Xi’an

Once known as Chang’an when it was the capital during the Tang Dynasty, Xian was once one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities with a fabled reputation and status as the terminus of the legendary Silk Road.

• Bike past the red lanterns and curved roofs on the city’s ancient walls
• Sample some of the city’s famed dumplings and pork roujiamo
• Enjoy a VIP view of the Terracotta Warriors from an exclusive viewing deck
• Soak up the hustle & bustle of the labyrinthine Muslim Quarter

Once known as Chang’an when it was the capital during the Tang Dynasty, Xian was once one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities with a fabled reputation and status as the terminus of the legendary Silk Road.

Today it is a thriving multicultural metropolis and a melting pot of religion, philosophy and technology. It retains traces of its glorious past from its Ming-era fortified city walls to its Buddhist pagodas such as the Big Goose pagoda and the incredible subterranean army of 5000 Terracotta Warriors built to protect the tomb of China’s first emperor Qin Shi Huang.

Xian is also home to the Great Mosque which is the largest mosque in China and combines traditional Chinese style architecture with some fabulous Islamic art. Another highlight is to meander around the narrow lanes of the Muslim Quarter where the Hui community of Chinese Muslims has lived for many centuries. This is a bustling world of small shops and street restaurants with the aroma of char-grilled lamb and dumplings wafting in the air.