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Cycling the Xian City Wall – China’s Oldest Wall

Updated: August 25, 2019 by Dave And Deb

Cycling the Xian City Wall – China’s Oldest Wall

If your travelling to China, chances are you are going to go to Xi'an.  And if you do, you must check out the Xian city wall.

Xi'an is where Terracotta Warriors reside and the mighty underground army is one of China's most popular sites.

A Good Day in Xian

china photos at night xiian

Drum Tower Square of Xian looks like Paris

But the city of Xi'an is worth a visit in its own right.

China's original capital, Xi'an is the oldest city in the country.

With a history spanning over 3000 years, Xi'an has gone through many a ruler, seen many a dynasty, was one of the four great ancient capitals of China and was the origin of the famous ancient Silk Route heading west.

Touring the Xian City Wall

It's most famous ruler Qin Shi Huang D, unified China and ruled from its city walls.

We have already told you about the Terractotta Warriors, but did you know that Xi'an has the most well preserved original wall in all of China?

great wall of china

No not this wall

Qin was no stranger to Great Walls.

Besides commissioning the Terracotta Warriors, he also brought all of the smaller walls of China together to create the Great Wall of China.

The Xian City wall is the most beautiful and well preserved of them all.

It is no wonder Xi'an has such a great city wall.

xian city wall

Today, there aren't any Emperors enslaving peasants to build great monuments, but you can imagine what life was like as a sentry or an archer guarding the great city.

When you rent a bike you can cycle around the wall's entire 13.7 km.(8.5 miles)

For a mere 20 Yuan for 100 minutes you can rent a bicycle and ride on top of the most intact wall in all of China.

Surviving the elements for centuries, Xi'an's wall even managed to stay intact after the devastating Earthquake of 2008 that killed 70,000 Chinese citizens.

Cycling the Xian City Wall

cycling the xian city wall

Cycling the beautiful Xian City Wall

After giving our 200 Yuan deposit, we chose our bike and off we went riding over the bumpy cobblestones.

We stopped regularly to take a closer look at the watchtowers.

They were spaced out perfectly at 120 meters allowing for the archer's bows to reach 60 meters on either side.

The engineering is impressive.

I could see how this dynasty lasted for centuries. It would be almost impossible to break through Xi'an's walls.

xian wall china

Surrounding the city in one big giant square, the inhabitants of Xi'an could sit comfortably knowing that their wall would hold.

First Half of our Cycling Tour

For the first half of our cycle, we stopped often overlooking the city and popping into buildings above the gates and checking out the guard stations scattered atop the wall.

Soon things became monotonous and instead of stopping to look at the scenery, we started cycling simply for the joy of the ride.

xian wall bicycle

It is funny how people (namely Dave and I) stop thinking about the price of things in their own currency when travelling for an extended period.

We had to pay an extra 10 Yuan if we were late and once we noticed that we only had a half an hour to go with almost half the wall to ride, we picked up the pace and went full tilt boogie back to the finish.

We whizzed by tourists who looked at us with odd stares.  Why are these people cycling so quickly on top of a wall?

The Good News?

deb cycling the xian city wall

We made it back and didn't have to pay the 10 Yuan.  Once the adrenaline slowed down, we thought about our actions and asked ourselves, What were we thinking?

10 Yuan is a buck fifty Canadian.  We could have slowed down and enjoyed the last half of the Xi'an Wall at a slower pace and see the birds eye view of the city, but instead we had to high tail it back to save our buck. Dave said, boy, we really have to figure out how to make more money. If we're panicking over a couple of dollars, we're in big trouble.

  • 1 CNY = 6.6 Canadian Dollars
  • Cycling the Wall costs 20 Yuan and you will have to pay a 200 Yuan deposit.
  • Entry fee to the Wall is 40 Yuan
  • You can rent bikes at the East, South, Heping (Peace) Gates

Intrepid Travel sponsored our tour of China and we spent 3 days in Xi'an.  The Terracotta Warriors tour is part of the package along with a meal and breakfasts.  You are then free to explore the city on your own and renting a bicycle is highly recommended.

Read Next:

Where to Get off the Beaten Path in China

the Best Things to do in China

How to Travel China on a Budget

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About Dave And Deb

Dave and Deb are the owners and founders of The Planet D. Since launching in 2008 they have continued to inspire "Adventure in Everyone" and show that you don't have to be an uber athlete or super-rich in order to be an adventurer.

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Comments

  1. Michael says

    December 29, 2012 at 12:18 pm

    It was said that visitors can rent bicycle and ride on top of the ancient city wall of Xian, isn’t that so?

    Reply
  2. LynB says

    April 7, 2011 at 12:38 am

    Lovely photos. Yes, strange how we deep counting our dollars in these situations. My visit to China including Xian was the most wonderful experience of a lifetime.

    Reply
    • davendeb says

      April 7, 2011 at 8:10 pm

      I am glad that you had a great time in China. It was an amazing experience for us.

      Reply
  3. Michael Hodson says

    December 31, 2010 at 6:51 pm

    love that cycling shot

    Reply
  4. Melvin says

    December 30, 2010 at 7:29 pm

    Have a fab New Year in China! It was so much fun to read all your posts in 2010! I’m already looking forward to 2011!
    All the best & hopefully to a meet up in 2011!
    Cheers
    Melvin

    Reply
    • davendeb says

      January 9, 2011 at 10:24 am

      Thanks Melvin, you have a great 2011 too! Here’s to meeting up with you this year somewhere!

      Reply
  5. Ian and Wendy Sewell says

    December 30, 2010 at 2:15 pm

    LOL! I’ve walked away from paying an “exorbitant” amount for a bottle of water in Turkey. The difference? About a nickel. In Egypt I did the same thing. That time it was about 50 cents. 🙂

    Reply
    • davendeb says

      January 9, 2011 at 10:25 am

      Glad to know that we’re not the only ones, thanks for making us not feel too cheap. When traveling, our minds work in mysterious ways:-)

      Reply
  6. Jennifer says

    December 30, 2010 at 12:57 pm

    I’ve never been to China, but these photos are so, so lovely, Deb and Dave, I just have to comment. Beautiful job.

    Reply
    • davendeb says

      January 9, 2011 at 10:26 am

      Thanks Jennifer. It was a perfect day for taking photos.

      Reply
  7. technosuman says

    December 30, 2010 at 12:54 pm

    Well china is great country. I visited 2 years back just for 3 days for my business trip. I like their food and clothes. Even Chinese people are very warm and welcoming.

    Reply
    • davendeb says

      January 9, 2011 at 10:26 am

      Very true, you will have to go back for a longer trip next. Where did you go Beijing?

      Reply
  8. Priyank says

    December 30, 2010 at 11:18 am

    Hi Deb! Renting a bike is my favorite way of exploring a place. It costs much less than a taxi and you can see more than if you were to walk. Are they trying to restrict the number of visitors to the wall? you know, so that its preserved better?
    Priyank

    Reply
    • davendeb says

      January 9, 2011 at 10:27 am

      It is one of ours too. You feel free from touts and taxi drivers bothering you while your walking and you have the freedom to go wherever you want at your own pace.

      Reply
  9. ayngelina says

    December 30, 2010 at 7:44 am

    I love the second desaturated photo, the lighting is wonderful in it.

    Reply
    • davendeb says

      January 9, 2011 at 10:28 am

      Thanks Ayngelina. The lighting was just right!

      Reply
  10. Adam Daigle says

    December 30, 2010 at 6:13 am

    I really enjoyed Xi’an, too. Again, great pictures.

    Reply
    • davendeb says

      January 9, 2011 at 10:28 am

      I am glad that you loved Xi’an, I think it is one of the most pleasant cities in China.

      Reply

welcome

Hi we’re Dave and Deb, a Canadian adventure couple who left our careers in the film industry 10 years ago to travel the world. We’ve been to 115 countries on all seven continents and were named one of the top travel influencers on earth by Forbes.

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