Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Hidden gems in Xi’an beyond the Terracotta Army The Terracotta Army earns its crowds and its CNY 120-150 ticket for good reason, but a handful of Xi’an’s best stops sit just outside that circuit and cost little or nothing to see.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Xi’an festivals worth timing a budget trip around Most of what’s genuinely worth seeing on Xi’an’s festival calendar costs nothing to attend beyond what you’d already spend wandering the city. Below are the dates that matter for 2026, what’s actually free, and the one week you should avoid entirely.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Where to eat cheap in Xi’an Xi’an is one of China’s great street-food cities, built on Shaanxi wheat cuisine and the Hui Muslim Quarter’s halal cooking. A full bowl of noodles rarely runs past CNY 25, and the priciest thing on this list is a multi-course banquet, not a plate of street food.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Free and cheap things to do in Xi’an Xi’an’s most famous sight, the Terracotta Army, isn’t free, but a surprising amount of the rest of the city is. The Shaanxi History Museum charges nothing at the door, the Muslim Quarter’s night market costs whatever you spend on food, and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda’s own fountain show is free every evening.