Best Time to Visit Xian

As the oldest capital City of ancient China, Xian is one of the best places getting to know Chinese culture and history, with the famous historic cultural heritage like Terracotta Warriors, and the Ancient City Wall.

Generally speaking, you can go to visit Xian as long as you want, and the best time to visit is in autumn (mid-September to early November). During this period, the weather there is neither too hot or too cold, and the number of tourists is relatively smaller than the summer time’s. If it is not possible to schedule your Xian tour in autumn, March, April and May are also a good choice, for the comfortable temperature. Among the best months, travelling Xian during March and November, you may enjoy cheaper hotel rate and flight price, comparing with the peak season.

However, there may be a little bit difference in the optimal visiting time, according to different types of scenic spot. For example you can visit the indoor site like Shaanxi History Museum, considering more about the crowd rather than the temperature, while you may need avoid the harsh days doing outdoor activities such as biking around the Ancient city Wall.

The followings are various factors that may affect your visiting in Xian and help you with choosing the most suitable visiting time.

Monthly Average Highest and Lowest Temperature of Xian in 2018

☀ Average Temperature: In January, the average temperature reaches the lowest point between -4 ℃ / 25 ℉ of the Maximum Temperature to 5 ℃ / 41 ℉ of the Minimum Temperature, while in July, the average temperature goes up to the highest point, ranging from 22 ℃ / 72 ℉ to 32 ℃ / 90 ℉. The average temperature of the whole year is between 9.7 ℃ / 49 ℉ to 19.2 ℃ / 67 ℉, which is comfortable for most of the people, and the overlapped comfortable zones are two period , seen from the graph, namely, the late march to the early June, and late September to the early November. The other time zones are either too hot or too old.

Monthly Average Rainfall of Xian in 2018

☂ Average Rainfall: Xian is relatively dry, almost all year around. Except for Summer, it barely rains. The rainfall is intense from the late May to the early September and the highest precipitation reaches 99 mm in 2018 and December is the coldest and driest month.

Best Time to Visit Terracotta Warriors

Terracotta Warriors Museum is located in the east of Xian (about 1 hour by car from downtown area), and visiting there would not be effected so much by climate, season and temperature, since it is an indoor site. Since it is the top 1 site for most of travellers in Xian, sometimes it will be extremely crowded. Besides trying to avoid visiting on weekends and holidays, you are recommended to get there right after the opening time at 8:30am, or come at the late afternoon when most of the visitors have left.

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Best Time to Visit Other Scenic Sites in Xian

Besides Terracotta Warriors, there are also many other amazing sites to visit,such as the Ancient City Wall, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Shaanxi History Museum, and Muslim Quarter, etc. For the indoor attractions like Shaanxi History Museum, it is less affected by the change of weather but more influenced by the crowd, while for the outdoor attractions like the Ancient City Wall, knowing the weather in advance may be helpful for your tour planning especially during the summer and winter.

Challenging Time to Visit Xian with Massive Tourists

Although the best time to visit Xian varies for each visitor, which is affected by multiple factors, the following times are surely less recommended for most of the visitors, especially the first-timers. However, if you have to visit Xian during these times, you may need to plan your trip and book the hotel early and ask an experienced travel consultant to schedule your visiting sites wisely to avoid the crowd. Thousands of customers China Discovery served have had a great time in Xian even travelling in a bad timing.>> Contact Us Now to Plan Your Xian Tour!

National Holiday (Oct 1st to Oct 7th)

Chinese National Day holidays usually start from October 1st and lasts for 7 days. A large number of tourists travel around China during this week. As a popular scenic city, Xian shares millions of tourists. Both scenic spots and transportation junctions are very crowded.

Labor's Day (Beginning of May)

Labor's Day is usually on May 1st and sometimes lasts for 3 days. A large number of tourists in the nearby cities will go to visit at that time to enjoy the spring scenery in Xian.

Chinese Spring Festival (Late January or Early February)

Since the Chinese Spring Festival is celebrated according to the lunar calendar and the actual date of each spring festival changes almost every year during the late January of the early February, namely the holiday start from the last day of one lunar year and lasts for 15 days. During that time, massive Chinese people may travel around at different scenic sites with the other family members.

Student Summer Holiday (Early July to Late August)

Most schools in China have their summer break from the early July to the late August. Families and students are travelling around at that time. Even on weekdays, the scenic spots are very crowded. Moreover, July and August are relatively hot and dry, if doing outdoor activities like biking around the ancient city wall or walking around the city, it will be very hard for you to enjoy the scenery and keep a good mood with the crowd and harsh temperature.

Insider Tips

● There are still lots of tourists visiting the scenic area on the normal weekends. Visiting the main scenic areas on weekdays will have a better travelling experience.

● Xian is relatively dry all year round and sometimes it will be very dusty. Drinking more water and bring your body lotion and cream may be helpful in the dry weather, and sometimes you may need to wear a mask when the AQI is not good.

● Bring sunglasses, sun cream and sun block jacket, especially during the summer time.

● It's very cold in winter but barely snows. Although the heating system serves most of the households in Xian, you need wear enough clothes before going out.

● In autumn, the temperature difference between morning and evening in Xi'an is very different, so get to pack more suitable clothes and check the weather forecast accordingly.

How to Plan Your Xian Tour

As the ancient capital city of China for 13 dynasties, ruled by 73 emperors, Xian has left massive cultural heritages and relics for you to explore. Within about two days, you can finish visiting the main sites, which include the incredible man-made wonder, the Terracotta Warriors, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, and the Muslim Quarter where you can get to try the local cuisines. Besides, biking around the Ancient City Wall and tracing back the history at Shaanxi History Museum and watching the Tang Dynasty Show, all of these activities are definitely unmissable for your stay in Xian. Now, it is available to have 72 hours Visa-Free Transit in Xian, and you can go for a history and culture tour or photography tour to explore all the stunning attractions in the city even without applying for a visa.

If you have more time, you can head to Luoyang, Hukou Waterfall, and the famous Mt. Huashan, which is about 120km away from the city area. Besides, you can start your silk road trip from the terminal Xian and travel along the route Marco Polo has visited, or you can regard Xian as your midway in China and start your trip from Beijing, Shanghai and even Lhasa to the west of Xian. China Discovery has designed many classic China tour packages including Xian for you. Let us customize one for you.>>Contact Us Now

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If you book a tour from China Discovery, our skilled driver and knowledgeable guide will pick you up at the airport or railway station and escort you to your hotels, restaurant, the pier and other tourist destinations. You won’t need to worry about the complicated transportation anymore and just focus on sightseeing.>>Contact us now