Top 20 most beautiful monuments in China2026 ranking

An entire army made of terracotta, it is impressive! Not all the explanations are known yet, and we happened upon a guide who did not give us much info. In any case, the archaeological digs at the site are still going on. It has not revealed all its secrets yet. Heads up, it is pretty far from the center of Xi'an. Between the round trip and the visit, expect to dedicate a full day to it if you go with an organized tour group.

Huge structure where one day won't be enough to see everything, and honestly, you have to pick and choose because not all the sections, palaces, and buildings are equally interesting. Do your research beforehand on what you want to see! For my part, I really liked the Palace of Heavenly Purity for example.

I thought I was visiting an imperial palace, but I discovered a complex the size of a city! It is huge, with so many buildings, palaces, and exhibits to see. Plan on a full day to see a good portion of the site, especially the must-sees like the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

Who hasn't seen photos of this massive wall snaking over the hills as far as the eye can see? I imagined myself walking along these ramparts, alone against the world, feeling tiny and getting lost in the immensity of the place. In short, visiting the Great Wall, I envisioned a moment full of poetry and emotion. I admit I was disappointed to find myself in the middle of a crowd of people taking the same photos, squeezing together, and waiting to get the best viewpoints. It ruined the experience for me.

The walking tour of the Leshan Giant Buddha is really worth it, but I went on September 1st, after the start of the school year, so I got super lucky. There were very few tourists compared to usual, and so there was no wait to head down to the feet of the Buddha. Very impressive!

We had the Great Wall all to ourselves the entire day, and we were able to take as many photos as we wanted! Just an incredible day, definitely do the route between Simatai West and Jinshanling! On the other hand, there is quite a bit of walking, which can be tiring for kids.