What to do ?

My wife and I are staying in Xian for 3 nights at the end of March and will be staying at the Shangr La Hotel.

1. We currently have a 1 day tour booked covering the main sites. Should we be looking at cancelling this and book a taxi and driver for the day instead ? Is this easily arranged ? Ive heard that all the tour buses arrive at the same time and it would be better to plan things independantly and arrive before the crowds.

2. Any suggestions for things to do, retsurants etc etc ?

Thank You

What to do ?

1) So, what does the tour cover, and how much does it cost? That would be more helpful for us to give a balanced answer.

2) Muslim Quarter, Shaanxi Provincial History Museum and Terracotta Warriors would be the must-sees. Avoid Huaqing Pool and the Qin Emperor%26#39;s Mausoleum.

What to do ?

Hi french fry

All i can can say is you would do well to take a tour. I went to Xian two years ago and i was an experience i can tell you that! Not many people speak English - even the hotel staff struggled. We organised an English speaking tour guide that took us to the Terricota Warriors. That was amazing.

the next day we felt like being heros and decided to take a walk around X%26#39;ian town centre - well that was interesting! we got lost and nobody spoke English! It took us 2 hours to find our way back to the hotel.

This place does hae a lot of history so he definately worth taking a guide who knows what they are talikng about.

Another tip - Get the hotel staff to write down a few phrases for you like %26#39; How do i get back to the Shangri La?%26#39; ,

Is this chicken? (to use when you don%26#39;t understand the restaurant menu because its not written in english)

etc - trust me it will come in handy when you need it most.

Or better, just use a phrasebook -- Rough Guide%26#39;s Mandarin is recommended.

hi,it %26#39;s nice for you to travel in XI%26#39;AN.

you can do so many things here !

rent a car and find a good english speakingt our guide is also great !

you can try the big wild gose pagoda and the history meseum and

tang paradise and so many good things.

i sued to be a professional english tour guide for 3 years and please ask me free if anyhlep i can give you !

Have a good trip in Xi%26#39;an

Jeff

Thank you all for your kind replies - I think we are stuck with our prearranged tour as the cancellation fee is very high.

Thank you

all right,it%26#39;s up to yu !

please ask me free if you have questions in Xi%26#39;an

Jeff