Audrey

I will be staying in Beijing but would like to make a side trip to see the terracotta soldiers. Is it worth it and since I believe it is best to fly does anyone have suggestions for a good place to make the arrangements in Beijing? <BR>Thanks

clarence

My name is clarence guo,a taxi driver and tour guide in <BR>xi'an----the home town of terra-cotta figures,i often take <BR>travellers to terra-cotta museum,banpo site,and cave dwelling village where you'll visit some family still live in the cave houses which built hundreds of years ago,meet local farmers and kids there. <BR>For one day tour I charge RMB500($60). <BR>Package tour(transportation,guide,all the tickets,lunch): <BR> one person 60 <BR> two person 100 <BR>three person120 <BR>more than four 30 per person. <BR>pls check http://cnn.com/ASIANOW/time/travel/2000/0131/index.html. the story about my tour. <BR>pls visit my web site http://www.taxitour.com

cb

Yes, the terracotta warriors and miniature chariots are fascinating. Even though Clarence's post sounds like advertising, he's worth considering; someone posted good words about him. Xian has many interesting sights.

nr

How long should should one plan to visit Xian? And is traveling the best way from Beijing? Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

Sarah

I highly recommed seeing the soldiers. It's something in China that should not be missed. I stayed at the Hyatt in Xian and was there for a weekend. I also took Clarence's tour, which I thought was wonderful. Clarence is very knowledgeable about the Xian and the soldiers. I am still in awe over my trip to China. I hope to return someday.

clarence

Thank you Sarah . <BR>#3:you need two days in xi'an,one day for the figures,one day in the city. <BR> <BR>It takes 15 hours by train from beijing to xi'an,hard sleeper RMB250($30),soft sleeper RMB400($50). <BR> <BR>It takes 1.5 hours by air ,costs RMB840($100).

Cara

I was visiting Beijing in October and we made the trip to Xian to see the Warriors. They were well worth seeing, but I wouldn't recommend much more than maybe a 2 day trip to Xian. Unfortunately they were burning the fields while we were there and the air was so polluted. We stayed at the Bell Tower Hotel, but I would definitely recommend staying at the Hyatt instead. We went over there and had the bell boys help us arrange for a private driver for the day, instead of taking one of the packed bus tours. I'm sure a travel agent could help you make the flight arrangements. We were able to get a roundtrip flight for around $200 and there's typically no need to book ahead. Enjoy your travels in China - it's a beautiful country. Make sure to get out to the Summer Palace, and if possible try and get to go walk on one of the unrestored sections of the Great Wall (however, some of the areas that we went were quite steep and not for the faint at heart).