Xian Travel Tips for Senior Travelers

Xi’an is one of the most popular tourist destinations in China for travelers both at home and abroad due to its profound history and culture. Your senior tour to China is not complete without visiting this legendary capital and ancient China. Except for the famed Terra-cotta Warriors, there are so many things waiting for you to unveil. Here we provide the best things to see and practical Xi’an travel tips for seniors and older adults.

Top Tips for Seniors Traveling in Xi’an

1. Xi’an Weather

Located in the middle part of China, Xi’an enjoys a mild continental monsoon climate with distinct seasons. In terms of weather, the best time to visit Xi’an is from March to June and September to October. But of course you can visit Xi’an at any time. Just remember to check the weather forecast for clothes packing. >>read more on Xi’an weather

2. Xi’an Food

You can rest assured that it’s easy to find western food in Xi’an City. If you are interested in China food, Xi’an won’t disappoint you. You can find a variety of Chinese cuisine and snacks in Xi’an. As for the traditional food of Xi’an, it has a strong character of China’s northwest flavor, with wheat flour-based foods like noodles and dumplings. One of the most famous local food is called roujiamo in Chinese. It’s a baked bun stuffed with lamb or beef. You can consider it as the Chinese-style burger. You can also enjoy halal food in Xi’an. Click to find out the top 10 food in Xi’an

If you are visiting Xi’an with a China travel agency like Easy Tour China, you can discuss your food habits and allergies with your travel consultant. So the local operating team can arrange accordingly.

3. Xian Transportation

Senior visitors can reach Xi’an easily by plane and high-speed train. Xian has an international airport and several railway stations connecting major tourist destinations, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guilin, and Hong Kong. It’s also convenient to get around Xi’an by taxi, bus, and metro.

4. Admission Tickets Reservation

Many tourist sites in Xi’an require reservation online in advance, including the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum (the place to see Terracotta Army), Shaanxi History Museum, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, and Huaqing Palace. If you book a Xi’an tour package with a travel company, they will handle the reservation for you.

5. Toilet Issue

Traditionally Chinese people prefer to use squat toilet, especially at public restrooms. Many tourist spots have sitting toilets now, but you still need to prepare for the squat toilet when traveling to less-visited areas by overseas travelers. In addition, please prepare yourself with toilet paper because most of the public toilets do not offer free toilet paper.

6. Packing Tips

7. Language Barrier

Though it’s pretty safe to travel in China independently, language barrier is still an issue. Despite the kindness of local people, they may not be able to communicate with you in English. So we highly recommend the senior to book a senior tour to Xian with a professional travel company.

5 Best Things to Do in Xian for Senior Travelers

Terracotta Warriors

The mysterious and iconic Terracotta Army in the Mausoleum of China’s First Emperor Qin Shi Huang is without doubt the top one place to go for any senior tour to China and Xian. Covering an area of over 56 square kilometers, the tomb complex of Qin Shi Huang is the largest burial site in the world. Accordingly, nearly 700,000 labors slave away for about 40 years to build the mausoleum since 247 BC. These life-size terracotta warriors guarding the first emperor’s tomb for eternity are unique with individual facial features and styles. When visiting the mausoleum of China’s First Emperor, you can explore three excavated pits and exhibitions with selected collections.

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, or called Big Wild Goose Pagoda, is another landmark of Xi’an City that senior citizens should not miss. Located in Da Ci’en Temple, the pagoda is the earliest and biggest square pavilion-style brick pagoda built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Buddhist monk Xuanzang made a 17-year pilgrim to India along the Silk Road and brought back a mass of Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures. Later, he proposed to build the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda for the study and storage of Buddhist scriptures. You can climb to the top and have a panoramic view of the city, or enjoy a music fountain show held on the square at night.

Xi’an City Wall

Xi’an City Wall is the most well-preserved ancient city wall in China. It was used as a military defense system in the ancient time of China. Having a relaxing walk the ancient city wall of Xi’an is also a nice activity for senior visitors. Stroll at a leisure pace, discover the bricks and watchtowers, and enjoy the magnificent views of the central area of Xi’an City.

Many travelers prefer to bike on the city walk. But it should be noted that the elderly over 65 years old are not allowed to ride bikes on the ancient city wall due to safety issues.

Muslim Quarter

Muslims traveled and settled in Chang’an (today’s Xi’an) via the Silk Road since the Tang Dynasty. Nowadays, there are about 65,000 Muslim people living in Xi’an. The Muslim Quarter (Huimin Jie in Chinese pinyin) is the hub of Xi’an’s Hui (Chinese Muslim) community and a popular snack street for locals and tourists alike.

There are all kinds of snacks and halal foods for you to savor, including the roujiamo, soup dumplings, noodles, lamb skewers, dried fruits, etc. Beyond the main street selling food, there are narrow alleys with souvenirs.

Shaanxi History Museum

As one of the “Four Great Ancient Capitals of China”, Xi’an have served as the capital city of 13 dynasties for over 1,100 years in ancient China. With great significance in Chinese history and culture, Xian has numerous historical relics for you to uncover. 

As one of the top 10 museums in China, Shaanxi History Museum is the right place to learn the cultural heritage and civilization of China. The museum is the first large-scale modern national museum in China andhouses over 370,000 extraordinary cultural items, offering a glimpse into the history of ancient China.

Senior Tour to Xian & China

Here are some of our most popular tour packages for senior visitors to Xi'an City and China. Take them as inspiration when planning your senior trip. Or feel free to contact us and custom a personalized tour for you.