Seven private days through Shaanxi in one clean line — the pits at Lintong and the Tang springs at Huaqing, the Ming city wall, the Shaanxi History Museum and the Tang avenues of Qujiang, then a full day on Huashan climbing west-up and north-down, a day above the clouds on Taibai, and westward to Qianling and the food lanes of Yuanjiacun.
Seven days in Shaanxi is long enough to do the two things this province does better than anywhere else: the deep, continuous history of the Wei River plain, and the hard granite of the Qinling range that walls it in on the south.
The first three days are the classical Xi'an circuit — the pits at Lintong and the Tang springs at Huaqing, the Ming wall walked or cycled, the Shaanxi History Museum, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and the Tang-lit avenue of Datang Everbright City after dark. Day four is Huashan, climbed the sensible way: cable car up the west peak, the ridge path across the south and east peaks, and the north cable car down. Day five is Taibai, the highest massif in the eastern Qinling, with two cableways, a boardwalk at 3,500 metres and a hot-spring hotel at the foot of the mountain. Then west to Qianling — Wu Zetian's tomb and its wordless stele — and to Yuanjiacun, a rebuilt Guanzhong village where the food is the whole point.
It is private throughout: a five-seat car and driver, a guide for five of the seven days, and a group that is only ever your own party. We quote from two travellers, and the two mountain days are the reason the guide stays at the base rather than walking behind you — this page explains that plainly, because it is the one thing guests ask about.
Three pits and the bronze chariots at Lintong, with headsets included so you can hear the detail: how the figures were made, how they were broken, and how they are being put back together.
The long cable car to the west peak, then the ridge path south to east and down by the north cableway — five to six hours on the mountain, all the scenery, none of the all-day stair climb.
Thirteen kilometres of rampart on the original Tang foundations, wide enough to ride a bicycle around. We start at Yongning Gate, the grandest of the four.
The best single collection in China outside Beijing, and free — which is why slots are gone weeks ahead. Reservation and shared-group commentary are in the price.
Two cableways and a boardwalk take you to 3,511 metres, where the Qinling turns to alpine meadow and the plain disappears. Then a hot-spring hotel for the night.
Wu Zetian's tomb under Liangshan, the wordless stele, the underground murals of Princess Yongtai — then Guanzhong noodles in a rebuilt village street.
Your driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a name board — any flight, any hour. Fifty minutes into the city, with the guide joining you at the hotel.
A 4-star or high-grade hotel inside the Ming wall, which puts the old city on foot. Bags down, lunch nearby, and time to sleep off the flight if you need it.
The two Ming towers stand a few hundred metres apart at the centre of the old city, floodlit from dusk. Walk the square, then eat your way up Beiyuanmen — yangrou paomo, roujiamo, cold noodles. Dinner is your own.
An hour east of the city. Pit 1 first, before the coach crowds — the long hangar of infantry and horses, then Pit 2 and Pit 3, then the bronze chariots in the museum hall. Headsets included, so the commentary does not have to compete with the room.
Simple local restaurants near the site — biangbiang noodles are the local order. Own cost.
Ten minutes away: the Tang imperial hot springs under Mount Li, the pools of the concubine Yang Guifei, and the buildings where Chiang Kai-shek was arrested in 1936. Ticket and headset included.
An hour back into the city. The evening is yours — the Song of Everlasting Sorrow show at Huaqing runs April to October on its own ticket, and we can book it if you want to stay out.
Up onto the rampart: 13.7 kilometres around, twelve metres wide on top, built by the Ming on Tang foundations. Walk a stretch, or hire a bicycle and do the full loop in about ninety minutes.
Chronological galleries from Zhou bronzes to Tang gold, with the shared-group commentary included. Entry is free but reserved in your name — that reservation is one of the things we handle for you.
The Tang pagoda built to hold the sutras Xuanzang carried back from India, still standing on its original foundations after thirteen centuries. Temple entry included; the climb up the pagoda itself is not.
The pedestrian avenue south of the pagoda, built to Tang proportions and lit like a film set — street performers, the Tang women in costume, the fountain at the north end. Dinner along the avenue, own cost.
Two hours east by expressway to the visitor centre at the foot of the mountain, with a stop for breakfast on the way. Your guide briefs the route here and stays at the base.
The long gondola up the western flank — twenty minutes of cliff face and gorge, arriving just below the west peak. Shuttle bus inside the scenic area and the cable car are both included.
The ridge path: the west peak's lotus-shaped summit, then the south peak at 2,154 metres, the highest point of the range, then east across to the chess pavilion. Stone steps throughout, chains to hold, tea houses and noodle stalls on the way.
Down the north ridge to the north peak, then the cableway and shuttle back to the car park. Meet the guide and driver, and an easy two hours back into the city. The famous plank walk is optional and costs extra on the mountain — most people settle for looking.
Two hours west along the Wei valley to Meixian and the Taibai Mountain gate. The massif tops out at 3,771 metres — the roof of the eastern Qinling — and the road only takes you to the bottom of the cableway.
The scenic-area shuttle runs up the valley, then the Tianxia cableway climbs in one long sweep to Tianyuan Difang at 3,511 metres. From there the timber boardwalk crosses alpine meadow and low juniper — slow walking, thin air, and on a clear day the whole Guanzhong plain below.
Walk across to the second cableway and descend on the other side of the valley, with the shuttle back to the gate. Both cableways and the shuttle are in the price.
A high-grade hot-spring resort for the night — the water comes out of the Qinling at temperature, and after a day at altitude it is the right way to end it. Dinner is your own; the hotel restaurant is the easy choice.
An hour and a half west, to the tomb Wu Zetian built for herself and her husband Gaozong — the only Tang imperial tomb never robbed, with the wordless stele standing in front of it and the sixty-one foreign envoys, all headless, along the spirit way. Shuttle bus included.
One of the satellite tombs, dug into the hillside and open to visitors: a sloping corridor down to the burial chamber, with Tang murals of court ladies still on the walls. Cool, quiet, and usually almost empty.
A Guanzhong village rebuilt as a working food street: oil-splashed noodles pulled to order, donkey-burger, cold rice noodles, vinegar and chilli by the jar. Lunch here, own cost — this is the meal people remember.
An hour and a half back into the city and the same hotel as the first four nights. The last evening is free.
Shuyuanmen for brushes, ink and rubbings; the Muslim Quarter for dried fruit and spice; the old city for everything else. Your guide knows which shops do not inflate for visitors.
Timed to land you at the terminal three hours before an international departure, an hour's drive from the city. The tour ends at the kerb.
Days are ordered to keep the two mountains apart and to put Lintong on a weekday where possible; the sequence can be swapped around your arrival and departure times. Huashan's cableways close in high wind, and Taibai's in lightning — if either shuts we reorder the days rather than cancel them.
Staying inside the wall is the difference between seeing Xi'an and walking it: the Bell Tower, the Muslim Quarter, the wall itself and Shuyuanmen are all within twenty minutes on foot. The Taibai night is deliberately different — a hot-spring resort at the foot of the mountain, where the water is the reason to stay.
Yes. One five-seat car, one driver, one guide, and only your party — we never add strangers. The quotation on this page is for two travellers; three or more costs less per person and we will re-quote on request.
Because it is the arrangement that works best on both mountains. Guides are not mountain guides, the routes are cable-car based and heavily signposted, and the mountain staff handle safety. Your guide briefs you at the base, hands you the tickets, and stays on the phone all day. It is also cheaper: their cable-car and shuttle tickets would otherwise be added to your bill.
All first-entry tickets, shuttle buses and cable cars are: Terracotta Army, Huaqing, the city wall, Huashan, Taibai, Qianling and Princess Yongtai's tomb, plus both pagoda-area entry and the museum reservation. Not included: the pagoda climb, the plank walk, and evening shows.
The cable car removes the climb, but you still walk five to six hours on stone steps between the peaks, with chains to hold and some exposure. Fit adults manage it comfortably. If you would rather not, we can shorten it to the west and south peaks and come back down the same way.
The English-speaking guide costs more and is worth it for the museum and the tombs, where the explanation is the visit. The Chinese-speaking guide is fine if your party reads Chinese, or if you mainly want logistics handled. Both are quoted on this page.
Yes. We can add flights from Hong Kong, a night before and after, and an extension to Luoyang, Pingyao or Beijing. Ask for one combined quotation with the tour.