More about hotels in Shaanxi
Shaanxi is where China's history stops being a museum plaque and starts standing right in front of you. Walk into the pits at the Terracotta Army and you're facing down more than 8,000 life-sized soldiers who've been guarding an emperor's tomb for over 2,200 years, no two faces quite the same. Climb up onto the 14th-century Xi'an City Wall at dusk and you can cycle the full loop around the old town while the lanterns come on below. Head south to the Yanta district and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda still stands over 60 metres tall, a brick tower built in 652 that's one of the oldest structures of its kind left standing in China. By night, the Muslim Quarter fills with the slap and stretch of hand-pulled biang biang noodles and the smell of roujiamo, Xi'an's answer to the hamburger, sizzling on every second corner.
Xi'an gets most of the attention, and fair enough, but the province runs from panda country in the south to bronze-age history out west. Wherever you end up landing, there's a stay to match, from backpacker bunks near the Bell Tower to five-star rooms looking straight out over the old wall.
Where to stay in Shaanxi
- Xi'an: the province's main event, home to the City Wall, the Muslim Quarter and the jump-off point for the Terracotta Army. Base yourself inside the wall and you can walk to most of it.
- Xianyang: the old capital before Xi'an took over, and still the practical gateway since Xi'an's international airport actually sits on Xianyang's side of the river. Quieter hotels, shorter airport run.
- Hanzhong: a green valley wedged between two mountain ranges, with wild giant pandas in the nature reserves nearby and the Han River running through town. A proper change of pace from Xi'an's crowds.
- Baoji: calls itself the hometown of bronze ware, and the Bronze Ware Museum backs that up with more than 120,000 relics dug up from the surrounding fields. A good stop for history without the queues.
How much is Shaanxi accommodation?
Expect to pay around AU$115 a night for a typical stay in Shaanxi, though it swings hard depending on how close you are to the Bell Tower or the wall.
- Backpackers/Hostels: From AU$20 per night. Dorm beds and shared kitchens, usually a short walk from the South Gate.
- Budget hotels/Guesthouses: From AU$45 per night. Small, clean rooms, sometimes with a free train-station pickup thrown in.
- Mid-range/Business hotels: From AU$85 per night. Reliable international chains with gyms and breakfast buffets.
- Boutique: From AU$130 per night. Courtyard-style architecture and local design touches, often inside the old city.
- Luxury/Resorts: From AU$260 per night. Full spas, pools and rooms with wall or skyline views.
Top-rated hotels in Shaanxi
- Xi'an Eastern House Boutique Hotel: courtyard-style rooms a few minutes' walk from the Bell Tower and the Muslim Quarter's food stalls.
- Holiday Inn Express Xi'an Bell Tower: dependable mid-range rooms close enough to walk to the roujiamo stalls for breakfast.
- Bell Tower Hotel Xian: ask for a room facing the plaza and you'll get the Bell Tower lit up every night, no extra charge.
- Sofitel Xian on Renmin Square: French polish on Xi'an's grandest civic square, with a pool for cooling off after a day out at the Terracotta Army.
- W Xi'an: bold, modern design out in the Gaoxin district, for travellers who want Xi'an's history by day and a proper cocktail by night.
Tips for finding the perfect accommodation in Shaanxi
- Book inside or just outside the City Wall if you want to walk to the Muslim Quarter, the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower without needing a taxi.
- The Terracotta Army sits about an hour east of central Xi'an, so a hotel with an easy bus or metro link saves a decent chunk of your morning.
- Xi'an runs properly cold in winter and properly hot in summer, so check the room actually has both air-con and heating, not just one.
- Spring and autumn are peak season at the Terracotta Army, so lock in a hotel early if you're travelling March to May or September to October.
- Heading south to Hanzhong for the pandas? Book near the train station. The high-speed line from Xi'an takes about an hour and a half.
Once you've ticked off Xi'an, the rest of China is an easy add-on from here. Check Traveloka's China hotel listings or browse flights to China to build out the rest of the trip.
