4-Day Xi'an Imperial Capital Tour: Han, Tang and Ming Layers

Morning — The Terracotta Army
Drive east to Lintong and stand at the edge of Pit 1, where more than six thousand life-sized soldiers face east in battle formation. Each face is modelled differently, and the bronze weapons found with them were still sharp when they came out of the ground. Your guide walks you through Pits 1, 2 and 3 and the Bronze Chariot hall, and explains how the figures were moulded in parts, fired, assembled and then painted.

Afternoon — The Han Yangling Mausoleum
Continue to the Yangling Mausoleum, the tomb built for the fourth emperor of the Western Han. It is the only imperial tomb of the period with an underground museum open to the public, where the small clay officials, servants, horses and animals excavated on site over past decades are displayed behind glass exactly where they were found. Coming after the Terracotta Army, the miniature figures make the difference between the Qin and the Han idea of the afterlife plain.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.

Morning — Famen Temple
Coach west to Famen Temple, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in China, founded during the Eastern Han. Its central treasure is the underground chamber beneath the pagoda, sealed in the ninth century and rediscovered in 1987.

Afternoon — Qianling Mausoleum
Continue to Qianling, the joint tomb of Emperor Gaozong and Wu Zetian, the only woman ever to rule China as emperor in her own name. The spirit way is lined with stone officials, horses and the famous wordless stele she left for posterity to judge.

Evening — Return to Xi'an
Return to Xi'an for dinner.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.

Morning — The Ming City Wall
Walk the ramparts of the Ming city wall, the most complete ancient defensive structure in China. It runs 13.7 kilometres around the old centre; taken at an unhurried pace it is a slow read of the city, past the gates and watchtowers, with the streets laid out twelve metres below.

Afternoon — The Stele Forest
Enter the Stele Forest, a sanctuary of more than two thousand stone inscriptions spanning the Han dynasty to the Qing and the greatest repository of Chinese calligraphy anywhere. The texts were carved in order to be copied, so walking the courtyards is the quickest way to see how the script itself changed.

Evening — The Great Mosque and the Muslim Quarter
Finish on Huajue Lane at the Great Mosque, founded in the Tang dynasty and one of the largest and best preserved in China, where Arabic script and Chinese timber architecture stand side by side in the same courtyards. The lanes around it are the Muslim Quarter, and dinner is here.

Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included.

Morning — Shaanxi History Museum
Start your day at the Shaanxi History Museum, often described as a treasure house of ancient Chinese history. Opened in 1991 and designed in Tang architectural style, it houses more than 370,000 artifacts, from prehistoric ceramics and Zhou bronze ware to Tang gold and silver vessels and tri-color glazed pottery. The exhibition halls are arranged chronologically and highlight Shaanxi's key role in the development of Chinese civilization, and your guide will point out the best-preserved and most significant relics in the collection.

Lunch — Included Meal
Lunch is arranged before you continue to the afternoon visit.

Afternoon — Big Wild Goose Pagoda
In the afternoon, head to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a monumental Buddhist pagoda in southern Xi'an that was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014 as part of the Silk Roads. First built in 652 during the Tang Dynasty to store the scriptures and statues that the great monk Xuanzang brought back from ancient India, the pagoda was rebuilt in 704 under Empress Wu Zetian, and its brick façade was renovated during the Ming Dynasty. Visitors can climb the seven-story tower for views over the temple complex and the city. The pagoda is part of the Da Ci'en Temple, whose serene courtyards, large Buddha statues and teaching halls are yours to explore.

Evening — Flexible Evening
The evening is yours to enjoy at your leisure; relax at your hotel or take a short stroll through the surrounding streets, and your guide will be happy to suggest options nearby.

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