Shaanxi is a landlocked province in north-central China that served as the cradle of Chinese civilization and the eastern terminus of the ancient Silk Road. Home to the world-famous Terracotta Army, the Ming-dynasty Xi'an City Wall, and the sacred cliffs of Mount Hua, Shaanxi pairs 3,000 years of imperial history with the hearty noodle-and-lamb cuisine of the Loess Plateau.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Terracotta Army & Huaqing Palace
This pairs the excavated army of life-size clay soldiers built to guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor, with Huaqing Palace, the Tang-dynasty hot-spring retreat associated with Emperor Xuanzong and his consort Yang Guifei, and later the site of the 1936 Xi'an Incident. The two sites sit a short drive apart in Lintong District and are almost always visited together.
Highlights: Pit 1's formation of over 6,000 life-sized terracotta warriors · Bronze chariots recovered from Qin Shi Huang's tomb complex · Huaqing Palace's Tang dynasty hot spring pools and gardens · Site of the 1936 Xi'an Incident at Huaqing Palace
Mount Hua (Huashan)
Mount Hua is one of China's Five Great Sacred Mountains, a near-vertical granite massif with five summits connected by stone-cut staircases and, in places, planks bolted directly into the cliff face. It has been a Daoist pilgrimage site for over a thousand years, and the scale of the exposure on the paths is the main draw.
Highlights: Plank Walk in the Sky bolted to the South Peak cliff face · Sunrise views from East Peak · North and West Peak cable cars over granite ridgelines · Taoist temples along the ancient pilgrim stairways
Hukou Waterfall (Yellow River)
Hukou is the point where the Yellow River narrows into a rock gorge and drops into a churning brown cascade, the widest falls on the river. The volume and color of the water change with the season, and the site is far enough from Xi'an that it is really a two-day trip disguised as a day trip.
Highlights: Yellow River plunging through a narrow rock gorge · Rainbow mist effect visible in midday sunlight · Winter ice formations along the banks from December to February · Cross-border viewing platforms linking the Shaanxi and Shanxi sides
Hanzhong Old Town & Zhang Liang Temple
Hanzhong sits in a basin south of the Qinling range, and it was here that Liu Bang built the power base from which he went on to found the Han dynasty - the dynasty, and the Han Chinese ethnonym, take their name from this region. Zhang Liang Temple, in the hills toward Liuba, honors Liu Bang's chief strategist and occupies a shaded temple-garden complex.
Highlights: Zhang Liang Temple's pavilions among centuries-old pine and cypress trees · Surviving sections of the Hanzhong Old City Wall · Han dynasty historical sites tied to the dynasty's founding · Qinling mountain scenery along the high-speed rail route
Famen Temple & Baoji Bronzeware Museum
Famen Temple became internationally significant in 1987 when its underground crypt, sealed since the Tang dynasty, was opened to reveal a finger-bone relic said to be the Buddha's, along with an extraordinary hoard of Tang gold, silver and glassware buried with it. Baoji Bronzeware Museum, an hour further west, holds the finest collection of Western Zhou ritual bronzes in China, including inscribed vessels that document the dynasty's early history.
Highlights: Famen Temple's underground palace and Tang dynasty relic collection · Buddha finger bone relic housed in the temple's relic hall · Baoji Bronzeware Museum's inscribed Western Zhou ritual bronzes · Modern pagoda complex built above the original underground crypt
Qianling Mausoleum & Han Yangling Mausoleum
Qianling is the joint tomb of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Wu Zetian, China's only reigning female emperor, built into a natural hill and approached along a spirit way lined with stone guardian figures, including a set of headless foreign-envoy statues and the famous Wordless Stele. Han Yangling, the tomb of Emperor Jing of the Han dynasty, is smaller in scale but shows its miniature terracotta figures through glass-floored viewing pits built directly over the excavation.
Highlights: Wu Zetian's blank "wordless stele" at Qianling Mausoleum · Stone spirit way statues including sixty-one headless envoy figures · Han Yangling's glass-floored walkways over underground burial pits · Miniature Han dynasty terracotta figurines and animal models
Yan'an Revolutionary Sites
Yan'an was the Chinese Communist Party's base from 1935 to 1947, the years in which Mao Zedong consolidated leadership and wrote much of his early theoretical work while living in cave dwellings cut into the loess hillsides. Baota Pagoda, on the hill above the old town, has become the visual symbol of the city and of that period.
Highlights: Yan'an Revolutionary Memorial Hall's wartime exhibits and artifacts · Wangjiaping's preserved cave dwellings and CCP headquarters halls · Baota Pagoda's hilltop views over the city · Loess-cave architecture used by revolutionary leaders
Foping National Nature Reserve (Giant Pandas)
Foping, in the Qinling range south of Xi'an, protects a wild population of the Qinling giant panda subspecies along with golden snub-nosed monkeys and takin. Sightings of wild pandas are never guaranteed, and the reserve is set up around guided treks through forested terrain rather than an enclosure-style viewing experience.
Highlights: Wild giant panda habitat unique to the Qinling range · Golden snub-nosed monkey troops in the forest canopy · Marked hiking trails through bamboo groves and conifer forest · Guided wildlife spotting with reserve naturalists
Trips by distance
How far you can go in a day.
Under 50km
50 150km
Over 150km
Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
- High Speed Rail Hub
- Xi'an North Railway Station serves Huashan North, Hanzhong, Baoji South, and Yan'an
- Tourist Bus Lines
- Bus 306 (Terracotta Army/Huaqing Palace) and Bus 300 series cover the eastern Lintong sites
- Chartered Car Note
- Western Shaanxi natural sites (Hukou Waterfall, Foping) generally require a private driver or organized tour
Multi-day tours from Shaanxi
If you have longer than a day, these are organised multi-day trips that start here.
Browse multi-day tours from ShaanxiWe may earn a commission from bookings made through this link.
Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Book high-speed train tickets a day or two ahead during holiday periods — Huashan North and Yan'an routes sell out fast
Start early for anything outside the immediate Xi'an area; several day trips involve 4+ hours of round-trip travel
Bus 306 is the cheapest way to combine the Terracotta Army and Huaqing Palace without a private driver
Confirm relic-viewing days in advance before planning a Famen Temple trip around seeing the Buddha's finger bone