Terracotta Warriors or Temple of Heaven - which one is a must see

We are on a 3 day land package with Regent next March. One of the days is a half day tour of the Temple of Heaven and then a free afternoon. We are trying to decide if we will skip this half day tour and do a 1 day tour to the Terracotta warriors in Xi'an instead. Anyone have any recommendations? The other alternative is to fly in a day early and do the Xi'an tour before commencing the Regent tour but that will add logistical challenges that we don't necessarily want to deal with.

We are on a 3 day land package with Regent next March. One of the days is a half day tour of the Temple of Heaven and then a free afternoon. We are trying to decide if we will skip this half day tour and do a 1 day tour to the Terracotta warriors in Xi'an instead. Anyone have any recommendations? The other alternative is to fly in a day early and do the Xi'an tour before commencing the Regent tour but that will add logistical challenges that we don't necessarily want to deal with.

If you can deal with the logistical challenges that would be my first choice. Otherwise I would definitely go to Xi'an. We purchased a life-size warrior (copy) from the gift shop at the siteand had it shipped home.

Everyday I look at him in amazement and marvel at the enormmity of it all. Just my opinion.:)

lesley

I would agree with ottowa24. China is an amazing place and the Terracotta Warrior site and the Temple of Heaven are both fabulous places to visit but very different. The city of Xi’an is also a fascinating place. One of my happiest memories of our trip to China was dancing the waltz, jive and cha cha in the garden of the Temple of Heaven along with many Chinese citizens who regularly ballroom dance there.

I would highly recommend spending as long as you can in China and seeing as much as you can fit in....we only scratched the surface on a 21 day land tour!!!

...One of the days is a half day tour of the Temple of Heaven and then a free afternoon. We are trying to decide if we will skip this half day tour and do a 1 day tour to the Terracotta warriors in Xi'an instead. Anyone have any recommendations?

Personally, I thought the Temple of Heaven was very boring.

I'd go to Xian.

Cruisingly Yours

There is nothing anywhere in the world like the Terracotta warriors Temples are temples and quite similar

Absolutely no contest. Terracotta Warriors.

I would have a Chinese tour agency do your one day trip to Xi an. I am finding that flying from PEK to XIY (Beijing to Xi an) is pretty much hourly and always nonstop. Be very aware that you will need to allow almost 3 hours of time to get from the ship port to the airport. It is not an easy arrangement. I worked hard to get the fast train arranged and it does not go to either 'Port" so you must work with a fogged in highway (often) narrow road with 2 toll booths and a closed off port area where only one taxi company is allowed. Then you must deal with transversing a large area of BJ out to the airport (20 miles from city center).

I am using China Odyssey to plan my 4 days in China, 2 days in Xian, then 5 days in Bangkok before the 16 day cruise on Diamond Princess. It took much planning but the agency worked well with me and I have a tour that is specific to our group of 3 and no time will be wasted. I'll let you know how it goes in Oct. 2012.

If you can deal with the logistical challenges that would be my first choice. Otherwise I would definitely go to Xi'an. We purchased a life-size warrior (copy) from the gift shop at the siteand had it shipped home.

Everyday I look at him in amazement and marvel at the enormmity of it all. Just my opinion.:)

lesley

Care to share the approx. cost of something like that...I'm going to be in Xi'an this October...Thanks so much !!

I would have a Chinese tour agency do your one day trip to Xi an. I am finding that flying from PEK to XIY (Beijing to Xi an) is pretty much hourly and always nonstop. Be very aware that you will need to allow almost 3 hours of time to get from the ship port to the airport. It is not an easy arrangement. I worked hard to get the fast train arranged and it does not go to either 'Port" so you must work with a fogged in highway (often) narrow road with 2 toll booths and a closed off port area where only one taxi company is allowed. Then you must deal with transversing a large area of BJ out to the airport (20 miles from city center).

 

I am using China Odyssey to plan my 4 days in China, 2 days in Xian, then 5 days in Bangkok before the 16 day cruise on Diamond Princess. It took much planning but the agency worked well with me and I have a tour that is specific to our group of 3 and no time will be wasted. I'll let you know how it goes in Oct. 2012.

How wonderful that you are able to combine a land tour and a cruise...We are doing a land tour only starting Oct 6th...We're spending 3 nights in Beijing, 2 nights in Xi'an then 6 nights in Shanghai (3 with the tour group and 3 on our own)..I have been quite nervous about this land only trip as I'm so used to cruising..But very excited about this adventure..Enjoy !!

If you have to choose, no contest... go to Xi'an.

While the Temple of Heaven is historically and culturally significant, you can afford to miss it. IMO it's not worth seeing if doing so means sacrificing the opportunity to see the Terracotta Warriors.

...Terracota Warriors...Xian! One of the most incredible sights to see in our lifetime. Who would even think of burying thousands of lifesize statues!...and to think it was discovered accidentally by a farmer. To this day, they are still digging.

Note: If you really want to visit the Temple of Heaven while you're in Bejing...simply take a taxi. It is a wonderful place...sigh...but nothing compared to the Terracota Warriors. :)

If you can only do one TERRACOTTA WARRIORS are unbelievable. Also Xian is a lovely city .

I agree with all the others, and I strongly urge to add on as many land tour days as you can. We spent three nights in Xi'an and were not bored.

Ashland, you need not be concerned. We spent over two weeks in China on our own after our cruise and were just fine. We just wish we had had more time.

I can't thank all of you enough for all your comments and suggestions.

Our Regent tour does include The Forbidden City, The Great Wall and Tian'anmen Square on the other 2 days. I am trying to work out the extra day so that we have more time in Xi'an to see more than just the warriors. I have found a tour company that will do a one day trip.

The Regent tour is before the start of our cruise so we will be at a hotel in Beijing when we take the tour if we don't come in a day earlier so we don't have to worry about driving to and from the port.

One thought I had was that we fly in to Beijing the day before and then continue on to Xi'an that evening, stay overnight, spend the day touring and then return to Beijing that night. Our Regent tour will start the next day. One concern I have is what to do with our luggage. We don't want to haul all our luggage to Xi'an and back. We could pack for one night in Xi'an in our carry on if we could safely store our luggage in Beijing.

Does anyone know if there is safe storage at the Beijing airport where we could pick up our luggage on our way back from Xi'an before heading to our hotel? Any suggestions are again greatly appreciated.

There is nothing anywhere in the world like the Terracotta warriors Temples are temples and quite similar

Respectfully, this is really off the mark in terms of the OP's question. The reference to "The Temple of Heaven" in Beijing is really not to a Temple at all, but to "The Temple of Heaven PARK," within which are several edifices, including the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, which many folks mistakenly call the Temple of Heaven.

The Temple of Heaven Park is a large, beautiful park where zillions of retirees gather each morning to sing, line dance, do calisthenics, practice Tai Chi, etc. I found it to be a wonderfully joyful place and, like one of the posters above, joined in a dance and easily could have spent the day there. (The prayer halls/temples were also quite interesting.)

All that said, I agree with others that if the OP can swing it, spend more time in China! It is a fascinating country. Beijing itself is amazing.

But if push came to shove and I had to choose between seeing the Warriors in Xi'an and the Temple of Heaven Park, I'd pick the former.

I can't thank all of you enough for all your comments and suggestions.

 

Our Regent tour does include The Forbidden City, The Great Wall and Tian'anmen Square on the other 2 days. I am trying to work out the extra day so that we have more time in Xi'an to see more than just the warriors. I have found a tour company that will do a one day trip.

 

The Regent tour is before the start of our cruise so we will be at a hotel in Beijing when we take the tour if we don't come in a day earlier so we don't have to worry about driving to and from the port.

 

One thought I had was that we fly in to Beijing the day before and then continue on to Xi'an that evening, stay overnight, spend the day touring and then return to Beijing that night. Our Regent tour will start the next day. One concern I have is what to do with our luggage. We don't want to haul all our luggage to Xi'an and back. We could pack for one night in Xi'an in our carry on if we could safely store our luggage in Beijing.

 

Does anyone know if there is safe storage at the Beijing airport where we could pick up our luggage on our way back from Xi'an before heading to our hotel? Any suggestions are again greatly appreciated.

I would contact the hotel that you are staying with in Beijing. I know that they can (for a price!) provide transportation to and from the airport and they could probably meet you and take your luggage to the hotel for safe keeping until you arrive. I would also suggest that you have a private guide and driver meet you in Xi an and show you the city and warriors and then deliver you back to airport. (Your luggage could then be with you or you could sleep the night in Xi an and fly early in the AM to meet your tour).

Perhaps over thinking this but do you have any time to get over jet lag and the rigors of traveling so far?? I now know for a good trip that the immediate day following long and tiring flights I better have a "light sightseeing" day and an early bedtime and not be so far from the hotel that I can't get back to it if the body refuses to be enticed by the wonders of the day and just wants REST! Every year the demands of getting to the starting point of the vacation is tougher and tougher on the older body that I must use for sightseeing these days :eek: Have a wonderful trip.

China Highlights gets very good reviews. The will organize as much or as little as you want. For sure you should be picked up at the airport in Xi'an, taken to see the Warriors, then taken into the city to see the wall and the Muslim quarter. Then they can take you back to the airport.

If you do this and are unable to store your baggage at your hotel in Beijing you can leave it in the car with the guide.

According to my research, all three terminals at the Beijing airport have "left luggage" counters where you can check your larger bags for 30 to 50 CNY per day, depending upon the size of your luggage. According to the airport web site, you can leave for 3 months, but after that the bags will be sent to Public Security Bureau of Beijing Capital Airport for disposal! We intend to go from the ship to the airport (next October 2013), drop off our larger bags, and fly to Xi'an for a couple of days with carry-on luggage only. Then we will return to the airport, collect our bags, and stay in the Hilton airport hotel for the night and catch our flight back home the next morning. Our other option is to drop our bags off at the Hilton prior to going to Xi'an and I'm sure they would store them for a couple of days.

Thank you for the information and suggestions. I wish we had the opportunity to stay longer but we don't on this trip. With luck we will get the chance to return to China sometime in the future.

We are lucky enough to be flying business class to Beijing so I am hopeful that we will not arrive exhausted and will be able to handle 4 days of tours before we board our ship. Fortunately in the past I have not really suffered from jet lag so I am going on the assumption that will continue.

I also read good reviews of China Highlights and will work with them to arrange the tour.

I think we will try and arrange the extra day and enjoy 4 days at the start of our trip. Once on board we have an overnight stop in Shanghai and a day in Xiamen so we will get the chance to see more of China. There is also an overnight stop in Hong Kong which I am really looking forward to.

Again thanks to everyone for all the helpful information and suggestions.:D

I also read good reviews of China Highlights and will work with them to arrange the tour.

 

.:D

Just an FYI...we used China Highlights a few years ago when we were in Beijing. They tailored a 3-day tour of Beijing for us and it was absolutely wonderful...so I also highly recommend them. We will also be using them for our Xi'an excursion.

Have a wonderful trip!

Just an FYI...we used China Highlights a few years ago when we were in Beijing. They tailored a 3-day tour of Beijing for us and it was absolutely wonderful...so I also highly recommend them. We will also be using them for our Xi'an excursion.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

Thank you. :) That is great news. Have a wonderful trip also.

.

 

I am using China Odyssey to plan my 4 days in China, 2 days in Xian, then 5 days in Bangkok before the 16 day cruise on Diamond Princess. It took much planning but the agency worked well with me and I have a tour that is specific to our group of 3 and no time will be wasted. I'll let you know how it goes in Oct. 2012.

I hope you do let us know.

OP, just a note about leaving your luggage...China's airlines have strict weight limits on checked luggage - 44 pounds per person.

I agree with the others. They are both amazing, but the Warriors were so much more special than I had expected. I'd seen photos and replicas, but nothing prepared me for the actual sight. Awesome and inspiring. China is such an amazing place, you should try to see everything you can possibly see in your short time.