Terracotta Army Museum Entry Ticket Xi'an

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum protects one of the great archaeological finds of the 20th century. In 1974 farmers digging a well near Lintong struck fragments of clay figures, and excavation revealed a buried army made to guard the First Emperor's tomb more than 2,200 years ago. UNESCO listed the site in 1987. Three pits are covered by vast halls: Pit 1 with the long ranks of infantry, Pit 2 with archers, cavalry and chariots, and Pit 3, the small command post.

The figures are life-size, mostly between about 1.75 and 2 metres tall, with officers usually the tallest. Each has its own face, hairstyle and uniform according to rank. Is the Terracotta Army worth visiting on your own? Yes, if you read up beforehand or rent an audio guide on site; the halls are well signed in English.

Highlights Inside: Archers, Chariots and Lost Colours

Do not leave without the display cases at the edge of Pit 2, where you can stand within a metre or two of a kneeling archer, a cavalryman with his horse and a high-ranking officer. The exhibition halls show the museum's painted bronze chariots, each drawn by four horses at about half life-size, with delicate gold and silver fittings, along with weapons and newly restored finds.

The warriors were once brightly painted with cinnabar red, malachite green, azurite blue, bone white and a rare synthetic pigment now called Han purple. In Xi'an's dry air much of that colour flaked away within minutes of excavation, which is why archaeologists now work slowly. Look closely at some figures and faint traces of pink and red remain. Photography is allowed, but flash is not.

How to Get to the Terracotta Army and Opening Hours

The museum is in Lintong District, about 40 kilometres east of central Xi'an. How to get to the Terracotta Army independently: tourist buses leave from the square east of Xi'an Railway Station, metro Line 9 reaches Lintong where local buses continue to the museum, and a taxi or ride-hailing car takes about an hour. If you prefer, we can arrange a private transfer separately.

Terracotta Army opening hours run daily from early morning to late afternoon; with this ticket you can enter any time between 08:30 and 16:30 on your date. Allow at least two to three hours for the pits and halls. Arrive at opening or after 15:00 to avoid the busiest tour-group hours, and avoid Chinese public holidays if you can.

Around the Museum: the Tomb Mound and Huaqing Palace

The warriors are only one part of the First Emperor's vast burial complex. About 1.5 kilometres west of the pits rises the tree-covered tomb mound itself, still unexcavated; the park around it is part of the same museum site and is linked to the pits by a shuttle bus. Walking there adds a quiet hour and helps you understand the scale of the project.

A few kilometres away, at the foot of Mount Li, the Huaqing Palace hot springs were a favourite retreat of Tang-era rulers and are now landscaped gardens with pavilions and pools. Many independent visitors combine the warriors and Huaqing Palace in one Terracotta Army day trip from Xi'an. The exit of the museum leads through a long market area with snack stalls and souvenir shops.