Xi'an keeps a late schedule. The city wall and the gates are floodlit after sunset, the streets around the Bell Tower stay busy past midnight, and there is a compact bar district a short walk from the South Gate that is popular with both residents and visitors.
The South Gate and the moat
Yongningmen, the South Gate, is the largest and best preserved of the city wall gates. In the evening the towers and the long wall are lit up, and the moat park below is a circular strip of trees, paths and water where people walk, run and fly kites. In summer there is a light installation along the water. The wall itself can be walked at night in the warmer months, and the view down Yongningmen Street to the Bell Tower is the classic Xi'an night photograph.
Defu Lane
Defu Lane is a short street of bars, cafes and small restaurants ten minutes west of the Bell Tower. It is not large - a couple of hundred metres - but it holds most of the city's cocktail bars and a handful of live music venues. Drinks run from local craft beer to properly made cocktails, and many places have terraces that are usable from April to October.
Rooftops and views
Several restaurants and bars near the Bell Tower and along the wall have rooftop seating with a direct view of the illuminated tower or the wall towers. They cost more than street level and are worth it once. For a different angle, the terrace of the Bell Tower Hotel looks down the main axis of the old city, and there are quieter rooftop cafes on the lanes south of the Drum Tower.
Practical notes
The wall and gate lights usually switch off around 10:30 to 11 p.m., so plan the walk first and the bar second. Taxis are easy to find near the Bell Tower and the South Gate. Most bars accept mobile payment only; a few take cards. If you are out late, the Muslim Quarter snack street keeps cooking until midnight, which solves any hunger problem on the way home.
