Half-Day Xi'an Terracotta Warriors Discovery Tour

Your guide will be waiting for you in your hotel's lobby at the appointed time holding a placard with China Highlights' logo and your name on it.

Note: The hotel pick-up and drop-off area should be within the 3rd ring road of Xi'an. For further distance there might be an extra cost for the transfer which you'll be notified by your travel advisor.

Just in case you miss your tour guide, please ask the hotel's front desk to help you make a phone call to your tour guide or to contact China Highlights' Xi'an office using the 24/7 emergency hotline at 18807734970.

Why Leave So Early?

• Most tour groups and crowds usually arrive late in the morning. We try to avoid wasting time spent queuing to get tickets and at the general admission line during the peak time.

Your guide will be waiting for you in your hotel lobby

Normally, it takes about 50 minutes to drive from downtown Xi'an to the Terracotta Warrior Museum, a distance of about 45 kilometers.

A distance map of major attractions in Xi'an

You will acquire rich background information about the city from your well-educated, expert guide on the way.

Do something to make your trip more fun:

• We recommend you watch the following video on YouTube about the history of the Terracotta Army and Emperor Qin Shi Huang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP5p4QbvPtc (this brief video is about 5 minutes long). Alternatively, you can watch this video for a more detailed introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-1IcaeuGnw (it takes about 45 minutes).
• Questions to your guide are highly recommended. Instead of being just a trip, this makes for an interesting interaction.

After going through three tickets gates, you will see this wonder of the ancient world with your own eyes. Three pits have been excavated and can be visited.

The largest pit, Pit 1, is believed to contain 6,000 warriors (only 2,000 are on display) and horses. They are all life-sized, facing east, and are lined up in battle formation. What is particularly striking is the fact that no two of them are alike.

Pit 2, which is smaller than Pit 1, contains around 1,300 warriors and horses, and it is still being excavated. It is worth mentioning that the figurines of general, the soldier on the horse, and the kneeling soldier were the first to be discovered in this pit.

The smallest pit, Pit 3, contains 72 warriors and horses, and is believed to be the army headquarters due to the number of high-ranking officers unearthed there.

The Bronze Chariot Pit exhibits two painted bronze chariots in a large scale in a small museum to the right of the main entrance. In ancient times, only the emperor, queen, and prince had the right to ride in this vehicle. The bronze chariots are the earliest, largest, and best-preserved bronze artifacts in the world, crowned as "the King of Bronze Ware".

The last site you will visit is the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. According to historical records, the palace is filled with precious stones, and underground rivers of flowing mercury defend against intruders. Considered too dangerous to excavate, 95% of the mausoleum is still buried and its contents remain secret. The tomb has little to see, so we will visit the site by viewing at a distance instead of taking a close look at. You'll be transferred from the museum to the best ViewPoint where you can view the whole area of the Maosoleunm of Qin Shi Huang. You'll be shocked by the large size of the mausoleum. Your tour guide will tell the story why the Qin Shi Huang choose this site to expect to continue his rule in death as it had in life, and some inference about the structure and distribution of the underground palace.

A quick facts of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BC)

Pit 1

The figures in Pit 1

Conservation and Restoration Open Workshop in Pit 1

How the Terracotta Warriors Were Made

The bronze chariot

View the whole area of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang at a distance

Try to find the answers for some interesting questions while visiting the Terracotta museum

Good to Know:

• Photography is not allowed in Pit 1 or in the Bronze Chariots and Horses Pit. However you can take photos in the north exhibition.
• Your entrance ticket will be checked twice in the museum, at the pits containing the Terracotta Warriors and in the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. Please take care of your ticket.
• It is very crowded and noisy during the peak season. In order to make sure you can hear what your guide is saying, we have prepared an FM headset so that you can hear your guide clearly and do not miss any interesting stories.
• All three pits are protected from tourists by a certain distance restriction. The 8,000 statues of terracotta soldiers are all individual and it is impossible to find two of them that look exactly alike. Some look happy with slightly raised cheeks while some look sad with frowning eyebrows.
  However, as they are all protected from tourists by a distance of 20 meters, how will you see the details? As a privilege for our customers, you will be equipped with a telescope so that there will be no secrets left in front of you.

we have prepared an FM headset so that you can hear your guide clearly

Equipped with a telescope so that there will be no secrets left in front of you

China Highlights / Trippest Clients at Terracotta Warriors Museum

In order to help our customers experience the most authentic Xi'an local food, we have selected a featured local restaurant near the Terracotta Warriors Museum. Lunch fee is not included.

There, you'll have the chance to taste the local people's favorite food, such as Rou Jia Mo (肉夹馍, we also call it a Chinese hamburger), Yang Rou Pao Mo (羊肉泡馍, pita bread soaked in lamb soup; your guide will show you how to break the bread into small pieces), noodles, and dumplings.

Please let us know your food preferences, such as a vegetarian diet, Muslim food, gluten-free food, etc. so that we can make preparations in advance.

Yang Rou Pao Mo

Yang Rou Pao Mo

We will transfer you to your hotel at the end of the tour. If you need to catch a flight or a train after the tour, please book the transfer service with us in advance.

Good to Know:

• If you plan to leave Xian after your tour, please check out from your hotel before departure.
• You may leave your luggage in our vehicle.
• You will be transferred to the airport or train station straight after the tour if you book the private transfer (price from 18 USD p/p) with us, to make best use of your time.
• It normally takes about 1 hour to transfer from the city center to airport. You will need to be at the airport at least 1.5 hours before a domestic flight, or 2.5 hours before you're an international flight.
• Tell us about your departure time when booking, and remind our guide, and we will make arrangements accordingly.