西安英文介绍

Getting Around Xi¡¯An

For the casual tourist, Xi¡¯An city seems smaller than it really is. Many tourist attractions, the most well-known places to eat and local nightlife hot-spots are located within walking distance of each other and those that aren¡¯t can be reached via relatively quick and cheap taxi rides.

The city is arranged in a grid, with streets running north-south and east-west. The central area is boxed within the ancient city walls. Skyscrapers only appear outside the city walls as buildings inside are subject to height restraints. The Bell Tower represents the center of the city with 4 large streets running in each direction: Bei Da Jie (±±´ó½Ö), Nan Da Jie (ÄÏ´ó½Ö), Xi Da Jie (Î÷´ó½Ö), Dong Da Jie (¶«´ó½Ö) (translations). Just a few of the places of interest within the city walls are the Drum Tower and the drum tower park, The Great Mosque, Defuxiang caf¨¦/bar street and many great restaurants. Within the city, tourist spots that lie outside the city walls include the Big Goose Pagoda, Small Goose Pagoda and The Shaanxi History Museum to the south of the city wall and Banpo Museum to the east. Outside of the city is The Terra Cotta Warriors and Huaqing Pool to the east and Hua Mountain to the west.

To appreciate the size of the city here are some examples:

- It takes about 90 minutes to bike in a circle on top of the city wall.

- The South Gate of the city wall is visible from the Bell Tower.

- It¡¯s a 20 yuan taxi ride from the Bell Tower to the Big Goose Pagoda.

The railway station is next to the north-east corner of the city wall. Jiefang Lu (½â·Å·) runs south of the train station to intersect with Dong Da Jie (¶«´ó½Ö). There are several long-distance bus stations scattered around Xi¡¯An. Conveniently, the main long-distance bus station is right next to the train station. The airport (Xianyang International Airport, ÏÌÑô¹ú¼Ê»ú³¡) is located about 30 kilometers to the north-west of Xi¡¯An

city. It can be reached via taxi (100-150 yuan) or shuttle bus.

Maps

Maps found on the internet may or may not be up-to-date. Whichever way you enter Xi¡¯an, hawkers selling maps will find you a few minutes after you arrive. If you¡¯re lucky, they will also be carrying an English map with them. Maps found at hostels or hotels can also be useful for tourists but be aware that those may not be drawn to scale.

Taxis

Taxi is a great way to get around inside Xi¡¯An city. The roads in the central district are fairly well organized but be warned that some of the main roads can become very congested during rush hour.

The price is only 6 yuan for the first 2 kilometers (7 yuan between 10pm and 6am) and 1.5 yuan for every additional kilometer. The fee is rounded off to the nearest yuan.

Public Transit

Buses are a cheap option for getting around if your travel group is small. Bus fares are usually 1 yuan for normal buses and 2 yuan for buses with air conditioning. There is a third fare schedule that involves paying based on the distance travelled.

Tourist bus numbers have been changed so the buses themselves may have 2 different bus numbers. For example bus number 306 is also bus number ÓÎ5 (travel 5, you 5).

Construction on Xi¡¯an¡¯s first subway line is planned to be completed later in 2007.