JMBrooklyn
3 days / 2 night
Start & End in: Xian (XIY)
Level 2: This is a relaxed trip with no strenuous activity.
The Essentials:
Visit the ancient city of Xian that has been a culinary center of gravity for millenia. At the end of the Silk Road, Xian has the definitive say in how three continents and 11,000 kilometers can crescendo in flavor. From hand-pulled noodles to fried stewed chicken (yes, you read that right) to local organic ice cream, you’ll need to bring along your stretchy pants for this one.
Price
From 4,200 RMB per adult based on double occupancy. A 2,000 RMB per person deposit is required to reserve your spot. Remaining balances are collected 14 days before the trip starts. Single occupancy fees from 1,000 RMB per person. Prices change slightly due to seasonality.
Group Size
Small groups of 4-10 guests per tour.
Hotels
Two nights in a 4 star hotel located in the center of Xian, walking distance to all of the big sights within the City Wall.
Activities
Evening food tour by tuktuk, Bell Tower, biking the ancient City Wall, Muslim Quarter, Morning breakfast & market tour, Great Mosque, Terracotta Warriors.
Private Tours
We accept private tour requests for small groups of 2-12 people for any date – based on availability. Contact us if you are interested in this option.
When many think of their country’s history, they think decades or centuries. China thinks in millennia, and no city holds a greater memory than Xian. The earliest human remains here? Half a million years old. First status as a capital city? 13,000 years ago – roughly 10,000 years before the first bricks of Giza’s pyramid were made. Xian re-invents what the word “old” means.
Other accolades include being the first Imperial capital of China, the Terracotta Warriors, and holding the only fully intact city walls in all of China. And inside those walls, thirteen dynasties rose, lived, and fell. It’s so jam-packed with history, that when Xian’s Metro Line 2 was constructed, they discovered 130 ancient tombs and over 200 artifacts.
In a sense, if you want to taste 5,000+ years of history in China, you have to go to Xian. In another, much more fanciful sense, you haven’t seen China if you haven’t visited Xian with Lost Plate.
We have personally curated this 3-day food and sightseeing tour in and around Xian, and it’s jam-packed with all of our favorite eats.
The nature of this trip is relaxed. There are no long van rides and no strenuous activities. Since it is only 4 days, the itinerary is quite full but there will be time to get off your feet.
Lost Plate’s Xian Evening Food Tour by Tuktuk was awarded by TripAdvisor as the #1 Food Experience in the World.
Journey inside Xian's Bell Tower, a 700-year-old symbol of Xian and its ancient capital.
Experience Xian's Mulsim Quarter & Great Mosque which is a unique marriage between two cultures.
Visit the Terracotta Warrior army complete with 8000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 calvary horses that took 700,000 people 40 years to complete.
Driving: Approx. 1 hour from the airport to the city center.
Hotel: 4-star hotel located in the heart of Xian, within the ancient city wall and walking distance to many sights.
* This itinerary is subject to changes and adjustments based on seasonality and local operations.
Our Trip Leaders.
We personally select and train each guide that lead our trips. As the pioneers that curate each Lost Plate itinerary, and each bite, we know the ins and outs of every mile we travel. We work along-side local guides to create a perfectly balanced experience that no one else can offer.
“What a memorable trip! I’m not usually one to book vacations with tour companies but Lost Plate has me a convert! Everything was so easy, all I had to do was show up! Especially as a parent traveling alone with 2 kids and my Chinese skills are less than proficient, this made our vacation a breeze. I will go on every trip that Lost Plates offers, if I can. From booking to accommodations, activities, tours, timing, transportation, our sweet and knowledgeable guide, Noble, EVERYTHING was spot on. Don’t look any further, just put your vacation in the hands of Lost Plate.”
JMBrooklyn
“This is my second multi-day tour with Lost Plate and I hope it won’t be my last. I saw all the top sights, ate like a queen, and kept my all-important health code green. The last bit might not be the most exciting part of travel but it is the most worrisome if not take care of. I know most people come to Xi’an to see the terracotta warriors and while they are spectacular, there’s so much more to Xi’an and on this tour you’ll get to experience it. The food can be the true highlight in Xi’an, at least when you’re with Lost Plate. It’s hard to choose a favorite meal but I think the evening and morning food tours of the Muslim quarter were my personal favorites. The best part of being with a group is that you can order (and taste) far more dishes than if you were on your own or with just one other person. Plus they’ve done the advance legwork to find you the best places to eat. Highest possible recommendation for anyone who wants the convenience of a tour/guide but an alternative to a big bus tour.”
TheophaniaSeattle
“Amazing food at local, hidden restaurants that you probably wouldn’t find yourself. Authentic, delicious food! Great sight-seeing. Stayed in an amazing cave hotel and got to see the terracotta warriors!”
Joel
“This was our fifth Lost Plate Tour experience so we are clearly fans! It was a great introduction to Xian, both the local food (some of the best I’ve experienced in China) and local sites – my highlight was cycling around the city wall! Lost Plate is great at finding excellent venues and spots that you’d never find by yourself.”
Ajmy05
“This trip was an absolute highlight of my time in China. As a non-Chinese speaker, with limited time to spend in Shaanxi and a strong love of food, it took away the uncertainty and difficulty that often comes with finding the best things to eat and to do off of the well-trod tourist path. The itinerary was a perfect balance of eating, sight-seeing and socializing, covering all of the best-known sights while also veering off into territory no non-local could find. And the food was THE BEST EVER, well-curated, plentiful, and expertly explained by our guide. Thanks LostPlate!”
Joshua C
“The distinctiveness of “Lost Plate” is to combine a trip that’s off the beaten path with extremely delicious local dishes. The trip was very well organized and interesting, I enjoyed riding a bike on the city wall and visiting the Terracotta Warriors. The night in a cave and the bonfire were such a fantastic experience. About food, it’s very difficult to choose my favorite food, because the market food tour, the street food tour, the tuk tuk food tour, the local restaurants….all the dishes were delicious and eclectic! It’s my second trip with Lost Plates and I have never been disappointed. Thank you Lost Plate and see you soon for another trip!”
Chantal31
“As an expat living in China, it was a great way to explore and travel while navigating changing regulations during COVID. The company hosted a pre trip meeting to go over the itinerary and answer any questions about either the trip itself or travel related to COVID, and was responsive any time we had questions leading up to the trip. There is A LOT of food so come hungry and be prepared to eat! The food was amazing and at local restaurants that I would not have found on my own. They really take you off the typical “tourist path” when it comes to food so you get to eat like the locals and have some of the best versions of each dish in town. The local guides were great at explaining the history of the historic sites we went to and eager to share what they know. Noble was the local guide for my trip and he was friendly, easy to talk to, and over all a great person to show us around. Overall, I am glad I traveled to Xi’an with Lost Plate. It was a great way to visit Xi’an for the first time and made traveling during COVID feel a lot safer and more comfortable.”
thetravelingabroad
“Lost Plate tours are great opportunities to taste some delicious and unique dishes that as foreigners we would never find on our own and also to get a glimpse of real people’s lives. Our guide led us through the bustling alleys of the Muslim quarter from one family-run restaurant to another. We watched noodles being made, sat on a stoop as the proprietor grilled us some beef skewers, devoured beef dumplings and savored trice-cooked chicken, all in homey and pleasant settings. Our guide was very engaging and gave us a sense of what life was like in Xi’an both before and after COVID. We enjoyed our tour a great deal.”
NikolinaK
If you know anything about Lost Plate, you know that you’ll never go hungry. All meals are included on this trip. You can expect simple yet hearty breakfasts, plus lunches and dinners that offer a huge variety of dishes in large quantities. We often visit family-owned restaurants that specialize in one type of cuisine or dish, and there’s a reason why we visit every single place. We promise the food will be the highlight of your trip!
Dinners include beer. Non-alcoholic options such as tea, mineral water, and soft drinks will always be available. Drinks like soda water and cocktails will not be available at the restaurants we visit.
Please Note: Some of the restaurants we visit are Muslim-owned establishments. Therefore, beer will not be offered in every restaurant we visit.
All of our tours have been designed to accommodate vegetarian diets. With that said, Xian is one of our least vegetarian-friendly destinations. Cuisine here relies heavily on beef, chicken and pork and there is little local awareness to vegetarian diets.
With that said, we will always do our best to make sure everyone gets enough to eat. Please understand that meals are typically eaten in restaurants that specialize in one dish, so there will not always be direct substitute for everything we eat.
Please let us know when paying your deposit if you have any special dietary requirements.
We’ve rated this trip at a level of 2 out of 4, and there is no strenuous activity required during this trip. You should plan to be on your feet a lot as we sightsee and explore the sights of Xian in the city and at the Terracotta Warriors. Exploring and hiking at the caves is optional.
The renovated cave accommodations are comfortable and offer a great chance to get out of the city. Please keep in mind that while they are renovated and offer basic amenities, they are still caves. An adventurous spirit is recommended.
Yes, children are welcome to join this trip. We ask that groups with children exercise their own judgement and contact us with any questions. Due to the schedule each day, it is important that we stay on time and there may not always be an opportunity for you to take breaks or go back to your hotel for rest.
Due to limited capacities on our trips, discounts are not generally provided for children. Contact us with any questions or concerns and we will assess each situation individually.
Flights to and from Xian are not included. This gives you the flexibility to arrive and depart when you would like, on the flights or trains of your choice.
Yes! Feel free to arrive early or stay extra days. We are able to pass on our special hotel rates to you so you don’t need to switch hotels as well. Just let us know your dates and we will check rates and availability for you.
Please note that airport pickup and drop-offs to/from the airport/train station are not available for those that arrive before our itinerary starts or depart after it ends.
The minimum number of guests for this trip is 4, and the maximum is 10. All of our trips guarantee a small, intimate group for your pleasure and enjoyment – no big busses and tour guides waving flags here.
Your trip will have one Lost Plate trip leader with you the entire time and one driver/vehicle that stays with us for the entire trip.
All of our guides and trip leaders are employees of Lost Plate and trained by our founder. We do not outsource staff like other travel companies.
If you were to draw a straight line between Beijing and Chengdu, you’d find Xian roughly halfway in the middle. The capital city sits in the middle of Shaanxi province at an elevation of about 400 meters / 1312 feet. It’s bordered to the south by the Qingling mountain range which bleed into Sichuan, and to the north by Gansu, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia.
Xian has a temperate climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cold and dry winters. Spring and fall sit right in the middle, yet longer periods of rain or dust storms can occur.
As an aggressively expanding Tier 2 city, air quality is not always great but has been improving. On a clear day, the city offers incredible views of the Qingling mountains just 50km from the city center.
Yes! All of our trips are available for private groups or families, depending on date availability. Pricing will vary for groups under 8 people, but we always make sure they are reasonable. Groups of 8 or more can enjoy our published price for public tours. Contact us with your request and we’ll let you know specific details and pricing.
Our trips are in high demand and have limited spots. Deposits are non-refundable unless the trip is cancelled by Lost Plate due to the minimum number not being met. Full payment for the trip is required 14 days before arrival in Xian and is not refundable if you need to cancel.
Email: info@lostplate.com
China & Cambodia Tours: +86 156 9210 9030
Portland Tours: +1 503 409 5593
WeChat: lostplate
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