By Taxi
Xi'an's army of green taxis seems to overrun the streets and (except in rain or snow) it's fairly easy to hail one. At $6 minimum for the first two km (1.2 miles) and $1.4 per km (0.6 miles) after this, Xi'an's taxis are some of the cheapest in the country and it's worth making use of them.
By Bicycle
Bicycle is a great way to get around Xi'an's backstreets and along the city walls. Some hotels and all the hostels ($20 per day) have bikes for rent, and they are also available at the South Gate for rides around the wall. Wherever you rent, you'll need to put down a $100-200 deposit. For routes see Adventures On Wheels.
Orientation
Xi'an's ancient city walls encircle the old city which makes it easy to navigate. Many of the main sights are within the city walls and this central zone is bisected by four major roads. They run along the points of the compass to their respective gates in the wall and are named Bei, Dong, Nan and Xi Dajie (North, East, South and West Avenues). These roads meet just south of the center at the Bell Tower. To cross this busy intersection you need to use the subterranean tunnel, which has access points from each of the four roads. A little west of the Bell Tower, across a large public plaza, you'll see the Drum Tower, marking the entrance to the atmospheric Muslim quarter. With its tangle of alleys, this is one of the only parts of the city you're likely to get lost in, but it's great fun. Sooner or later you'll emerge somewhere you recognize, or where you can flag a cab.
Within the Muslim quarter, the Great Mosque is the main sight, and it's easy to find – there are signs, but you can just follow the souvenir stalls. In the southeast of the old city there is an artist's quarter, which is definitely worth a stroll. You'll also find the Beilin Stone Tablet Museum here.
Outside the city walls the sights are a little more spread out. Not too far south of the South Gate you'll find the Little Wild Goose Pagoda and, farther south still, the Shaanxi History Museum and, to the east, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Although there are a few hotels out this way, you're much better off staying within the city walls, which has options for most budgets. Likewise, the best eating and drinking are within the old city, particularly the lively Muslim markets and Defuxiang Bar Street.
Information Sources
There is a visitor center (tel.029-8552-0555) on the eastern side of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, but the best source of information in Xi'an tends to be the hostels, which are used to foreigners wanting to do things their own way. Larger hotels might be able to provide good information, but they're of more use for booking tickets and tours than anything else. For online resources, www.toureasy.net/expat has information on hotels, restaurants, shopping, sightseeing and travel. You can buy maps marked in English outside the train station and from vendors in the central plaza. The best map is Xi'an Traffic and Tourist Map.
Communications
Telephone code: 029
Post Office: On the northeast corner of the Bell Tower intersection.
Internet Access: Most of the hostels have net cafés (around $8 per hour), but there are also plenty of places along Dong Dajie, including Hong Shu Lin at #424.
Bank of China: Halfway down Nan Dajie street on the eastern side and another branch with 24-hour ATMs at the eastern end of Dong Dajie on the north side of the street.
Public Security Bureau: 123, Xi Dajie (tel.029-8727-6241). Extending your visa usually takes two-three days.
Medical Services: Xi'an Number Four Hospital (tel.029-8403-5110) on Jiefang Lu.
Sightseeing
Xi'an is overflowing with sights, from the big drawcards like the Terracotta Warriors and the History Museum to the more abstract pleasures of a wander through the Muslim markets. Many lie within the old city walls, which are an attraction in themselves, but if you have enough time there are sights outside the walls, and still more outside the city, from ancient temples, to pandas and holy mountains.
Within the city it's easy enough to walk, cycle or take taxis between the sights, but to get out to the outlying attractions you might want to take a tourist bus or join a tour. They are run by all hotels, with cheaper (and sometimes more adventurous) options run by the hostels.
Historic Highlights
The Bell Tower (daily 8:30 am-9:30 pm, 8 am-6 pm Nov 1 to Mar 31; $20, or $30 for a combination Bell and Drum Tower ticket; tourist bus #5). Drum and bell towers around the country were used to mark out the time in days of old, but Xi'an's are the most prominent of any large city and the Bell Tower dominates downtown, stranded in the middle of a large traffic circle. The original tower was located west of its current location in the old city center, but the triple-eaved, 200-foot, two-story tower you see today was built in 1582 under the Ming dynasty and restored in 1792. Inside the tower you'll see intricate roof truss work, chime displays and, as you'd expect, a large bronze bell, although this is not the original. The balcony, which runs around the edge of the tower, offers views over the traffic across to the Drum Tower. To get to the Bell Tower you'll need to take the subterranean passageway that runs under Bei Dajie.
The Drum Tower
The Drum Tower (daily 8:30 am-9:30 pm, 8:30 am-6 pm Nov 1 to Mar 31; $20, or $30 for a combination Bell and Drum Tower ticket; tourist bus #5). The Drum Tower was built at the same time as the original Bell Tower and has remained in place ever since. The enormous drum was used to mark time, and in times of war, to warn citizens of impending attack. Both the Bell and Drum Towers are illuminated at night, and the Drum Tower offers attractive evening views over the plaza below and on to the Bell Tower. The tunnel through the center of the tower's base leads to the Muslim quarter. There are daily drum beatings at 9, 10 and 11 am and 2, 4 and 6 pm.
Ming city walls
The City Walls (daily 7 am-10:30 pm, 8 am-6 pm Nov 1 to Mar 31; $40). A wander or a bike ride along Xi'an's 40-foot-high city walls offers great vistas and, given that the walls are completely flat, it's a much easier venture than many of the other walls you might ascend in China! From the 500-year-old walls you can see the thronging new city, yet remain comfortably and quietly removed from it all. You can access the wall from any of the four major gates and can then walk, cycle or take an electric buggy ($50 for the complete circuit of one hour and 10 mins or $5 for any one of the 15 sections). You can see as much or as little of its nine-mile circumference as you want. Guides are available at $30 for half the wall, or $50 for the whole thing, but there's little for them to point out beyond a basic introduction. There are watchtowers on each of the four corners and major gates in the north, south, east and west – the East Gate is worth stopping off at to see the replicas of ancient military contraptions, including a giant catapult. See Adventures On Foot and On Wheels for the best parts to tackle.