Riding a Bike on Xi’an City Wall

Written by Clementine | Updated March 16,2026

Xi’an Ancient City Wall is beyond doubt a must-see site during Xian tours. Since the total length of the City Wall is 13.74 kilometers, which requires lots of energy if one intends to cover the whole City Wall – it will take 5 hours if walking at normal speed.

To make the City Wall sightseeing more interesting and easier, the scenic area offers the bike rental service to tourists. Riding a bike on Xi’an City Wall is the coolest way to visit the ancient City Wall and the best things to do in Xian.

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• Why Cycling on Xian City Wall
• How to Bike on the City Wall in Xi’an
• Xi’an City Wall Bike Rental
• When Is the Best Time to Bike on the Xian City Wall
• Tips on Xi’an City Wall Bike Ride
• Enrich Your Visit of Xian City Wall with China Xian Tour

Why Cycling on Xian City Wall

• It is an active way to explore the Xian Old City Wall, and can be completed in 1-2 hours with a smooth ride around the entire perimeter (Allow more time if you wish to take many photos).
• It doesn’t require much energy. The youngsters, elderly couples, and families with children (whether young kids or teens) will enjoy it alike.
• When cycling on the ancient city wall of Xian, you can overlook the historical and modern buildings inside and outside the city wall. Compare the defense facilities of Ming Dynasty, such as watchtowers and enemy towers, with the modern skyline of Xi’an.

How to Bike on the City Wall in Xi’an

Xi’an City Wall Cycling is a lot of fun and quite popular among tourists. In this way, you can have a general sightseeing of the ancient city from a different perspective. It is not allowed to take your own bicycle onto the wall, but there is rental service available.

Xi’an City Wall Cycling Route:

• South Gate -West Gate – North Gate – East Gate – South Gate (clockwise route)
• South Gate -East Gate – North Gate – West Gate – South Gate (counterclockwise route)

The reason for choosing South Gate (Yongning Gate) as the starting and ending point of Xi’an City Wall bike journey is that cycling is prohibited in this section of Yongning Gate. As the most well preserved city gate in the entire Xi’an City Wall, South Gate is also the most spectacular and worth visiting carefully.

Riding a bike on Xi’an City Wall offers you a unique leisure experience for Xian travel. You can freely adjust the pace and enjoy cycling, while overlooking the beautiful city scenery. If you feel tired, you can stop, have a rest and take photos at any time. Not only are there the Ring Park and the Moat, but you can also see the Bell Tower, Stele Forest, Academy Gate, Guangren Temple, Xi’an Railway Station along the way… The four main gates and four corner towers of Xi’an City Wall are also perfect shooting places. You can also capture the beautiful sunset on a Xi’an City Wall bike ride when weather permits. At night, the bright lights add a unique flavor, as if traveling back to ancient times.

If You Prefer a Shorter Xian City Wall Biking Route:

Yongning Gate – West Gate

• Length: about 3km
• How long does it take: about 40 minutes
• Photo Stops: Yongning Post Station – Zhuque Street – Tang Imperial City Wall Hanguang Gate Museum – Southwest Corner of the City – West Gate Sweet Water Well

Yongning Gate – Anyuan Gate (North Gate)

• Length: about 6.7 km
• How long does it take: about 1.5 hours
• Photo Stops: Yongning Post Station – Zhuque Street – Xiaonanmen Morning Market – Tang Imperial City Wall Hanguang Gate Museum – Southwest Corner of the City – West Gate Sweet Water Well – Guangren Temple – Anyuan Gate

Xi’an City Wall Bike Rental

Price

Bike rental service is available all year round on Xi’an City Wall. And the cost is RMB 45/3 hours for single-people bikes and RMB 90/3 hours for double-people bikes. A round bike ride on the Xi’an City Wall requires around 2-3 hours. While the RMB 100 deposit is required when you rent the bike. Please keep the rental note well because it is needed when returning the bike and refunding the deposit.

Where to Rent

Xi’an City Wall currently has a total of 9 bike rental points, respectively on the east side of the South Gate, the west side of the South Gate, the West Gate, the North Gate, the East Gate, near the Hanguang Gate, near the northwest corner, near Zhongshan Gate, and near Jianguo Gate.

Before 20:00 visitors can rent or return bikes at any one rental point. But after 20:00 they have to go to the east or west side of the South Gate to return the bike.

Good to Know:

• Entry tickets for the Xi’an city wall cost CNY 54 yuan per person.
• Children under 120cm and seniors over 70 years can enter for free.
• Children between 120 cm and 140 cm get half fare.
• Usually, you can ride the bicycle you rent for a maximum of 3 hours.
• And overtime costs will be charged if the riding time is exceeded. For every 10 minutes of overtime, CNY 5 will be charged for a single-person bike, and CNY 10 will be charged for a double-person bike.

When Is the Best Time to Bike on the Xian City Wall

Morning and afternoon are recommended.

Can you get up early? If so, you will get a big reward. From 6:00 to 8:00, cycle along the wall to enjoy the magnificent sunrise with serene environment. Where to start? The South Gate is the best entrance.

For most visitors, you can choose riding from 5:00 to 7:00 in the afternoon. As the sun sets on the ancient city wall, you will take in the panoramic view of the Bell Tower. The West Gate is the recommended starting point for this period.

Avoid cycling at noon time (11:00 to 14:00) in summer.

There will be more people on weekends. While on weekdays, especially on Wednesday mornings, there are relatively few visitors.

Tips on Xi’an City Wall Bike Ride

• Children under 12 years old and seniors over 65 years old cannot ride bicycles.
• Before the cycling trip, carefully check the condition of your rental bike and ensure that the brakes are functioning properly.
• The height of the rented bike seat cannot be adjusted, so it is necessary to try several more to find the right height for you.
• Dressing advice: You’d better not to wear long skirts when riding a bike on Xi’an City Wall, choosing to wear pants and sneakers ismore appropriate.
• The city wall top is wide (12 – 14 meters)and magnificent, with complete service facilities. There are numerous shops and stalls along the way, and there are restrooms at Protruding Ramparts (马面), making it convenient for tourists to use.
• In winter, it’s very cold outdoors in Xi’an. When riding a bike on Xi’an City Wall, be sure to wear gloves, and keep warm. Howeverin summer, it’s hot and there are nearly no shades on the wall top, so it is recommended to bike on Xi’an City Wall in early morning, late afternoon or evening to avoid the midday heat.
• Warm reminder: The road surface is uneven, and the brick road can be a little bumpy to bicycle, so riding a bike on Xi’an City Wall may make your ass uncomfortable.
• Do not litter or graffiti on the city walls.
• If you feel hungry after the ride, go to the Muslim Quarter with a 10-minute walk. There, wander through the alleys and taste authentic Xi’an delicacies such as Laowei Family Braised Mutton and Jia San Guan Tangbao.

Besides, some other visitors usually take a battery cart to visit City Wall. And the cost for a battery cart is RMB20/from one gate to the next gate, there are four main gates of the City Wall, so a tourist will spend RMB80 per person if cover the whole City Wall with the battery cart. Please note that the battery cart service may not be available sometimes.

• Xi’an City Wall Opening Time: 08:00 – 22:00

How to Get to Xian City Wall: Public Transport to Main Gates

Enrich Your Visit of Xian City Wall with China Xian Tour

Planning a Xian tour, including the city wall cycling trip? Look no further. We are a China travel agency based in Xian with over years of industry experience. We know this city inside out. Let’s help you customize a Xi’an tour to the Terracotta Warriors, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Ancient City Wall, and the hidden gems today.