Asia - Beijing to Xián to HK

I need a little bit of help trying to plan the 1st part of my Asian trip. I want to see The Great Wall of China (any non-tourist section) , The Terra Cotta Warriors in Xian then head to Hong Kong. Is it possible to see The Great wall & the Terra cotta warriors in one day or do I need to stay one/two nights in a hotel and split up my activities.

Then whats the easiest way to get from that part of China to Hong Kong?

p.s I will be traveling w/ my 13yr old son and around June/July 06.

Thanks :)

I want to see The Great Wall of China (any non-tourist section) , The Terra Cotta Warriors in Xian then head to Hong Kong. Is it possible to see The Great wall & the Terra cotta warriors in one day or do I need to stay one/two nights in a hotel and split up my activities.

This is a miniature 'Around the World in 80 Days' kind of challenge. It's possible, but there's no point. You could hire a car and driver, start very early in the morning, spend a couple of hours only on a relatively near point of the Wall, have yourself delivered straight back to the airport by about 12 noon. Hope to fly around 1pm arriving Xi'an around 2.40pm, and then get a taxi to take you directly to the Warriors. Unfortunately the airport is actually in Xianyang, quite some distance northwest of Xi'an, and the Warriors are to the east. You might make it by 4.30pm. The site closes at 6pm, which means they start herding you out from 5.30pm.

To see a remoter and less visited part of the Wall you'll need a day. You could take an evening flight to Xi'an (they go as late as 8pm), but you should never, in China, plan any kind of itinerary with tight connections--many things can and often do go wrong.

Better to stay a night in Beijing and fly to Xi'an the next morning. See the Warriors in the afternoon.

Then whats the easiest way to get from that part of China to Hong Kong?

There are daily direct flights to Hong Kong from Xi'an, or about eight flights a day to Shenzhen, which is substantially cheaper. From there a courtesy bus takes you in under ten minutes to the Fuyong dock, from where an express ferry takes you to Kowloon.

There are prices and schedules here:

http://www.turbocat.com

There is an awful lot to see in Xi'an besides the warriors, and the warriors themselves (and things in the vicinity) warrant a full day. I suppose, if you were on a show like The Amazing Race, you could see the Wall and the warriors in a single day, but it wouldn't be pleasant. The closest section of the Wall to Beijing is Badoling, which is a good 1 to 1-1/2 hour drive from the city. The flight from Beijing to Xi'an takes an hour, and you'll need to add at least an hour (and preferrably two) on the Beijing side to manage getting through the airport. The Warriors are outside of Xi'an proper -- another 45 minutes to 1-hour by cab.

I wouldn't do it -- what's the point?

Xi'an has the only fully intact medieval city wall left in China, a beautiful 1,000 year-old mosque (and a vibrant and intersting Muslim quarter), ancient pagodas and temples, lots of great restaurants and a cultural theme park. We spent 8 days there in January, and could easily have added a few more days if we wanted to take some interesting day trips.

Xi'an has the only fully intact medieval city wall left in China

I'd just like to point out that a long section of Xi'an's wall near the railway station was completely missing for several decades and until recent times (if stories I've heard of its reconstruction are true) and during the last decade or so several sections have been pulled down to allow the passage of roads, and rebuilt with arches.

It's also rather far from being the only remaining city wall, and the others are mostly more original and more complete than those of Xi'an, including those of Wanping (outside Beijing), Chongwu (reached from Fuzhou), and most notably Pingyao in Shanxi Province. There are the earthern cores and or partly-clad remnants of many others.

But there is indeed a great deal more to see in Xi'an than just the Warriors, and I'd like to vote for the Shaanxi History Museum, and for the well-known temples and tombs in the surrounding countryside. (Xingjiao Si is a personal favourite.)

The most touristy (and close) section of the Great Wall to Beijing is Badaling. I went to Simaitai which is about 2 hours outside of Beijing. The climb is strenuous and the wall is not really reconstructed (which is why the climb is so strenuous). It was an amazing experience. I highly recommend going to a portion of the wall that is not as touristy.

I agree with everyone that Xi'an is much more than the Terracotta soldiers. Also keep in mind that the Terracotta soldiers are outside of town.

It's impossible to do both in a day.

It's impossible to do both in a day.

As others have pointed out, it is possible, but not one of the best ideas ever suggested on FT.

Remember, during the summer, sunrise happens at around 430a so you could leave at 3a, get to the wall at sunrise, spend 3 hours there, and be back to the airport by 9a. If you do this, a trip report is a must.

Thanks a lot for everone's response. You've been a big help. Also, it's given me a better understanding of how much time I need to allow for my some of my activites. I now see that I need to add a few more days to my northern part of my Asian trip.