5-Day Xi'an Family Tour: Terracotta Army, City Wall & Ancient Chang'an

Morning — the Shaanxi History Museum
The programme opens where the objects are. The Shaanxi History Museum holds more than 370,000 pieces, and the collection runs from the Zhou bronzes through the Han and the Northern Wei to the Tang gold and silver. Your guide works through the rooms in sequence rather than room by room, so that the workshop in the afternoon has something concrete to point back to: the ornament on the bronzes, the patterns cut into the lacquerware, and the way characters were written before they were printed.

Afternoon — Paper-cutting and Calligraphy Workshop
The afternoon is hands-on, and it is the centre of the three days. With a local craftsperson you learn paper-cutting in the Shaanxi manner, working from traditional motifs and cutting the design freehand, then move to the brush: how to hold it, the order of the strokes, and why the order matters. Both pieces are yours to keep, and by the end of the session you will have cut one design and written your own name in characters.

Meals
Breakfast and lunch included.

Morning — Simulated Archaeology at Daming Palace Ruins Park
Start with a hands-on simulated archaeology activity at Daming Palace Ruins Park, once the political heart of the Tang Dynasty. Dig for replica artifacts and explore the ruined foundations and exhibits that evoke the grandeur of the Tang court.

Lunch — at your leisure
Lunch is at your own arrangement.

Afternoon — Carpentry Experience
Continue with a traditional carpentry workshop, learning about Chinese woodworking such as the dougong bracket sets that support classical roofs without nails. Using traditional tools, you'll craft a small wooden piece and gain insight into ancient architectural ingenuity.

Evening — at your leisure
The evening is free to relax.

Morning — Terra-cotta Army Museum
Visit the Terra-cotta Army Museum in the morning, home to thousands of detailed life-size figures that represent the army which united China at the end of the Warring States Period (476–221 BC). The figures were molded in parts, fired, then assembled and painted, and the site is considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century. There are three pits of terra-cotta warriors, a cinema and an exhibition hall of bronze chariots, and it takes nearly two hours to see them all; your guide will take you through the museum after the meeting with the deputy curator.

Cultural Insight
The figures are arranged by rank and unit, and traces of pigment show that the entire army was originally painted in bright colors that faded soon after excavation.

Lunch — Included Meal
Lunch is arranged before the afternoon visit.

Afternoon — Huaqing Palace
Visit Huaqing Palace after lunch. The site includes a famous imperial bathing pool and a series of palace complexes at the foot of Li Mountain, fed by hot springs that have been used for well over a thousand years. Now a National Cultural Relic and one of China's Hundred Famous Gardens, it was the setting for the Tang court's most famous romance and, centuries later, for the Xi'an Incident of 1936.

Evening — Flexible Evening
The evening is yours to enjoy at your leisure back in Xi'an.

Meals — Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
All three meals are included on this day.

Morning — Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists, standing within the Da Ci'en Temple complex. Built in the 7th century, it was erected to house the Buddhist scriptures and relics brought back from India by the monk Xuanzang. The pagoda is a National Key Cultural Relic Preserve and, together with other Silk Road sites, was added to the World Heritage List in 2014.

Lunch — Local Restaurant
Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before continuing your sightseeing.

Afternoon — Ancient City Wall
Visit the Ancient City Wall, the most complete city wall to survive in China and one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. Dating to the Ming Dynasty, it still encircles the old city and offers fine views from its broad top.

Evening — Great Mosque & Muslim Quarter
Visit the Great Mosque and the Muslim Quarter, the hub of Xi'an's Muslim community to the north of West Street. Inhabited by more than 20,000 Muslims and home to about ten mosques, the quarter's most famous site is the Great Mosque in Huajue Lane, a place of worship with a history reaching back to the Tang Dynasty. Afterward, transfer to the airport or railway station.

Morning — Free
The pace of the programme is deliberately broken on the last morning. Families who want one more circuit of the wall can walk or cycle a section of it from the nearest gate; those who would rather shop will find the mosque quarter a short walk from most central hotels and still busy in the morning. Nothing is scheduled, so the group can sleep in after the evening food streets.

Lunch — Farewell Lunch
A farewell lunch in the city centre, with time afterwards to finish packing and settle the room.

Afternoon — Departure
Your guide transfers the group to Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (XIY) for the flight home, or to Xi'an North Railway Station for the high-speed service to Beijing, Zhengzhou or Chengdu, assisting with luggage and check-in. Families extending the trip can continue to Chengdu or Shanghai on the same rail network, and your guide will confirm the platform and seat allocations before departure.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch included.