Getting in & Getting out

By Air
Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (IATA: XIY) is located 50 km (31 miles) northwest of the Xi'an's Bell Tower (zh:钟楼), the well-known city center. Flights are available to all other major Chinese cities including Beijing (zh:北京), Chengdu (zh:成都), Chongqing (zh:重庆), Dunhuang (zh:敦煌), Fuzhou (zh:福州), Guangzhou (zh:广州), Hangzhou (zh:杭州), Hohhot (zh:呼和浩特), Hong Kong (zh:香港), Kunming (zh:昆明), Lhasa (zh:拉萨), Lanzhou (zh:兰州), Macau (zh:澳门), Nanjing (zh:南京), Shanghai (zh:上海), Urumqi (zh:乌鲁木齐), etc. Newly opened domestic routes include those from Jiuzhaigou (zh:九寨沟), Ningbo (zh:宁波), Zhengzhou (zh:郑州) and Lianyungang (zh:连云港). There are direct international flights between Xi'an and Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Travelers from Europe, America and other countries can get to Xi'an through stops in Beijing (zh:北京), Shanghai (zh:上海), Hong Kong (zh:香港) or Macau (zh:澳门).
Taxi cabs and the airport bus are the two major transportation tools between downtown and the airport. The one-way bus ticket is 25 yuan per person, and the taxi costs about 100 - 120 yuan. It's not unusual that you encounter people asking for money at the final bus stop, as it's a good place to find wealthy domestic and international visitors.
By Train
Xian Railway Station is the major link for trains going west and east. The station is at the north side of the town. Buses to the station can be found on all the main streets, and the cost is only 1 or 2 Yuan. For taxi, the fare should not be more than 10 Yuan if you are not too far away from the city wall.
There are direct trains from Xi'an to Beijing (北京) (16 hours), Shanghai (上海) (17 hours), Guangzhou (广州) (27 hours), Chengdu (成都) (17 hours), Zhengzhou (7 hours), Hefei, Qingdao (青岛) and Urumqi (乌鲁木齐) (45 hours), etc. Potential train riders from foreign countries are advised to compare with traveling by air, as it takes many hours by train to get to other major tourist attractions in China (such as Beijing, Shanghai, Yunnan), and air ticket (especially with discount) sometime costs less than the train ticket.
The ticket office for foreigners is on the second level of the train station with hours from 8.30AM -11.30AM and 2.30PM -5.30PM. Make sure you bring your document (passport, visa, etc.). You can also buy hard seats at an office on Lianhua Road.
However, foreign visitors are not encouraged to purchase train tickets directly from the ticket office because of the language barrier and the usual crowd at those offices. Most major hotels will book train tickets for you for a nominal fee. Reserve about 30 minutes to get to the train station from city center. For peace of mind, buy train tickets one week in advance, especially during the peak travel seasons.
By Bus
Xi'an is a major highway hub second only to Beijing. There are nine national highways crossing Xi'an, and long-distance buses go to many other cities in China. Below are some important bus stations in Xi'an.
Xi'an, Shaanxi Provincial Bus Station: at the northeast of the city opposite Xi'an Railway Station. There are buses from here to Mt. Huashan (2~3 hours) and other cities in Shaanxi and neighboring provinces, such as Zhengzhou (6 hrs), Taiyuan (7 hrs), Beijing (15 hrs), Yinchuan (13 hours), Yan'an (9 hrs).
Xi'an West Passenger Station: No.17 Mid-Changle Road. There are regular buses to southern Shaanxi and also east side of Xi'an (such as Lintong County).
Xi'an City Bus Station: No.19 Fengqing Road. There are buses to many neighboring cities and counties (such as Baoji, Zhouzhi and Louguan).