Shaanxi History Museum (陕西历史博物馆)
It is not a easy task to showcase the thousand year history of a city and its surrounding region. The Shaanxi History Museum (陕西历史博物馆) does so impressively. The displays cover more than a thousand years of Shaanxi Province history. Without a tour guide, it is a bit difficult because not every display has English descriptions. However, I did learn a lot about Chinese heritage in the museum, and you got to see many ancient artifacts that you’d never see outside of China. The musuem's architecture is also designed quite grandly following Tang Dynasty style.
Although it is free to enter, you will need to book a timeslot in advance and it's not very user friendly. First, you'd need an internet connection on your smartphone and downloaded and activate WeChat. There is a QR code outside the museum that will take you to install a mini-program on WeChat. This mini-program allows you to enter your passport information and book a timeslot. We had a hard time doing this. So, at the end, we asked the ticket counter lady for help. She was kind enough to enter the information for us and got us the tickets. I suggest you go early so that you have better chance to get a timeslot.
Even though the entrance procedures were complicated, it was all worth it when you see the displays inside.
Muslim Quarter (回民街)
As the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, many Muslims decided to settle in the city of Xi'an. Eventually, they created a community and formed the Muslim Quarter. Inside the bustling Muslim Quarter, you will find many halal delicacies, such as yangrou paomo (羊肉泡馍) and roujiamo (肉夹馍). The kebabs there are to die for. If you want to know more, take a look at Wha to eat in Xi'an?. The best time to experience the place is in the evening when all street vendors are open for business.
Xi'an City Wall
The Xi'an City Wall is one of the oldest and best preserved city wall in China. It was built in the Ming Dynasty and was refurbished many times. You can easily get there by subway at the Yongningmen station (永宁门站). The wall is about 14 km in circumference. To get up there, you need to pay an entrance fee of about CNY 50. Up there, you can see bike rental shops. For a small fee, you can bike around the city wall. There is no shade whatsoever up on the city wall. So, the best time to go there would be in the evening or early in the morning. Don't wait until it is too dark though. Not every section of the city wall has "street" light and some of the sections can get quite dark. The uneven walkway can be tricky to walk on.
Up on the wall, you can also see many nearby rooftop restaurants. Some of them have live singers or pianists. You can enjoy their performances as you stroll.