thepla

Hi,

I am going to Xiam for three nights, two full days.

I am going to go to Terracotta soldiers and want to use one of two options.

1. Private driver
2. Public Transportation

Not interested in a regular tour. Any ideas on which option makes sense and if private driver any ideas on how to acquire one?

Other question is for a hotel. I've done some research and there are some really inexpensive hotels that seem to have great location and big names (I'm plat SPG, Diamond Hilton and Plat HI, I think I'm also mid tier Hyatt and Marriott from UA and CC). To me big name hotels require taxi to see sites, old City, Towers, Muslin area, etc.

My family is staying home so being in a real nice hotel is not as important this trip.

Also, any ideas what to do that day I'm not going to Terracotta soldiers?

Thanks and advance

moondog

In the pre cell phone days, and before my Chinese skills were solid, I relied upon a combination of maps (e.g. the free ones that hotels hand out) and taxis, and never encountered a single problem.

Now that we all have smart phones, the drill is even easier. Personally, I would never fathom a private tour, and would only avail of public transit when doing so made sense.

For hotels in xi'an, I tend to value proximity to the drum tower over quality, but not all western chain properties are poorly situated.

As for what to do on your free day, that's a matter of personal choice. When is your trip, and what are your interests?

PTravel

My wife and I spent 10 days in Xi'an (there's a lot to see). I'd recommend the private driver route, as there are many interesting sites on the way to and from the warriors and going with a private driver lets you spend as much time at each as you like. My wife is Chinese, so arranging one wasn't difficult for us -- we found a taxi driver we liked and she negotiated a rate for a full day. I suspect, though, that your hotel would be able to help you with this.

moondog

Upon reading the OP again, I support the private driver option on the day(s) it makes sense.

jiejie

The Terra Cotta Warriors do not take an entire day to see. Transport out there, 2 hours on site, transport back is 4 hours, a half-day. If you have the cash, what I would do for convenience and expediency is to hire a private car/driver for a full-day rate, and have him take you to 1 or 2 other sites in Xi'an on the TCW day. Which other two are up to you, but I'd tend to put things that are furthest away from the central Drum/Bell Tower area, such as Hanyangling, possibly the Big or Little Wild Goose Pagodas. Other things possible, depends on your interest. Then on the free day, focusing on things that you can get around by yourself on foot and with the subway system makes sense: City Walls, Drum/Bell Towers and Muslim Quarter.

I would definitely stay somewhere central even if it meant foregoing using points.

thepla

I think I like this idea. Hopefully someone has a suggestion for a private driver. I've been to Beijing and have a tour guide I've met and she does a great job and real inexpensive, I hope to find someone here. Money is not that big a deal, not saying crazy pricing but something reasonable.

I have a reservation at Citadines Central. it seems to be in a great location. Most reviews are OK. Probably not a corner suite but I'm on my own this trip so don't care.

BTW I'm there 2/26 to 2/29. There was a crazy airfare for $583 from Chicago and I had a couple expiring AA SWU to use.

JPDM

I like Citadines Central. I stayed there 3 times. Not super fancy but the units are large and have kitchens. Location is perfect. You can pretty much go everywhere with public transportation. Buses for the Warriors depart in front of the train station (right side). If you decide to use a driver, I had a good experience with DingYi (18009220086 at 163.com).

moondog

+2 on Citadines Central

@JPDM: You might want to consider replacing "@" with "at" from your driver's email address in your post above.

thepla

Thanks for lead with your driver. I have him setup for Feb 28th.

sinoflyer

This is my recent (two years ago) experience with Xian. Because I went with a travel partner and she did all the planning, my recollections may be sketchy:

We stayed at a place called Han Tang Inn Hostel. Although it's a hostel, there are plenty rooms with private baths. Ours was about the equivalent of $15/night. I really liked the place--nice decor, decent kitchen serving Western breakfast and light meals, and a very social atmosphere with a mostly Westerner clientele from all over and of all age groups. There is a sister hostel called Hang Tang House a few hundred (?) meters down the street. It has a nice college-y bar that gets very lively in the evening. We had a couple rounds of drinks there with some 20-somethings whom we met on our excursion to the terra cotta warriors and Hanyangling (aka Yanglilng Mausoleum, below). Hang Tang Inn is within walking distance to the Bell and Drum Towers (5 minutes tops).

The hostel arranged our excursion to the terra cotta warriors and Hanyangling. (Sorry, I don't recall how much per person it costed.) There were 5 of us in a "toaster van." We were picked up at the hostel at around 9 am, and taken first to Hanyangling. Honestly, IMO it is a much more interesting place than the terra cotta warriors. And that's not saying that the terra cotta warriors are not interesting. We got to the terra cotta warriors at around 12:30. We returned to Xian by 4 pm. Our excursion was not guided; other than the inclusive tickets for the two sites, we were on our own after passing through the turnstiles.

Xian is great. I plan to return soon and explore a little further afield next time. Good luck and have fun.

Dieuwer

I used the bus from the main train station (at Xi'an North Gate) to get to the Terracotta Army. Very easy.
Stayed at the Ramada. Good central location.
The city walls are great to explore. Rent a bike and cycle around.
The Goose Pagoda (Big and Little) are a nice visit as well.

cricketer

The sights in Xi'an are great.. but the food is even better :-) Plenty of good advice upthread on visiting the terracotta warriors (which I just did yesterday!), but I'd seriously consider a food tour on your other day. Over the two days, make sure you try the various local noodle specialties, lots of rou jia mo (which I love), and some yang rou pau mo (more for the experience than the taste in my opinion). And plenty more beyond. Lots of good street food in the Muslim quarter and elsewhere too.

(caveat: I'm no expert, just been lucky enough to make a few trips here for work).

boxo

I began this week to plan for a first-time Xi'an trip in October. There's some pertinent and helpful information here. ^

Great to hear the Citadines is recommended. I was really trying to target the geographic center of the walled city, but the Citadines came up high on the ranked + lowest price Tripadvisor list. I've got a studio booked for 5 nights at $54/nt all in.

Question: What is the average price range for a half day/full day private driver? Average cost for driver + guide? Are we talking $75/$100/$200/$250? Just looking for an idea.

I want to do a tour in each city on the first full day we are in each city (XIY PEK PVG) to get the lay of the land.

jphripjah

What does a private driver for the day including a trip out to see the terracotta warriors cost?

I'll be staying at the Hilton, can they arrange it for a reasonable fee? Is it any faster than taking the bus? Does the bus stop for shopping?

Bluehen1

I did a group tour with Viator for $100 because I was getting in late and didn't want the hassle of arranging it. We did stop at one shop and I was the only one who didn't buy anything.

Stayed at the Hilton and while in the lounge they arranged a car and tour for some other guests. Don't know the price but do know it's doable. E-mail them to find out.