陕西省

Why this place

Shaanxi is where China's imperial age is most legible: Xi'an's terracotta army, the Han and Tang tombs across the plain, and the Silk Road's eastern terminus. It also has Huashan, the most dangerous of the five sacred mountains, and Yan'an, the revolutionary base.

What to see

• Xi'an: the terracotta army, the Ming city wall and the Muslim Quarter
• The Qianling and Han Yangling tombs, and the Forest of Steles
• Huashan's peaks and its plank walk, at Weinan
• Yan'an's loess caves and revolutionary sites
• Hanzhong's Han-dynasty sites and the rapeseed fields in spring

What to eat

• Roujiamo and yangrou paomo — Shaanxi's two signature dishes
• Biangbiang noodles and Xi'an's Muslim Quarter street food
• Hanzhong's rice noodles and the plain's persimmons and apples

How to plan

Five days: Xi'an four, plus Huashan or Yan'an.

Best time

March–May and September–November

Cities 10

西安市 Xi'an铜川市 Tongchuan宝鸡市 Baoji咸阳市 Xianyang渭南市 Weinan延安市 Yan'an汉中市 Hanzhong榆林市 Yulin安康市 Ankang商洛市 Shangluo