Choose how to visit the Terracotta Warriors
The Terracotta Warriors belong to the burial complex of Qin Shihuang, China’s first emperor, in Lintong, Xi’an, in Shaanxi province. For a visit, the useful distinction is between admission alone, a guide at the museum and an excursion with transport. A ticket suits visitors arranging their own journey; a guided option adds explanation of the archaeological site.
The museum has separate warrior-pit and mausoleum-park areas. Decide whether your priority is the excavated figures or a broader visit including Lishanyuan and its bronze chariots. That choice matters more than treating every product bearing the museum’s name as the same day out. This independent guide explains those choices and the practical details behind them.
Terracotta Army visits
Choose the entry ticket for an independent visit, or select a guided option for assistance and pickup. The Beijing train trip suits those starting in the capital.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of November 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Terracotta Army by train from Beijing
- Round trip 2nd class bullet train tickets
- Entry ticket for Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum
- English-speaking guide in Xi'an
Transfers connect the Beijing hotel and station as well as the Xi’an station and museum.
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Museum ticket with tour options
- Entry ticket fee
- Bottled water
- Headset
A guide and hotel transfer are available only with the respective options.
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Terracotta Army admission
- Admission to the Terracotta Army
Make your own way to the entrance for this ticket-only visit.
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Ticket or guided museum visit
- All entrance fees
- Free earphones
The ticket alone has no guide or transport; the onsite guide option has no transport. The half-day group option ends near the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
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Museum ticket or family-lunch tour
- Terracotta Army Tickets
- Local Family Lunch (tour option)
- Hotel Pickup and Drop-off (tour option)
The ticket-only option excludes the guide, pickup and lunch; choose a guided option for those services.
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Museum and Xi’an sights options
- Terracotta Army tickets
- City Wall and Giant Goose Pagoda Temple tickets (tour option)
- Local family lunch (tour option)
The ticket-only option covers the museum; the city sights, guide and pickup require the tour option.
Check availability →Tickets, museum guides and journeys to Xi’an
Choose admission alone, a guided visit with the relevant transfer option, a city combination or the long rail excursion starting in Beijing.
Build your Terracotta Warriors visit
The Terracotta Warriors visit starts with a route, a reservation and a journey to Lintong. Use these guides to separate what you want to see from the services you want to book.
Tours from Xi’an
Museum guides and combinations with city sights.
Tickets and passports
Reservation, entry windows and historical museum tariffs.
Private tour options
Compare guide, vehicle and mausoleum arrangements.
The warrior pits
Pit 1, the renewed Pit 2 and the interpretation of Pit 3.
Mausoleum and bronze chariots
Understand the separate archaeology-park area.
History and discovery
The emperor’s burial complex and its modern discovery.
Getting to the museum
Xi’an stations, local transport and arrival from Beijing.
Where to stay
Choose between a Xi’an base and Lintong.
When to visit
City climate, seasonal planning and entry windows.
Two museum areas rather than a single hall
The Terracotta Warriors pits and Lishanyuan are separate museum areas, with the bronze chariot museum in the mausoleum park. The park also includes the emperor’s mausoleum and the archaeological sites K0006 and K9901. A visit to Lishanyuan is a visit to this defined museum area; Huaqing is a different attraction.
The museum gives approximately 1.5 hours for each area as an orientation, with walking and the connecting transfer additional. Its undated homepage describes a free connecting bus. Keep space in the itinerary for that connection rather than squeezing the bronze chariots into the final minutes of a warrior-pit visit. The mausoleum guide explains the distinction in more detail.
Visit with or without a museum guide
The Terracotta Warriors entry-only offer covers admission without a guide, hotel transfer or meals. The small-group or private product adds a guide and hotel transport only through the selected options. For visitors arranging their own arrival, an onsite guide option separates the explanation inside the museum from the journey there.
The half-day mini-group option with downtown pickup ends in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda area. Its onsite-guide option has no transport, while its ticket-only option has neither transport nor guiding. The family-lunch and city-combination products also have basic ticket options without guiding, pickup or lunch. Choose the onsite guide if you already have transport; choose the guided family-lunch option if you want the museum, hotel transfers and a meal together.
| Visit format | What it solves | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Admission alone | Museum entry | Arrange your own travel and interpretation |
| Onsite guide option | Explanation at the museum | Transport is a separate choice |
| Guided city combination | Museum plus named Xi’an sights | Basic ticket options have fewer services |
| Rail excursion from Beijing | A long intercity museum journey | Starts at a Beijing hotel |
The Beijing rail excursion is listed at 17 hours and includes return second-class train tickets, transfers between the Beijing hotel and Beijing West station, transfers between the Xi’an station and the museum, an English-speaking guide in Xi’an and museum admission. Food is extra. Select a date with an available itinerary rather than applying that duration to every possible rail connection.
Tickets, passports and the journey to Lintong
The Terracotta Warriors reservation uses real names and passport details, and visitors bring the original passport for entry under the undated museum guide read on 13 November 2026. Reserve the appropriate entry window and plan the journey around it. The ticket guide separates historical museum tariffs in CNY from the individual bookable products priced in USD.
Xi’an, Xi’an North and Xi’an East are different stations. Since 29 August 2026, bus 306 has started from Xi’an East rather than the old Xi’an station forecourt. Match your actual arrival station to the museum transport route. For a tour, also match your hotel address to its pickup arrangements and note where the excursion ends.
Questions about a Terracotta Warriors visit
Is this the official museum booking website?
No. Terracotta-Warriors.org is an independent guide to visiting the Terracotta Warriors near Xi’an, not the museum’s website or an official booking office. The guide compares visit formats and explains practical choices. Reservations for an offered product follow the terms and selected options of that particular booking.
How long should I allow for both museum areas?
Approximately 1.5 hours per area is the museum’s orientation for the warrior pits and Lishanyuan, with walking and the connecting transfer additional. Use that as a starting point for planning rather than the full length of a tour. A city combination also needs time for its other stops.
Do I need my original passport?
Yes. The Terracotta Warriors museum’s undated visitor guide, read on 13 November 2026, describes reservations using passport details and checks of the original document. Bring the passport used for the reservation. Visitors receiving an admission exemption also need a reservation and the relevant evidence for their eligibility.