Xian Transportation Guide

Xian is situated at the geographical center of China, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road and the key to the development of West China called for by the central government. As the transportation hub of the region, Xian has formed an all-round network of air flights, railways and highways.

Taxis
Available at the hotel stands or hailed from the street. Flag fall and rates differ within the country, sometimes depending on the condition of the car. Taxis can be hired for the day for a negotiable price. There are more than 10,000 taxicabs of various types in Xian city. All the taxis are equipped with taximeters. The starting price within 3 kilometers is 5 Yuan; as the starting price with Xiali (a car brand) taxi is 5 Yuan and after that the transportation expenses per kilometer is 1.20 Yuan; Alto (a car brand) taxi and other similar taxis charge 5 Yuan within 3 kilometers by the start and 1.40 Yuan for transportation expense at every one kilometer.

Buses
All cities have frequent bus services that are very cheap as some remote locations may only be reached this way. To see the terracotta warriors and horses, buses no. 306, 307 are available at the train station. They are highly recommended for their cheap fares, speed, and frequency of runs per day.

Railway and trains
The train adequately covers most of the country with good service and is normally quite punctual. Four different classes are available: Soft Seat and Soft Sleeper which are air conditioned and cushioned; and Hard Seat and Hard Sleeper, which are not, but cheaper. There is also the trans-Siberian rail that makes traveling to Europe from Beijing possible. The subway train system is only available in Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin and may be very crowded during rush hour.

Longhai Railway, part of the Euro-Asia Continent Bridge, passes through Xian; Xian-Yan'an Railway links the ancient capital to the Chinese revolutionary cradle Yan'an, which will eventually connect to Shenyan Railway and Baoshen Railway with a section under construction which links to the terminus at Baotou, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Xikang Railway breaks through the Qinling Mountain Range and reaches Chongqing, Sichuan Province. Xihe Railway (Xian-Hefei-Nanjing) and Xizhong Railway (Xian-Pingliang-Zhongwei), which are under construction, will combine to add one more railway lifeline from the east to the west. In the near future Xian will become the crossroads of several major railways.

Flight and airport
China Northwest Airlines, one of the Big Six airlines in the country, China United Airlines and Chang'an Airlines all made their headquarters in Xian. All three airlines took full advantage of Xianyang International Airport to offer customers multiple international links to over 50 domestic cities and many international cities like Hong Kong, Macau, Fukuoka, Hiroshima and Nagoya. Xianyang International Airport is 40km from downtown Xian, and it takes about one hour on the Airport Expressway. If you take a taxi to the airport, the fare should be about RMB 80-100. The airport bus to Xian stops at the Xishaomen Ticket Office. The fare of the airport bus is RMB 15

Airport Tax
RMB 90---International flights, RMB 50---Domestic flights