Xian's Terracotta Warriors in a day - is it doable?
 

Hi, My friend and I are traveling thorugh China and really want to see the Terracotta Warriors. However, our schedule is tight and we really only have a day sandwiched between morning/afternoon flights--arrive at 10AM from Bejing, depart 6PM for Guilin. WOuld we have enough time to take a taxi to/from the warriors and make it back to catch our 6PM flight? How long does it take via taxi from airport to warriors? Thanks!

You really need to do some research, I do not mean to be cheeky but look at the map http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/asia/china/ Xian is a different provence i.e. ike a different state. I am going from Beijing to Xian in March...I am flying! So No I don't think a taxi will get you there and back...maybe the great wasll and back in a day but also remember there is heavy traffic in Beijing as well. Why not so the sights in beijing like Forbidden city and go for a nice lunch or peking duck?

Hi, It takes one hour from the airport to the warriors,spent 3 hours at the warriors and one hour back,total 5 to 6 hours.

To be clear, Xi'An is around a 2 hour FLIGHT (one way) from Beijing. From the Xi'An airport you need an hour to get to the Warriors like Clarence stated.

If you haven't been to Beijing before, there are many things in the Beijing area that you could taxi to in that amount of time including the Great Wall.

it is impossiable do Terracotta Warriors at so tight time.it is about 1.5hours to there by plane.about 600miles from Beijing.

sounds to me as if the OP is arriving in Xian from Beijing and has the day before flying out at 6pm...

Yes, you may want to pre-arrange transport from the Xian airport to the site, have them wait, and then take you back to the airport. You can see most of the site in an hour or so -- if you have a keen interest, you may want to spend more time, but I found a couple of hours to be adequate, but I was not in a hurry. You have plenty of time, even maybe to stop at one of the restaurants in Xian on the way back.

I really don't understand some of the inane responses -- its as if the author paid no attention to their reading comprehension classes.

Yes, ekscrunchy, now that I read it again I agree.

OP, yes you can visit the warriors and maybe some other sites. Some people I know have combined the warriors with Huaqing Hot Springs or cave dwellings and Temple of the 8 immortals. I don't know how long this all would take though.

To all--sorry for not being clearer. We are flying to Xian for the day and wanted to see if we had time to see the warriors between flights. Flight arrives Xian around 10AM, then departs later that afternoon at 6PM. So that would give 6-7 hours to see the warriors, which sounds doable (barring an flight delays!)

Well, I for one don't like this idea.

If you arrive at 10am, it means you need to get out of the airport, travel to the Warriors site. Best timing would be to arrive at noon, provided you got all your ducks lined up in a row.

Return trip to the airport you also need to allot yourself two hours. That means you have to leave no later than 4pm from the Warriors site.

Can you do it? Sure, if I said I wanted to see the Pacific Ocean, I could make a mad dash to the seashore, see the ocean for two seconds, then get back in the car, and dash off again.

For a less hectic schedule, I'd suggest that since you are departing Beijing that you take the fast overnight train (14 hours) which will deposit you in Xian town instead of at the airport which is out of town. You arrive at something like 8 am in the morning. Maybe rkkwan or Clarence Guo can help you with the latest train schedules.

This should give you almost all day in Xian.

It's also cheaper and you can get a good night's rest in the soft sleeper compartments. Departure in Beijing is from the humongous West RR Station. Departure is about 6pm. But I'd make sure to check the schedule. Your Beijing hotel should be able to get you the train tickets - for a fee.

Good luck and have a great trip! :)

geropp:

Note the name of the second person who answered your post. His name is Clarence and he is a guide in Xian. If you want to make the most of the short time you have in Xian, you should hook up with a professional guide/driver who can help you. You don't want to find yourself hunting around for a cab, or missing your flight to Guilin.

Clarence posted his email so why don't you get in touch with him directly.

I don't understand one of the posts that advises against the visit because you will only have FOUR hours at the site. I had unlimited time, and I'm not sure I even spent four hours there. I wasn't looking to conduct research for a thesis, just to see the site and learn about it. I would even rush to visit if I only had one or two hours -- with four hours you'll haved an abundance of time.

"a taxi to and from the warriors"?

Have you checked a map? have you any idea how far it is? Do you know what a map is?

Words fail me.

This post confirms my long held opinion that some posters here (we won't mention the nationality) are so ignorant and so lacking in research skills (what the hell do they teach you in school?) that they should be banned from ever leaving their home town.

Or is this a troll?

Apologies if I misunderstood.!

I don't see why using a taxi to/from the Terracotta Warriors is so wrong. First, one can easily negotiate with a driver for a decent rate for this multi-hour excursion.

Second, the OP's willing to split their flights to Guilin and all the trouble to see the warriors, so I don't think cost is the most important issue.

And I don't understand why the OP has to squash and shoehorn everything in in 4 hours. It's not just an alloted 4 hours to see the Warriors, it's 4 hours when anything could go wrong will have to be factored in as well.

Why does anyone have a problem with giving the OP more time in Xian? What's the problem with that? Is it that it's more thrilling to run along the knife's edge and see if it's possible to just do this kind of thing?

I would advise the OP the same thing if he/she were to say - I've got between 10am and 6pm to go see the Louvre; I arrive at CDG at 10am - I'd say that's a tight squeeze and, BTW, here's another way to travel and give yourself more time.

rkkwan: the OP can go the see the Warriors with a taxi, by means of a tour, on foot - as long as he/she budgets in enough time to do the thing properly.

They may be millionaires and not care about the savings in money. I just pointed that out as a byproduct of an alternate plan.

Have a good day!

easytraveler - I agree with all you've said here. And I am one who always tell people there's more than just the warriors in Xian.

My comment about taxi is not directed against you at all. It's to the reply by "afterall" posted on 2/14 6:45a.

rkkwan: thanks for your explanation! Yes, I understood that you were answering the post that was criticizing the choice of taking a taxi. Your posts are always informative and on target.

My post was not really directed at you either. It was mostly in response to thit cho's 2/14 4:34am post. I just wrapped your taxi comment in with my general point that the OP should budget more time. I tend to be blunt in what I say and sometimes it comes out sounding all wrong.

After considering some easytraveler's comments, I have to agree that flying in and out of Xian and trying to see the warriors seems unfeasible. While I know we could see them in 3-4 hours, we would risk probable flight delays leaving Bejing and delays on the road to/from the warriors.

The best couse of action would be to take the Z19 overnight train, which on the whole is more reliable and gives us more time in Xian. My only initial concern was "sleeping" on the train, which is not something I can do easily (traveled throughout Europe on overnight trains and always arrived exhausted). While a night in a hotel sounds better, going by plane could be nightmarish, so again the train is the best bet.

It's my life's regret that I'm only provided 2 weeks of vacation per year, and I have to make the most of it. While we may be rushed to see some sites in China, I would rather see them than not at all! I am a seasoned traveler and put my heart and sole into planning great trips, and so far they have all been nearly perfect (knock on wood).