Short answer
Xi'an's metro is clean, bilingual and cheap, and it covers nearly everything inside the city wall plus the airport. Fares are distance-based: about ¥2 for the shortest hop, ¥3–7 for most tourist trips, roughly ¥9 at the top end. You tap in, tap out, and the gate charges by distance travelled.
Payment is where visitors get stuck. The working method for nearly everyone is the transit QR code inside Alipay or WeChat — no separate app, no card. Ticket machines also take cash. Foreign contactless cards and phone taps do not work at the gates, and only a limited number of stations have POS machines for international cards.
The one trip that needs planning is the Terracotta Army, which has no metro station. Line 9 gets you to Huaqing Pool near Lintong, then a bus covers the rest; Bus 306 from Xi'an Railway Station is the alternative. Bell Tower, the City Wall, the Muslim Quarter and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda all sit on a line.
Fares, and what a ride costs
Xi'an Metro prices by distance with a floor of about ¥2; a full day of riding costs less than a coffee. The levels below are what current guides publish, not a fixed table.
| Journey | Typical fare | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Short central hop | Around ¥2 | Bell Tower to Yongningmen, Line 2 |
| Most tourist trips | ¥3–7 | Bell Tower to Dayanta, or to the North Railway Station |
| Terracotta Army, metro plus bus | About ¥11–17 | Line 9 to Huaqing Pool, then Lintong bus 602 or 613 |
| Bus 306 from Xi'an Railway Station | About ¥7 | Roughly one hour to the site |
Setting up the QR code before you need it
A foreign phone number is normally enough to register Alipay or WeChat, but verification is not instant, and doing it at a station entrance is a bad trade.
- Install Alipay and finish identity verificationPassport details plus a live photo check, before you fly.
- Open the transport section and select Xi'anAlipay's Transport (出行) section has a city selector; some builds also expose a Xi'an electronic metro card. Both produce the same gate code.
- Set up WeChat as a backupWeChat uses a ride-code mini-program instead of the Alipay flow, so one failed verification does not end your day.
- Scan in, scan outHold the code over the reader at entry and at exit. Nothing to buy.
If the QR code fails: machines, tokens, staff
Ticket machines are the fallback: cash in common note denominations, an English option, and a plastic token you tap on entry and drop into a slot to leave. Change on large notes is not guaranteed.
Foreign cards come last. A limited number of stations have POS machines for Visa, Mastercard, JCB and American Express, and the count grows with the network — ask at the counter. Contactless taps, Apple Pay and Google Pay included, do not work at the gates.
The airport run: Line 14
Xianyang airport sits about 40 km northwest of the centre and Line 14 connects it. Airport West station serves the terminals by a covered walkway signed "Metro", and the line reaches Beikezhan, the North Railway Station, in roughly 30 minutes. Transfer there to Line 2 or Line 4 for the centre: about 45 to 55 minutes door to door for roughly ¥8–10.
Inside the city wall, ride on to Zhonglou (Bell Tower) or Yongningmen (South Gate), both on Line 2. Two catches: a late arrival may miss the last train, and the Beikezhan transfer with luggage is unpleasant. Airport buses run after the trains stop; alternatives are in airport transfers in Xi'an.
The Terracotta Army: no metro reaches the door
The site sits about 40 km east of the city near Lintong, and the trade is time against money.
| Route | How | Time and cost |
|---|---|---|
| Bus 306, Tourism Bus Line 5 | East square of Xi'an Railway Station, the green tourist bus | About 1 hour, around ¥7 |
| Metro plus Lintong bus | Line 9 to Huaqing Pool, Exit C, then bus 602 or tourist bus 613 | Roughly 2 hours, ¥11–17 |
| Taxi or Didi | Direct from your hotel or from Beikezhan | About 1 hour, roughly ¥120–220 |
Leave early either way: the pits are far apart and coach groups arrive from mid-morning. Route detail is in the Terracotta Army guide, and bus stands in the Xi'an railway station guide.
Which line for which sight
Line 2 is the spine, running through the wall via the Bell Tower and Yongningmen to the North Railway Station. Line 9 heads toward Lintong.
| Sight | Line and station | From the exit |
|---|---|---|
| Bell Tower, Drum Tower | Line 2, Zhonglou | Underneath the tower area |
| Muslim Quarter | Line 2, Zhonglou | Northwest of the Bell Tower, a few minutes |
| City Wall, South Gate | Line 2, Yongningmen | Exit by the south square and ticket office |
| Big Wild Goose Pagoda | Lines 3 and 4, Dayanta | Short walk to the pagoda square |
| Shaanxi History Museum | Lines 2 and 3, Xiaozhai, or Lines 3 and 4, Dayanta | Seven to ten minutes on foot |
| North Railway Station, airport | Line 14, Beikezhan and Airport West | Transfer hub for Lines 2 and 4 |
The City Wall is the exception to metro-first thinking: rent a bike at the South Gate and ride the loop instead of walking between stations. Rental, gate hours and the deposit are in cycling the Xi'an city wall.
Metro, taxi or shared bike
- Metro for the airport, the North Railway Station and anything along Line 2 — and the only sane option at rush hour.
- Taxi or Didi for the Terracotta Army, late airport arrivals and cross-city trips where a transfer costs more time than the fare saves. Ride-hailing works with a foreign number in most cases.
- Shared bikes for short hops inside the wall, where a 15-minute walk becomes a five-minute ride. They are activated through Alipay or WeChat mini-programs; test one before relying on it.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Xi'an metro cost?
Fares are distance-based: around ¥2 for the shortest hops, ¥3–7 for most trips between sights, roughly ¥9 for airport-length rides. You tap in and tap out.
Can I pay the Xi'an metro with a foreign bank card?
Usually not at the gate. Gates read Alipay or WeChat QR codes, transit cards and single-use tokens. A limited number of stations have POS machines for international cards, and the count changes.
Does Apple Pay or Google Pay work on the Xi'an metro?
No. Contactless card and phone taps are not accepted at the gates. The Alipay or WeChat transit code, or a token from a machine, are the working options.
How do I get from Xi'an airport to the city by metro?
Line 14 runs from Airport West station, linked to the terminals by a covered walkway, to Beikezhan. Transfer to Line 2 or Line 4 for the centre. Expect around ¥8–10 and 45 to 55 minutes.
Is there a metro station at the Terracotta Army?
No. Line 9 reaches Huaqing Pool near Lintong, then Lintong bus 602 or tourist bus 613 covers the rest. Bus 306 leaves from the east square of Xi'an Railway Station and takes about an hour.
Do I need a physical metro card?
No. The transit code in Alipay or WeChat covers almost every visitor and a token from a machine covers the rest. A stored-value card only matters on a long stay.
How early should I leave for the Terracotta Army?
The metro-plus-bus route takes about two hours and Bus 306 about one, and the site is large. A mid-morning start still works, but leaving before 08:30 puts you ahead of the coach groups.
Related reading
Transport shapes the Xi'an day more than most cities: the biggest sight sits 40 km outside it.
Compiled from Xi'an Metro fare and payment reporting, Line 14 airport transfer descriptions, Terracotta Army transport routes and 2025–2026 visitor reports, cross-checked 29 September 2026. Fares, train times, POS availability and bus numbers change — the official Xi'an Metro channel and station counters are authoritative on the day. Fares here are published levels, not a quotation.