There are the Terracotta Warriors, of course. A lot of people come back unimpressed from them, but it is fairly enjoyable. See Pt 2 first, then Pit 3, then the biggest - Pit 1. Doing Pit 1 first makes the rest a huge anti-climax. There are also some hot springs out in the same direction (neither actually in Xian, maybe an hour-2 hours bus out there). But if you have been to proper hot springs, I would say avoid, as usually it's just a bath!
In the centre of Xian, there's Bell Tower and Drum Tower. You can climb Bell Tower and pay a few quid, and ring the gong, if you so desire. There's also a Big and Small Goose Pagoda, I have been to Big Goose, which is nice to wander around the grounds. It can get touristy, you will probably be asked to buy many, many things you don't want. Climbing the tower is fun, but the smog here can get vicious, especially at the moment, so photo opportunities are limited. There's a Muslim Quarter northwest of the centre of Xian, lots of stuff to buy. The Lonely Planet says it is the best place for food, but you have to pick carefully, a lot of vendors there aren't great. Most of the places I hang out are not in the centre. Xian is best for just wandering around, the tourist places can get very tiring, especially in the centre of town, when, despite the many tourists they see, people will still shout 'Hello' at you continously. Walking the wall that surrounds the centre is the best bit about here, I think. And there are some nice parks to walk through, seeing people doing TaiChi. There's also a Beijing Opera-style tourist trap, where everyone is taken. I hated it, it's too difficult to get a beer.
I haven't found any great Chinese restaurants in town, there's a good Italian and a Japanese restaurant we go to, but for normal food, we go to a local restaurant, south of the wall. The food is usually good on East Street, walk a little way down it from Bell Tower, and there's a row of food windows on your right, past the big department store called KaiYuan. Just pointing usually suffices for ordering.
Very few people here speak English, which can be frustrating, but generally people are friendly. And haggle continously, they think we like it, and so will start at ludicrous prices for fun!
Hope this has helped...
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