How To Visit Terracotta Warriors In Xi'An: Tips For First-Timers

You’ve probably already heard of or seen photos of Xi’an’s famed Terracotta Warriors—thousands of life-sized soldiers standing guard in perfect formation, ready for battle.

But here’s a fun fact: the site isn’t actually called “Terracotta Warriors.” It’s officially known as the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, and the purpose of these ancient statues was to protect Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife.

Today, the Terracotta Warriors are considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, a national treasure of China, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that draws millions of visitors from all over the globe.

What’s even crazier is how they were discovered! Back in the 1970s, three farmers stumbled upon this world-famous wonder while digging a well. Talk about luck!

In this quick guide, I’ll cover some of the essentials to help you plan your visit, along with practical tips to make your day as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

This post may contain affiliate links. You won’t be paying a cent more, but in the event of a sale, the small affiliate commission I receive will help keep this blog running/pumping out useful and free content. Thanks a lot!

Table of Contents

Getting Tickets

For your day trip to Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum (aka the Terracotta Warriors), do yourself a favor and buy your tickets in advance.

This isn’t the kind of attraction where you want to wing it—tickets sell out, and scrambling to figure it all out on the day of can be a real headache. Honestly, you might not even get in if you try buying on the day of.

You can book tickets up to 10 days early — official tickets don’t get released until then.

If you have access to a Mainland China phone number, you can book tickets on the official site. Otherwise, the alternative is to buy your tickets through Trip.com OR book a guided tour through a tour operator.

During the slower season (we visited in mid-November), we bought our tickets on Trip.com five days in advance. By the time I checked, the earliest time slot had sold out, but later slots were still available. I can only imagine how limited availability would be during peak season!

Kneeling Archer Terracotta Warrior — Kneeling Archer, the most famous terracotta soldier of all!

Terracotta Warriors: Tour Guide or Self-Guided?

I’d recommend a tour guide to 99% of you.

You’ll notice that I mentioned booking individual tickets through Trip.com (as opposed to booking a guided tour), and that’s because we knew tour guides for hire were available onsite.

When you arrive, you’ll find plenty of tour guides offering their services to those who haven’t already booked one.

Whether you pre-book a guided tour with transportation or hire a guide onsite once you get there, I strongly suggest going with one!

Unless you’re an archaeologist or historian who’s already studied the Qin Dynasty, the first emperor of China, and the details about the warriors and excavation sites, a guide will make your visit much more enriching.

Without one, we would have been totally lost and wouldn’t have understood what we were looking at. Our visit would have been quite boring, to be frank.

As a first-timer and a foreigner, here are two ways you could approach your visit:

Option 1: Book a guided tour upfront

This is the pricier option.

If dealing with logistics isn’t your thing, go for a guided tour that includes everything—transportation, tickets, and an English-speaking tour guide.

Some tours even bundle in stops at other landmarks like the city walls, a pagoda, or Muslim Street.

Yes, this option is more expensive, but it’s good for those who want a stress-free, done-for-you experience. You can find guided Terracotta Warriors tours on sites like Viator or Trip.com with an added bonus: they are foreigner-friendly and DON’T require a mainland China phone number to book.

Option 2: Buy tickets and hire a guide when you get there

This is the cheaper option.

If you’re traveling on a budget OR need a bit more flexibility, you can buy individual tickets to Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum and hire one of the many tour guides waiting at the entrance. This is what we did.

Since we had plans to watch An Army Reborn after visiting the Terracotta Warriors, we didn’t want to be tied to a guided tour that came with round-trip transportation. The theater was just a 10-minute car ride away from the terracotta museum.

Keep in mind that most official ticketing sites require a mainland China phone number to book, but Trip.com doesn’t—this is where we snagged our tickets.

Once there, we hired an official tour guide at the entrance for 400 RMB ($55 USD) total, for 4 people. Our tour guide spent a total of 4.5 hours with us, taking us to the different dig sites, the onsite jade factory, and more.

This option is great if you want to keep your day at the mausoleum open-ended but still want the expertise of a guide to explain what you’re seeing. And if you also want to watch An Army Reborn after your visit to the Terracotta Warriors like we did, option 2 is the way to go!

Either way, go with some sort of a tour guide—you’ll get way more out of your visit.

Getting There

The site of the terracotta warriors is about 1 hour away from the city center of Xi’an.

From our hotel in the city center to the Terracotta Army Museum, we paid 91 RMB ($13 USD) for a Didi car ride.

There are cheaper options to take public transportation, but Didi rideshare is so cheap in Xi’an (and way more convenient) that I’d recommend just opting for a Didi. You can download Didi as a standalone app or access it through your Alipay app.

Address: Lintong District, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China

What To Expect Once You’re There

With your tour guide, you’ll spend about 2.5-3 hours exploring the different pits and areas of the mausoleum site.

The museum contains three different pit areas organized by the order they were found. In the first pit, which is the largest, you will find warriors standing tall in battle formation, followed by an array of infantry and war chariots.

Tours focus on three pits:

Pit 1: The largest, containing over 3,000 warriors in battle formation.
Pit 2: Features cavalry, infantry, and chariots.
Pit 3: The command post with high-ranking officers.

In total, the site houses an estimated 7,000 artifacts, including warriors, chariots, horses, and weapons. The majority of them are still buried in the pits and have yet to be excavated and restored.

Today, we can see about 2,000 of them.

At the end of most guided tours of the Terracotta Warriors, you’ll find yourself in an area packed with souvenir shops and restaurants. If you’ve opted for a morning visit (8:30-10 am), you’ll likely finish your tour of the site by around lunchtime.

Our Guided Tour Experience

Emperor Qinshihuang Mausoleum Site Museum

Here’s a quick overview of what our guided tour consisted of:

Our guide, Linda, handed each of us our audioguide gadgets so that we could hear her talking even from a distance. Very much needed because of how insanely crowded it is inside the pit.

She helped my dad obtain his free senior citizen ticket to the museum, walked us to the entrance, and got us through the mayhem pretty quickly.

Once we were in, to save time and beat the crowds, we opted for the paid shuttle instead of walking to the mausoleum entrance. You can either take the shuttle or walk 2km to reach the mausoleum site.

She started the tour by giving us background info on the Qin dynasty and the first Emperor of China, who unified China and ordered the construction of the mausoleum. Since we knew virtually nothing about him, we asked her all kinds of elementary questions which she graciously answered.

From there, we moved from pit to pit as Linda explained how these sites were discovered one by one, touched on the reconstruction of the soldiers, and the significance of the different warrior types and formations.

She also pointed out interesting details like the individual facial features of the warriors (made of 8 face molds, all painted differently), the different body shapes they all had, and the craftsmanship involved in creating them.

She even talked about ongoing excavation processes and restoration efforts. On weekdays, you can actually see archaeologists at work at the site.

One of the most fascinating things she told us was how when the warriors were first unearthed in 1974, the terracotta warriors were actually brightly colored with paint.

But because of how quickly the paint oxidized once it was exposed to air, the paint flaked off and faded almost immediately (within minutes). It’s like the colors were literally disappearing before the archaeologists’ eyes.

So while the archaeologists estimate a total of 7,000-8,000 artifacts, why is it that we can only see 2,000 of them today?

This rapid deterioration is why a large portion of the warriors are still kept underground. Scientists and archaeologists made a tough call: they decided it was better to keep a lot of the warriors buried rather than risk losing more of the original colors and details.

The idea is that future generations might develop better preservation techniques. So by keeping some warriors buried, we’re basically saving them for a time when we can unearth them without destroying their original appearance.

We also learned about the emperor’s tomb nearby and other pits containing various artifacts like bronze carriages and figures of entertainers.

Immersive experiences at Terracotta Warriors

During the tour, we opted for some additional interactive experiences that brought the terracotta warriors to life and helped us understand the mausoleum better. We also got some funny photos of us turned into terracotta warriors ourselves!

Our tour ended shortly after visiting the gift shop area, where you can buy your very own terracotta soldier set. They’ve got these certified authentic terracotta warrior replicas that are made with actual soil from the excavation site and come with a legit certificate.

According to our tour guide, they’re way better than those knock-offs you’ll find on the street, which are just made with whatever materials.

Terracotta Warriors Gift Shop - Emperor Qinshihuang Mausoleum Site Museum

Tips for Visiting the Terracotta Warriors

During peak seasons, tickets can sell out quickly. Reserve your tickets online (platforms like Trip.com are popular) to secure your spot and avoid disappointment.
Expect throngs of people no matter when you visit. The Terracotta Warriors is a major tourist attraction, so crowds are inevitable. Even during the calmest time (April, according to our guide), it’s still crowded. Arrive before 10:00 AM or during lunchtime when crowds are slightly thinner.
A guided tour adds depth to your visit. Whether you book one in advance or hire a guide at the entrance, they’ll provide fascinating details about the warriors, the pits, and the history of the Qin Dynasty that you might otherwise miss. Plus, you can ask them all your burning questions.
For those of you on a budget, opt for the option of hiring a guide at the entrance. These guides charge by the group and are much cheaper than booking guided tours with transportation, which usually charge per person.
Take the shuttle after entering the complex. After entering, you can either walk 2 km to reach the mausoleum or take a paid shuttle. Opting for the shuttle is faster, plus you get to beat the crowds and save energy for exploring the pits.
Wear comfortable walking shoes. The complex is large, with plenty of walking and standing involved. In fact, aside from the restaurants, I don’t think I saw a single chair while I was there.
History buffs, don’t skip the museum. The museum contains smaller artifacts and detailed exhibits that provide additional context about the warriors and the Qin Dynasty.
If visiting during the cooler months, bring a jacket. We visited in late November and it was COLD. Although the terracotta warrior pits are roofed, they aren’t heated.
Your ticket to the Terracotta Warriors includes entry to Hua Qing Palace and a direct bus connection. Plan to visit after seeing the warriors or consider staying for the Song of Everlasting Sorrow show (if it’s in season).
Eat a big breakfast before arriving. Food options near the site are limited and are slightly overpriced.

Things To Do After The Terracotta Warriors

After your visit to the Terracotta Warriors, there are a couple of great options for continuing your day in the area. One choice is the Song of Everlasting Sorrow show, which takes place at Hua Qing Palace.

The good news is that your Terracotta Warriors ticket includes entry to Hua Qing Palace, as well as a one-way direct bus ride between the Terracotta Warriors site and Hua Qing Pool, making it super easy and convenient.

We would have loved to see this show, but since we visited in November, it happened to be one of the months they took off for a break.

Another fantastic option is An Army Reborn, the show we went to, which brings the terracotta warriors to life in a whole new way.

The Song of Everlasting Sorrow

Song of Everlasting Sorrow Xian China — Courtesy of Trip.com

The Song of Everlasting Sorrow is a 70-minute large-scale show adapted from the poem of the famous Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi. Through historical drama, song, and dance, it depicts a love story between a Tang Dynasty emperor and his favorite concubine.

While it might seem like a made-up love story, it’s actually based on a true story — this actually took place more than 1,300 years ago!

This show takes place outdoors at the Huaqing Palace (near Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site), with the iconic Mount Li serving as the background of the performance.

There are about 4 shows nightly, starting usually at 6:30 pm. If you want to pair your visit to the Terracotta Warriors with this show, you’ll want to choose a later time for your timed visit to the Terracotta Warriors.

An Army Reborn

For those of you who want to continue with the theme of the Terracotta Warriors, An Army Reborn is a great alternative. The good thing about this show is that there are showtimes during the day (as opposed to the previous show which only takes place at night).

Despite it being only 40 minutes long, this was one of the most immersive and unique experiences I’ve ever had!

The plotline is based on the oldest family letters ever discovered in Chinese history: correspondences written by Qin Kingdom soldiers, Heifu and Jing, to their elder brother back home.

These letters, unearthed in 1975 in Hubei Province, are currently displayed at the Yunmeng Xiangshan Museum in central China.

While the letters are real, An Army Reborn spins a fictional tale around them, following the brothers as they go to war and the emotional story of the family waiting for their return.

My use of the word “emotional” is no joke! All four of us cried at some point during the show because of the likely fact that these brothers never made it home to their families in real life.

What made this show so incredibly immersive is how you’re literally surrounded by all of the action and moving alongside the actors. Instead of sitting in a static theater, you move from set to set as the story unfolds.

At one point, we were running right behind the actors—soldiers heading into battle—straight into the next theater room. It was so exhilarating!

There are about 6 showtimes per day, starting at 11am. You can find more info on showtimes on Trip.com.

👉 Pro Tip: We booked these tickets through Trip.com and somehow ended up getting VIP treatment. Our tickets came with reserved seating, which meant front-row seating, and we were among the first to move to each new set. Beating the crowds made the whole experience even smoother and more enjoyable. Wireless English audioguides are included if you need them.