Xi'an offers visitors a generous range of hotels and hostels. There are five-star accommodations with both Western and Chinese style rooms, many clean and comfortable mid-range hotels, and a number of hostels and cheaper hotels suited for budget travelers. Most hotels can arrange tours to major sights or arrange for a private driver. Be wary of group tours that waste time with unwanted stops at souvenir shops and overpriced mediocre restaurants.

The Shangri-La Golden Flower and Xi'an Sheraton are two solid five-star choices among a growing number of luxury hotels. Budget options included the centrally located three-star Bell Tower Hotel and City Hotel. For even cheaper digs, try the the Foreign Language Institute Guesthouse. Its clean, inexpensive rooms are a bit removed from downtown (about 20 minutes by taxi or bus), but the university district is a good place to eat and sleep cheap, and the student population makes for some good bars and cafes.