Xian

By plane

Xi'an Xianyang International Airport IATA: XIY is located 40 km northwest of the city centre, in Xianyang. Flights are available to Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dunhuang, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Harbin, Hangzhou, Hohhot, Kunming, Lhasa, Lanzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Urumqi, Wuhan, Xining and Zhangjiajie within China, International flights are available to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Macau, Seoul as well as Nagoya, Fukuoka, Niigata, Tokyo and Hiroshima in Japan, and Singapore via Kunming. As Xi'an is located in the heartland of China, it takes no more than 2 hours to fly to most major Chinese cities. AirAsia recently launched (http://www.traveldailymed...) new route Bangkok-Xian.

Most people use taxis or the airport bus to reach town from the airport, however taking a taxi is not recommended, as most taxi drivers will raise the price for non-local tourists. A taxi will cost about ¥150 from the airport to the Bell Tower downtown. You will pay around ¥ 50-75 more if you take one of the climatized Japanese black taxis rather than the typical green taxis. At the airport, both types of taxis are waiting at the same spot to pick up passengers.The airport bus leaves every half-hour from 6AM to 6PM, a ticket costs ¥25 and takes about one hour; there are several lines but the most useful are Airport Bus No. 1 no stop to the terminus in front of the Melody Hotel, at the beginning of West Street near the Bell Tower and No. 2 to the railway station. As long as there is an arriving flight, there will be a bus, so don't worry about arriving late at night or early morning; officially, on line 1 there is a bus every 20 minutes but buses will often depart as soon as they fill up. The airport bus route is the best way between city and the train station.

Getting to the terracotta warriors from the airport is complicated but can be done. Immediately when you walk out of the airport you can take bus #2 ¥27 to the train station. The train station is extremely crowded and most people do not speak English. When looking towards the train station, go to the parking lot on the right in the east of train station square, Approx.100m away and catch bus 306, also called Tourist Bus #5 ¥7. There are many fake public buses, so make sure you only take #306! The last stop is the terracotta warriors. To get back to the airport simply take the same exact route in reverse. Alternatively, taking taxi will costs you approx ¥85 plus toll charges of ¥15.

By train

There are plenty of trains transporting passengers to and from most of the major cities inside China. Keep in mind train tickets may only be available if booked far in advance most ticket sales open 10-21 days in advance; an agent can help book but will probably charge significant commission fees. Traveling in a seat hard or soft-class means you will share the car space with lots of locals. You will most likely encounter smokers, loud noise, and constant activity in the aisle while you try to sleep. *Do not* travel hard class if you are uncomfortable with these settings. Sleeper cabins are limited to 6 people each 4 for deluxe soft sleepers, which are only on a few trains from Beijing; bottom bunks cost a bit more because they're a couple cm wider and could be sit on. If traveling alone, be especially careful of your luggage! Also note that bathrooms and washrooms may be closed and locked! 30-60 minutes before getting to the train station.

Trains run to several domestic cities including: Beijing 11-13 hours, Chengdu 13-18 hours, Chongqing 14 hours, Guangzhou 24 hours, Kunming 36-53 hours, Lanzhou 8-10 hours, Lhasa 36 hours, Shanghai 16-20 hours, Urumqi 31-56 hours, Wuhan 14-18 hours, and Zhengzhou 2 hours.

Xi'an Station is at the north end of Jiefang Road (解放路; pinyin: jiěfànglù）,just outside the northeast city wall. As you exit, there will probably be lots of people offering cheap hotel rooms; just ignore them if you already have a room booked. Even if you don't, you probably don't want to get one from them anyway. Also, don't fall for the people who offer to exchange a Xi'an map for your used train ticket - they reuse them for some shady purposes, e.g. re-selling them to people who just want to get into the station or try to sneak on a train.

In Xi'an, it is very easy to get to the railway station by city bus from anywhere in the city. There are several stops within 200 m of the station look for train station East or North on a bus route (火车站东/北. Many hostels also offer free pick-up if you arrive between 6 and 9 AM.

By car

Traffic is heavy, right of way is unheard of, and the rule of thumb is "keep going no matter what" although drivers do note red lights.