Religious site · SHAANXI
Small Wild Goose Pagoda
小雁塔 · Xiǎoyàntǎ
About
Quieter, older Tang-era pagoda (707 CE) with the Xi'an Museum next door. Calmer alternative to the Big Wild Goose.
The Small Wild Goose Pagoda (707 CE) is the older of the two Tang pagodas. Built to house Sanskrit sutras and 50 years older than its 'Big' counterpart, it has the more delicate proportions. Earthquakes have removed the top two of its original 15 storeys. The grounds are calmer than Big Wild Goose; the Xi'an Museum (free, with a strong Tang-era collection) shares the compound. The combined pagoda + museum visit takes 2–3 hours.
How to get there
Metro Line 2 to Nanshaomen.
When to visit
Weekday mornings.
Other attractions in Xi'an
Itineraries featuring this site
- Xi'an in 3 days
3d · Terracotta Army, City Wall, Muslim Quarter, the Wild Goose Pagodas.
- Family Beijing and Xi'an — 7 days, relaxed pace
7d · Seven days in Beijing and Xi'an at a pace that works for children: fewer sites per day, breaks built in, and activities with hands-on appeal — the Panda Base of the north and hands-on history at the Terracotta Army.
- Beijing + Xi'an + Shanghai — 7-day first-timer circuit
7d · The canonical first-time China loop: two days in imperial Beijing, one day in Xi'an for the Terracotta Army, and two days in Shanghai. Linked by HSR throughout.
- First-timer China — 14 days with Yunnan loop
14d · Two weeks covering the Beijing–Xi'an–Shanghai circuit plus a Yunnan extension through Kunming, Dali and Lijiang — the combination that most first-time visitors leave wishing they had done.
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