Tour & Activity Scams in Xian, China
Unlicensed guides, fake tickets, bait-and-switch excursions, and ticket scalping. Below are the tour & activities scams reported in Xian — how they work and how to avoid them.
For broader context, compare this scam type with nearby destinations like Kyoto, Beijing, and Shanghai.
Last updated: April 2, 2026
2
Tour & Activities Scams
10
Total in Xian
How it works
Touts near the Terracotta Warriors museum sell fake tickets at a claimed discount. The tickets are refused at the entrance and tourists must buy genuine tickets again. The real site frequently sells out, making discounted "guaranteed entry" tickets especially tempting.
How it works
Unofficial tour guides in Xian direct tourists to privately operated "ancient palaces" or "emperor underground palaces" and charge entrance fees of 20–50 RMB. These are worthless modern fabrications with no historical value, not affiliated with any official cultural site.
See all scams in Xian
10 total warnings across all categories