Xi’an City Wall: Choose a Walk or Bike Route
Walk from the South Gate to the Hanguang Gate Museum in 2 hours or cycle the full 13.74 km wall loop. Rental prices, return rules and evening tips.
Photo: pg j / Pexels
Contents
Xi’an’s city wall runs for 13.74 kilometres around the old town.[1] You choose how much of it to take on: a two-hour walk from the South Gate, or the full loop by bike. Either way you are up on the rampart, with the grey-roofed old quarter on one side and the high-rises of the modern city on the other.[2]
Choose a short walk or the full circuit
| Choice | What you see | Time and cost |
|---|---|---|
| South Gate to Hanguang Gate | Moon City, barbican, arrow tower and the Hanguang Gate Museum | About 2 hours on foot[2] |
| Full circuit by bike | All four gates, Guangren Temple and the North Gate arrow tower | 45 yuan for a single bike, 2 hours per rental[1] |
Things to Do
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Start at the South Gate
The South Gate, Yongningmen, is the best-preserved gate of the wall, with its gate tower, arrow tower and barbican all intact.[1] Metro Line 2 stops at Yongningmen station and leads underground straight to the gate plaza, where the ticket centre sells wall tickets. Every morning the plaza hosts free martial-arts shows, and from Thursday to Sunday evening you can watch Dream of Chang’an, a show built around Tang-dynasty court ceremony.[2]
From the plaza you cross the drawbridge over the moat, pass through the crescent-shaped Moon City, which holds a small museum on the history of the wall, and the barbican, then climb to the arrow tower. The walk west along the wall ends at the Hanguang Gate Museum and takes about two hours.[2]
Ride the full circuit
Buy your wall ticket, climb up and rent your bike on the wall. Rental points sit at the South, West, North and East gates. A single bike costs 45 yuan for 2 hours and a tandem 90 yuan, with a deposit of 200 or 300 yuan. The 13.74 kilometres normally fit into the two hours.[1] Every 10 minutes over costs 5 yuan for a single bike and 10 yuan for a tandem.[2]
Ride clockwise from the South Gate. You pass the Hanguang Gate Museum and the West Gate, then reach the north-west corner, where the golden Guangren Temple, the only Tibetan Buddhist temple in Shaanxi, comes into view. At the North Gate you can climb the arrow tower and look out through the loopholes. Near the north-east corner, Yongxingfang is the place for Xi’an street snacks, and the Zhang Xueliang residence lies near the south-east corner. The loop ends back at the South Gate, past the Beilin Museum.[2]
Plan the return and the evening
Bikes are rented from 08:00 to 19:00, and at the South Gate until 22:00. Before 19:00 you can hand the bike back at the rental point of any gate, not just where you started. After 19:00 all bikes go back to the South Gate, ideally before 21:30. Climbing the wall at night gives you a view over the lit-up old city.[1]
For the next stop in a wider Xi’an itinerary, continue with our China travel guide.
Sources and background
Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.
- [1] Xi’an City Wall scenic area (Xi’an Qujiang City Wall Tourism Development Co., Ltd.): 游玩服务 (visitor services: cycling the wall). Retrieved October 21, 2026.
- [2] Xi’an City Wall scenic area (Xi’an Qujiang City Wall Tourism Development Co., Ltd.): 精品路线 (recommended routes). Retrieved October 21, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
The circuit is 13.74 kilometres. A bike rental lasts 2 hours, which is normally enough to ride the whole loop. The shorter walk from the South Gate to the Hanguang Gate Museum takes about 2 hours on foot.
Yes. Rental points sit at the South, West, North and East gates. A single bike costs 45 yuan for 2 hours, a tandem 90 yuan, plus a deposit of 200 or 300 yuan.
Yes, until 19:00 you can return the bike at the rental point of any gate. After 19:00 all bikes go back to the South Gate, ideally before 21:30.
Start at the South Gate, Yongningmen. Metro Line 2 stops at Yongningmen station, and the ticket centre is on the gate plaza.
No. The walk from the South Gate to the Hanguang Gate Museum shows you the gate complex and one stretch of wall in about 2 hours. You can also return the bike at any gate.
No. You buy the wall ticket first, climb up and then rent the bike separately on the wall, at 45 yuan per 2 hours for a single bike plus a deposit.
Bikes are rented until 19:00, and until 22:00 at the South Gate. After 19:00 you return the bike at the South Gate, ideally before 21:30. From Thursday to Sunday evening the show Dream of Chang’an runs on the South Gate plaza.
