View of the City Walls from my hotel room
The wall is decorated with many lanterns and I could just imagine how beautiful it would look at night .But as usual time was not my friend, I was there for only 30 minutes during the day but I did manage to get a stunning shot of the wall from my hotel room at night.
After a few minutes walking around the wall within the area of the South Gate (Yong Ning Men), I took refuge from the sun under the gate tower. Much to my delight I discovered that this ancient wall can offer you free Wi-Fi! I have travelled and lived in modern cities where Wi-Fi services are non-existent! So there I was sitting on stone dating back several centuries posting photos on Instagram!
The beautiful Gate Tower
Even locals rent bicycles to aid them get from one end to the other faster, like a short cut or a fun way of avoiding public transportation!
Remember when you visit this place, go through the South Gate. It’s the best place to go through because it’s the largest and most accessed. The South Gate is open from 8am to 10pm and tickets cost USD9.00 (RMB 54).
Fly
Tigerair flies to Xi’an from Singapore three times a week. It is an awesome route to take when flying out of Australia as Tigerconnect, offers hassle-free transfer facility at Changi Airport. This allowed me to transit seamlessly and it can allows passengers access to more destinations on their network. Visit tigerair.com for more details.
Stay
Grand Park Xi’an – Located just two minutes from the metro station, this lovely hotel is also a five minute walk from the City Walls, a twenty minute walk to the Bell Tower and an hour’s drive to the famed site of the Army of Terracotta Warriors and Horses. The hotel offers complimentary Wi-Fi and has a lovely breakfast spread offering both Chinese and Western cuisine. Address: 12 Xi Duan, Huan Cheng South Road, Xian 710068, Shaanxi, China. Visit their official website for rates.
**I was a guest of Tigerair. All opinions are entirely my own.
I’ve wanted to go to China since I was a school child and I wrote about China for a school assignment. The colours are captivating… it’s got me thinking about a possible quilt design. So amazing. Can’t wait to read more! (PS. When you gonna take me with you! 😉 )
I look forward to a Xi’an City Wall inspired quilt design! 🙂 (I can take you and leave Joseph behind! Hahahahaha)
Wow Rosemarie and Joseph, I really can’t believe that I missed visiting Xian when I was in China. Even if I am not the biggest fan of Chinese cities, the wall and ramparts simply look amazing. Especially the gate towers are so beautifully decorated that it seems hard to imagine they were used for a military function. Thanks for sharing these great photos and insights and I will certainly make sure to keep Xian in mind for a possible next visit… 🙂
Oh yes Dennis, the effort put in preservation by the government is just amazing. I am glad you enjoyed the post! 🙂
I never knew Xi’an was once a capital city, thats fascinating. Amazing pics too..
Thank you Anna! I will be writing more about Xi’an soon, so do check back to read about this amazing city!
Extraordinary photos! The size of the walls, buildings and indeed China itself is mindboggling, as is its antiquity. Interesting approach that the city has taken to divide the Xi’an–allowing but restricting development so as not to alter the historic vistas. Great stuff.
Thank you Lesley! I never knew Xi’an was so historical until I read about it when i knew I was heading there! But once there I was blown away!
Of all the historically important cities in the world, Xi’an might be one of the most significant. Love how they have fused the modern age with the past though (the wi-fi at the city walls)!
I loved that bit too Elaine… I was like.. free Wi-Fi here? Then I sat on ancient stones and Instagrammed away! 🙂
I love visiting places like this where the juxtaposition between the ancient and modern is so evident in the architecture. China hasn’t really been a high priority destination for me, but Xi’an definitely looks like a must whenever I finally do make it to China. Also, I appreciate you sharing your experience of what I call, “traveling in color.” It’s funny how all travelers – depending on where they’re traveling – can relate to both the awkwardness and amusement that go hand-in-hand with getting attention based on skin color.
I have so much more to write on Xi’an, I just haven’t got to it yet! And yes, “traveling in colour” was an experience. It was my first time experiencing such attention. It took me a while to learn how to look at it with amusement. 🙂
I had my photo taken quite a bit in Xi’an too. Even standing in front of the terracotta warriors, young Chinese women wanted to pose with me. I found it very amusing!
Bicycling around the walls was by far my favorite thing we did in Xi’an. It’s amazing how well preserved they are!
Thanks for sharing this post, Rosemarie… 🙂 I’ve to visit Xian myself one day, that’s for sure!
Glad you enjoyed reading it Lily! Hope you visit Xi’an soon!