Visiting Xi’an this summer? This is the only guide you need

Robynne Tindall theBeijinger

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夏日

SUMMER

旅行季

TRAVEL SEASON

Look, let’s be real: none of us are leaving China this summer. While that may mean you feel like you’ve seen everything Beijing has to offer, luckily, there’s plenty more of China to explore.

Xi’an is one of the most popular destinations in China for good reason. For Beijingers, it offers all the mod cons we know and love, but with the added bonus of unique sights to explore and plenty of incredible Shaanxi food. Have you ever wondered what Beijing would be like if the city walls hadn’t been bulldozed to make way for the Second Ring Road? Find out in Xi’an.

Make your base for the weekend the venerable Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel Xian. The hotel is in a great location in the heart of the walled city center, within easy walking distance of some of the most popular sights. It is also a 5-10 minute walk to Wulukou Station on metro lines 2 and 4, putting you within easy reach of Xi’an North Station, where high-speed trains from Beijing arrive into the city.

We asked hotel butler Danny Shao for his best recommendations for a weekend break in Xi’an. Even if you’ve visited before (and if you’ve lived in Beijing for more than a few years, we’re guessing you probably have at this point), he told us that he guarantee that there are plenty of sights you have never even heard of, let alone visited.

Sofitel Legend People's Grand Hotel Xian opened as a state guesthouse in 1953

History off the beaten path

Stay in a literal historical landmark

There’s no need to venture much beyond the city walls in Xi’an to get a sense of the city’s historical importance. In fact, you don’t even need to leave the Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel Xian.

Opened as a grand state guesthouse in 1953, the iconic building was designed by famous architect Hong Qing (who also worked on Chairman Mao Zedong’s mausoleum) and blends French and Sino-Russian architecture. The hotel has hosted dozens of politicians, celebrities, and diplomats over the years, including Zhou Enlai and Francois Mitterand.

The hotel's museum is home to artifacts from its storied history

There is even a museum on-site featuring memorabilia from the museum’s past, including a gold serving platter and matching cloche, which was used for VVIPs when the hotel was the only hotel in Xi’an licensed to accommodate foreign dignitaries. Next door to the hotel, the Grand Theatre of Xi’an People’s Hotel, which was built in 1954, hosted performances by iconic Chinese stars like Mei Lanfang, as well as actors and musicians from around the world. You can buy tickets to a performance if you want to visit the theater.

Read more about the hotel and the surrounding area in the history book commissioned for the opening of the hotel in 2014. Written by historian and writer and founder of The Most Famous Hotels in the World, Andreas Augustin, the book also features beautiful images by photographer Bill Lorenz.

Located near the Muslim Quarter, Gao Family Mansion dates back more than 400 years

Gao Family Mansion

Gao Family Mansion is a 400-year-old courtyard that once belonged to an influential Ming Dynasty official. Today, the mansion hosts craft demonstrations and shadow puppet shows. Entry to the courtyard is RMB 15, with extra charges for some of the shows and activities.

Trendy Dahua 1935 is a must for would-be influencers

Dahua 1935

Or how about some more history that’s a little more modern? Dahua 1935 is an entertainment district on the site of China’s first modern textile mill, built in 1840. The mill nearly burned to the ground in 1935 and has since undergone several rounds of renovations, including the most recent by international architects Woods Bagot, which have transformed it into one of the city trendiest spots — think 798 or Shougang Park. In addition to shops and restaurants, there is also an on-site museum (free entry) that explains the history of the area.

The fascinating rock formations in Cuihua Mountain Geopark were formed by earthquakes thousands of years ago

Pack your hiking boots

Most people rightly travel to Xi’an for the history and culture, but if you’ve been there, done that, then it also makes a great base for hiking and adventure for those with outdoorsy inclinations.

Cool off in summer at Tianchi Lake, set in the heart of Cuihua Mountain Geopark

Cuihua Mountain Geopark

Just a 90-minute drive away from the Xi’an city walls, Cuihua Mountain Geopark is a literal breath of fresh air on a hot Shaanxi day. The mountain is noted for its landslide formations caused by devastating earthquakes thousands of years ago, which also formed the highlight of the scenic area: Tianchi Lake. To get here, you can either hike from the entrance to the park (around 4.5km) or take a sightseeing bus. Entry to the park is RMB 65, and the sightseeing bus is RMB 20.

Hit the running trails at Hancheng Lake Park

Hancheng Lake Park

Need to get a run in while you’re away? You could run around the city walls, but hop in a 20-minute taxi from the hotel, and you’ll find yourself at the altogether more appealing Hancheng Lake Park. Built along the banks of a serpentine lake, the park is Han culture themed, dotted with Han Dynasty style pagodas and buildings, but the main attraction for most will be the extensive walking and running trails. Entry to the park is free.

Sink into your signature Sofitel MyBed™

A well-deserved rest

After a long day of hiking or sightseeing, walking into the lobby of the Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel Xian feels like coming home — if your home is a luxurious country house that is. From arrival to departure, you enjoy a personalized butler service, who can help with everything from room service to booking tickets to attractions. The 71 rooms and 27 suites bring to mind the hotel’s history as a VIP guesthouse, with luxurious amenities and decor and 600-thread count cotton sheets on your Sofitel signature MyBed™.

Ease tired muscles at the spa

In the morning, enjoy a stroll through the 300-year-old trees in the hotel’s 40,000m2 gardens, before cooling off in the indoor swimming pool, which also looks out over the gardens. The hotel spa boasts multiple different treatment rooms, including one for couples and a traditional Chinese foot massage room (perfect if you decided to climb Cuihua Mountain).

Discover Silk Road cuisine in Xi'an

Eat your heart out

We’d be lying if we said one of the main reasons we visit Xian isn’t the food. You could literally spend your entire weekend snacking at the city’s various stalls and restaurants (and we won’t judge if you do), or indulging in Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel Xian's wide range of culinary offerings from its signature Chinese restaurant Le Chinois to casual Japanese eatery Koi.

Silk Road cuisine

Xi’an cuisine, and, more widely, Shaanxi cuisine, is highly influenced by its location at the end of the Silk Road, as well as the city’s large Muslim population. Beef and lamb are more popular than pork (although as the city has modernized, pork has become more prevalent) and locally-grown wheat is made into a wide variety of noodles and breads. Carb lovers, this is the city for you; by some estimates, there are more than 1,000 different types of local noodles and snacks.

Xi'an has more than 1,000 different types of local noodles and snacks

Butler Danny Chao told us there are three essential dishes that you absolutely must tick off your bucket list during a visit to Xi’an: biangbiang noodles, roujiamo and liangpi, and paomo. There are dozens of small restaurants and stalls serving these dishes around the Muslim Quarter, or you can also try Yongxingfang, a Tang Dynasty-style street with more than 50 different stalls and restaurants selling snacks from across Shaanxi province.

Japanese restaurant Koi at the Sofitel Legend People's Grand Hotel Xian

Indulgence on your doorstep

You can even get a taste of Xi’an cuisine without leaving your hotel at Chinese restaurant Le Chinois, which serves a selection of Xi’an favorites alongside a menu of contemporary Cantonese cuisine. The restaurant harks back to the building’s history as a state guesthouse, when its Chinese food was renowned throughout northern China. People would travel hundreds of miles to taste specialty dishes like calabash chicken and camel feet soup, as well as the summer beef with tomato sauce that was created by the culinary team for a group of visiting foreign experts in 1953.

Sample Shaanxi delicacies at Le Chinois

Need a break from noodles? The hotel’s contemporary Japanese restaurant Koi is the perfect place to refuel in a cozy, relaxed atmosphere after a long day. This summer, Koi has an all-you-can-eat deal that gives your the opportunity to enjoy all the best of Japanese cuisine, from sushi to teppanyaki to yakitori.

Grab a frosty beer after a long day at Koi Bar

Drink in the atmosphere

It’s a Saturday evening, you’ve had a hot, tiring day of hiking or sightseeing: you need a cold drink. Pull up a seat at the hotel’s trendy Koi Bar and sip on a carefully shaken Japanese whisky cocktail or a frosty pint of beer while you enjoy lively music from 7pm until late.

However, should you still have the energy to venture outside of the hotel, you’ll find plenty of nightlife options. Craft beer has taken off in Xi’an just as it has everywhere else in China, and the best pint can be found at Xi’an Brewery near the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. If you’re looking to bar hop, there are a number of buzzing alfresco bars just outside the south gate in the parks on the east and west sides of the road.

Scan the QR code to become a member of ALL — Accor Live Limitless and enjoy up to 15 percent off with the option of complimentary breakfast for two.

For reservations at Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel Xian, please email reservations@renminsquare.com or call 029 8792 8888

This is a sponsor content paid by Accor

Image Credits

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courtesy of Sofitel Legend People's Grand Hotel Xian

Credits

Author: Robynne Tindall

Wechat Editor: Zeus Zou