After six days in Xi’an covering numerous attractions such as Mount Huashan and Terracotta Army Musuem, we wrapped up our last day in Xi’an with shopping, a sunset stroll along Xi’an Ancient City Wall, and indulging in a good BBQ dinner (Chinese-style).
Don’t miss what we did earlier:
- Day 1: From Singapore to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven
- Day 2: Step back in time at Pingyao Ancient City (UNESCO Gem)!
- Day 3: Hanfu & Photoshoot Experience in Pingyao Ancient City
- Day 4 (AM): Yellow River Waterfall: Travel Hiccups & Most Stressful Day
- Day 4 (PM): Hidden Gems at Mount Yun
- Day 5: Great Ladder Cliff of Yellow River
- Day 6: Lee Family Courtyard in Shanxi
- Day 7: Things to do and eat in Xi’an
- Day 8: Is Mount Huashan worth visiting?
- Day 10: Celebrate Mid-autumn at Big Wild Goose Pagoda
- Day 11: Squashed like an ant at Terracotta Army Museum
Mall Hopping in Xi’an to Escape the Heat
Our hotel in Xi’an was located near Kaiyuan Mall (Bell Tower). So that’s our first “mall” stop of the day.
1. Lunch & Shopping at Kaiyuan Mall (Bell Tower)
Kaiyuan Mall (开元商城-钟楼店) was modern, well-visited and centrally located near the Xi’an Bell Tower. However, products were not cheap even by Singapore standard. For example, a tee-shirt was selling at ¥500.
>> RELATED: First day in Xi’an visiting Bell Tower and more
I left empty-handed. Beyond the unattractive prices, the attentive customer service style made browsing uncomfortable. Staff would follow you around even after being repeatedly informed of the preference to browse alone.
One of them told me they had to, as the CCTV was monitoring their “diligence”. So while I could understand, I chose not to shop as it felt weird.
LOCATION INFO: You can find location links of mentioned places at end of post.
What’s for lunch at Kaiyuan Mall?
We randomly stepped into a restaurant that specialised in “Fish with Sour Vegetable” (渝是乎花花椒椒与酸菜鱼). Here’s our orders!
As usual, local dishes leaned towards being oily, but was tasty.
INFO: Most toilets in Xi’an including those in trendy malls were squat-style than seating.
Stomach-filled, we were ready to explore more of Xi’an. But it was still hot (34℃). So, we had to hop on to another mall.
2. Xi’an Nanmen Hopson One Mall
(2pm)
The second mall of the day was Hopson One Mall (西安南门合生汇), which felt more shoppable and mass-market. E.g. they had stores like Uniqlo.
However, many shops on the upper levels were vacant at time of our visit. So there left us with only a handful of shops to explore.
To kill time, we found a Luckin outlet and ordered Oolong Latte and dessert (¥19) which were nice. The tea-coffee mix was quite a unique flavour (not available in Singapore)!
3. Xi’an Wang Fu Jing Department Store
We hopped on to yet another mall Wang Fu Jing Department Store (西安王府井店) located just opposite Hopson One Mall. A quick stroll through the supermarket revealed that many items were priced at a premium.
TIP: Xi’an was very hot even in mid-September. Do note that many malls and restaurants have very weak aircon. Also, do not assume that all hotels in China would come with fridge.
A Walk with a View: Xi’an Ancient City Wall
(5.30pm)
Finally, the heat eased nearing evening allowing us to comfortably explore Xi’an Ancient City Wall (西安城墙).
We’d pre-purchased admission tickets online and need not join the queue.
TRAVEL TIP: You can also pre-purchase admission ticket – see latest price for the Xi’an City Wall.
The relaxing stroll along the wall was lovely. Getting there nearing evening allowed us to catch both day and night views from the top. Plus a nice sunset to boot.
Yummy Chinese-style BBQ Dinner in Xi’an
Our final dinner in Xi’an was at a BBQ restaurant – 秦炉烤肉 – located near our hotel (Bell Tower).
Our orders included Wagyu Beef with truffle and tender beef. The vegetables, fruits and kimchi were free to take, buffet-style. And our bill came up to just ¥150 for two pax.
While this meal was really good, the one at Jishan was even better as the portion there was really generous.
Maybe too generous – both of us couldn’t get over that huge plate of sliced century eggs, probably meant for four or five people!
>> RELATED: The Best BBQ Dinner of Our Beijing-Xi’an Trip
Before ending our Xi’an Experience
After dinner, we continued our way to Muslim Quarter since it’s near where we stayed. Bought the Jun Jun Green Bean Cake (¥20) – highly recommended buy! I still miss it!
>> Don’t miss: Food hunt at Muslim Quarter
Next, we headed up to our hotel’s sky garden to admire the full moon, enjoying our mung bean ice cream before calling it a day.
For your convenience, I’ve provided location links below.
Baidu Map Location for Day 12 (Last Day in Xi’an)Kaiyuan Mall >> Xi’an Nanmen Hopson One Mall >> Xi’an Wang Fun Jing Department Store >> Xi’an Ancient City Wall >> Chinese BBQ Dinner >> Muslim Quarter >> Ibis Hotel Sky Garden |
Stay tuned to the next post – we would depart Xi’an and make our way to the next cool stop along the Beijing-Xi’an route. *Hint* – we would visit a town off the beaten path that made us feel “spiritual” (even though we typically aren’t)! Stay tuned!
Essential Info:
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- Day 1: From Singapore to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven
- Day 2: Step back in time at Pingyao Ancient City (UNESCO Gem)!
- Day 3: Hanfu & Photoshoot Experience in Pingyao Ancient City
- Day 4 (AM): Yellow River Waterfall: Travel Hiccups & Most Stressful Day
- Day 4 (PM): Hidden Gems at Mount Yun
- Day 5: Great Ladder Cliff of Yellow River
- Day 6: Lee Family Courtyard in Shanxi
- Day 7: Things to do and eat in Xi’an
- Day 8: Is Mount Huashan worth visiting?
- Day 10: Celebrate Mid-autumn at Big Wild Goose Pagoda
- Day 11: Squashed like an ant at Terracotta Army Museum
