence the name “Hukou”. The Yellow River has been nourishing the whole area since millions years ago and cradled Chinese civilization. People will appreciate this overwhelming natural wonder and raise admiration of the great beauty.
Duration: 4 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 7: Luoyang Day Tour from Xi'an by bullet train

Stop At: Longmen Grottoes, Banks of Yihe River, Luolong District, Luoyang 471000 China
The Grottoes and niches of Longmen contain the largest and most impressive collection of Chinese Buddhist art of the late Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties (316-907). These works, entirely devoted to the Buddhist religion, represent the high point of Chinese stone carving. It's also a UNESCO Heritage site today.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Monastero Shaolin (Shaolin Temple), Songshan Mountain, Dengfeng 450000 China
Shaolin Temple is reputed to be “the Number One Temple under Heaven”. Shaolin Temple and its Pagoda Forest were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010 as part of the "Historic Monuments of Dengfeng." Dating back 1,500 years, Shaolin Temple is the main temple of the Shaolin school of Buddhism to this day. It does have a long tradition of Chinese martial arts, as the saying goes “all martial arts (kong fu) are from Shaolin.” You can have a view of Martial Art there. The martial art performance is included in the entrance fee. You could take this advantage to appreciate real Chinese martial arts in this tour, which is also the highlight of this tour.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 8: Qiangling Mausoleum, Famen Temple and Zhouyuan Museum

Stop At: Tomb of Emperor Tang Gaozong (Qianling), Western Route, Xi'an China
Qianling Mausoleum is about 80 kilometers northwest of Xian city. It is the joint vault of Emperor Gaozong and his Empress Wu Zetian, who was known later as the only reigning female emperor in Chinese history. The mausoleum is the only one in China that have two emperors buried in and it is probably the only intact emperors’ tomb that has survived through 1,300 years long history.
Qianling Mausoleum always reminds people of a truly amazing Grand Tang Dynasty. The impressive design and setting of the mausoleum, with those spectacular stone tomb-suppressing animals on both sides and stone foreign envoys, will bring visitors back to the fascinating Tang Dynasty. There are satellite tombs of prices and princesses around with museum built nearby to show people the mural paintings and frescoes found in those tombs.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Famen Temple (Famen Si), Famen Zhen, Fufeng County 722200 China
Famen Temple was originally called “Asoka Temple”. It has a history around 1,800 years and it was built to enshrine Sakyamuni´s
relics. It is a world famed temple because Sakymuni’s finger bone relics is kept in it. Since it was the first recorded temple that built in the area, it is regarded as the "ancestor of pagoda temples in Guanzhong".

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Zhouyuan Museum, Zhaochen Village, Famen Town, Fufeng County 722200 China
A nice museum to show bronze wares that made in the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Lunch
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 9: Day Tour to Pingyao Ancient Town by bullet train

Stop At: Ancient City of Pingyao, In Pingyao County, Pingyao County 031100 China
Pingyao ancient town is located in central Shanxi province. It is a famous ancient town representing the Ming and Qing Dynasties architectural style, and it provides a complete overview of the cultural, social and religious development of Chinese history. As the most complete ancient town that survived through long history, the whole complex was listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in December 1997. This ancient town also witnessed the start and the development of ancient China’s banking system, and over hundreds banks had international business with Pingyao as its center back to 18th - 19th century.
There are over 300 hundreds Ming and Qing Dynasties Quadrangles within the city wall. A through ticket will allow you to visit as much as 19 historical sites in the enclosure form by the wall, including city tower, banks, Confucius temples, Taoist temples, folk houses and some institutional buildings. It is regarded as a pearl of traditional architectural style.
Duration: 4 hours

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 10: Free day.

Stop At: Xi'an, Xi'an, Shaanxi
Relax in Xi'an city before your departure.
Duration: 8 hours

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.