Beijing and Xi'An
 

I'll be in Beijing for about 6 days - after seeing the main sights there will I have time to fit in a quick trip to Xi'An - how long would it take and is it an expensive place to visit.
Thanks!

I think you will have plenty of time to visit Xian, and it's worth your time. Besides the terracotta warriors, Xian is a beautiful city. It's no more expensive than anywhere else in China. We took the overnight train there. Didn't sleep much, but it was an experience and didn't us up day times hours for travel.

Yes, Xian is worthy for a visit. Hotel and meals are not expensive compared with Beijing. You can either board a overnight train or fly to Xian. On night in Xian is enough for the sightseeing.

"On night in Xian is enough for the sightseeing." - well, you can see the warriors, and probably the Great Mosque in one day, but there is much more to do in Xi'an if you have the time. Temple of the Eight Great Immortals, Big (and Small) Wild Goose Pagoda, Shaanxi History Museum, stele museum, plus just wandering around both the Muslim quarter and the back streets, and some people like to bike the wall.

Xian travel has 2 routes.

The Eastern route goes to Terra Cotta Site, Hua Qing Hotspring, Shaanxi History museum...........

The western route usually goes to 3 places:
Famen temple, the temple houses the holy finger bone of Sakyamuni buddha.
Qianling Tomb, the tomb of the only Chinese empress & her hubby.
Maoling Mausoleum, the largest Chinese mausoleum built in Han Dynasty.

Each route takes at least one whole day.

bookmarking

I only had 1 day in Xian and wished I had 1 additional day. I took the overnight train from Beijing and spent the entire day at the Terracotta Warriors site. I only had a little time to explore the Muslim markets and would had like more time to explore what else the city had to offer.