Xian Transportation

Xi’an transportation has served as hub since ancient times as it marked the start of the famous "Silk Road" that linked China with central Asia and the Roman Empire. It is now the core area of the “Belt and Road Initiative”, an important central city in western China, and an important scientific research, education and industrial base of China. It is also one of the first-stop cities in China for foreign tourists, provided with convenient modern transportation facilities. It is quite easy to get around. You can get there by train, airplanes or bus. 

How to Get to Xi'an

Thanks to its geographical location and city development, Xi'an offers a convenient transportation for both domestic and international visitors by air, train and bus.

By Air

Xi 'an Xianyang International Airport, 47 kilometers away from the city, is the only airport in Xi 'an and the largest air traffic hub in the northwest. It operates around 350 air lines to about 120 cities / regions at home and abroad, covering all provincial capitals, major industrial cities and major tourist cities in the country such as Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Lanzhou, Xining and Yinchuan as well as international flights to Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei and other international and regional cities. There are 8 shuttle bus lines from the airport to the downtown.

Xi'an Domestic Flights

• Xian-Shanghai Flights
• Beijing-Xi'an Flights
• Xian-Chengdu Flights
• Xian – Kunming Flights
• Xian – Lijiang Flights
• Xian – Aksu Flights

Xi'an International Flights

• Bangkok-Xian International Flights
• Singapore - Xian International Flights
• Kuala Lumpur - Xian International Flights
• Moscow - Xian International Flights
• Da Nang - Xian International Flights
• Seattle - Xian International Flights

Keep Reading

• Airlines in China
• Xi'an Flights
• Xian Domestic Flights
• Xian International Flights
• Xi’an Xianyang International Airport Transfer Service
• Xian Xianyang International Airport Shuttle Bus & Taxi
• Xian Metro Line 13 (Airport Line)

By Train

Xi 'an enjoys a well-developed railway transportation. There are three railway stations, namely Xi'an Railway Station, North Railway Station and Xi'an South Railway Station.

• Xi 'an Railway Station is located in the center of the city, near the intersection of subway lines 1 and 2.
• Xi 'an South Railway Station is the farthest one from the city and has the least number of trains. 
• Xi 'an North Railway Station is the bullet train station, near the "North Passenger” Station of Metro Line 2.  After leaving the station, you can take Metro Line 2 to the downtown area (from 6: 10 to 23: 15). In addition, the bullet train/high-speed train to Huashan also starts at the North Railway Station. There are about 10 shifts every day, the earliest one is at 9:19, the latest one is at 21:03, the second class is 54.5 yuan, and it takes half an hour to reach Huashan North Station. The latest train/high-speed train from Huashan North Station to Xi 'an is 20:50.

More about Xi'an Trains:

• Xian – Guilin Trains
• Xian – Guiyang Trains
• Xian - Beijing Trains
• Xian – Baotou Trains
• Xian – Lhasa Trains
• Xian – Shanghai Overnight Sleeper Train
• Xi’an – Chengdu Trains: Overnight Sleepers
• Beijing – Xi’an Overnight Sleeper Train

More about Xian High Speed Trains:

• Beijing-Xian High Speed Train
• Shanghai-Xian High Speed Train
• Xian-Chengdu High Speed Train
• Xian-Chongqing High Speed Train
• Xian-Pingyao High Speed Train
• Xian-Luoyang High Speed Train
• Xian-Xining High Speed Train
• Xian-Taiyuan High Speed Train
• Xian-Zhengzhou High Speed Train
• Xian-Lanzhou High Speed Train

By Long - distance Bus

Xi’an has a total highway of over 2,800 kilometers and nine large long-distance bus stations and several smaller ones, operating buses to many major cities in China such as Guiyang, Chongqing, Zhengzhou, Hohhot, etc and nearby cities or districts / counties under its administration. The most important bus stations for travel are Xian Bus Station, Xi’an South Bus Station and Sanfuwan Long-Distance Bus Station in Xian. There are buses to Mt. Huashan at Xian Bus Station. Remember to tell the driver that you will get off at Huashan Station. 

Keep Reading:

• Xian Fangzhicheng Bus Station
• Yanan-Xian (Yanxi) Expressway
• Shanghai–Xi’an Expressway
• Expressways of China
• Roads in China
• Transportation in China

How to Get Around Xi'an

Xi'an is also provided with convenient city transportation by metros, buses, taxi and sharing bicycles. At present, there are four metro lines being operated in Xi'an reaching major districts of the city, and the bus transportation is well-developed, you can get to every attraction in Xi'an by bus. 

Metros in Xi'an

At present, there are four metro lines being operated in Xi'an reaching major districts of the city, and several lines under construction, with line 1 phase two and line 13 (Airport Line) to open in 2019. By the year of 2021, 8 metro lines will be built to complete the city metro construction. The ticket price is charged according to distance of the destination, usually at 2, 3 or 4 yuan.

• Line 1 : Houweizhai - Fangzhicheng, including major stops at North Street and Kangfu Road.
• Line 2 : North Railway Station - Conference & Exhibition Center, including major stops at the famous Bell Tower in the city center and Xiaozhai commercial area.
• Line 3 : Yuhuazhai - Baoshuiqu, passing scenic spots like Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and Qinglong Temple.
• Line 4: North Railway Station - Hangtian Xincheng, covering several attractions in the city, such as Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Tang Paradise.

Keep Reading:

• Xi'an Metro Maps
• Xian Metro Line 5
• Xian Metro Line 6
• Xian Metro Line 7
• Xian Metro Line 8
• Xian Metro Line 9
• Xian Metro Line 10

Xi'an City Bus

The bus transportation in Xi'an is well-developed, and you can get to every attraction in Xi'an by bus usually at the cost of 1 or 2 yuan. Moreover, tourist buses and urban sightseeing buses are now operating in the city to meet the needs of tourists, who can choose these buses driving directly to the tourist attractions in Xi'an. See Xi’an Tourist Bus.

Xi'an Taxi

It is very easy to take a taxi in the city area, except the rush hours: 07:30 – 08:30 and 17:30 – 19:00. The taxi charges 9 yuan for the first 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) and 2 yuan for each additional kilometer (0.6 mile), and the starting price is 10 yuan from 23:00 to 06:00. When the trip is more than 12 kilometers (7.5 miles), the price of each kilometer rises 50% for the empty return.

Cycling & Bicycle Rental

Bike sharing provides great convenient to the citizens and visitors, which is easy to rent a bike at dedicated sites in almost all districts in the city, including Beilin, Yanta, Gaoxin, Xincheng and Weiyang. You can download a sharing bike app to use roadside dockless bikes. You can cycle around on the Ancient City Wall, bicycles can be rented at the south gate of the Ancient City Wall, charged at 40 yuan for a solo bike in 100 minutes and 80 yuan for double bike in 100 minutes.

Xi’an Public Transportation Card

Chang An Tong (长安通), Xi 'an city transportation card. Once purchased, there is no refund for the card, but it can be used for taking buses, subways, taxis and payment in some outlets and convenience stores on the roadside. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the refund. The card can be purchased or rented at one of the city bus companies, the Customer Service Center of any subway stations, and branches of the Xi'an City Commercial Bank and the China Construction Bank.