Terracotta Army Xi'an — 8,000 Warriors, Tickets, How to Get There 2026

Q: How much does the Terracotta Army cost, and do I need to book ahead?

Entry is about ¥120 per person (~฿600 / roughly $17 USD) in the regular season, rising to around ¥150 in peak season. One ticket covers Pits 1, 2 and 3, the Bronze Chariots Hall and Lishan Garden, including the internal shuttle. Crucially, tickets must now be booked online in advance (via the official website or WeChat account, up to 7 days ahead) — you cannot buy them at the gate, and daily numbers are capped. If you don't want to navigate the Chinese booking system, a tour or ticket package through Klook handles it for you.

Q: How do I get to the Terracotta Army from central Xi'an?

The cheapest way is tourist bus 游5(306) from the East Square of Xi'an Railway Station. The fare is ¥7 (~฿35) paid in cash on board, and the trip takes about an hour. Buses run 8 am to 7 pm, roughly every 7 minutes. Watch out for fake 306 buses — the genuine one does not have people soliciting passengers. Alternatively, a Didi or taxi costs around ¥120–150 one way, or you can book a tour with transfers included through Klook.

Q: How long do I need at the Terracotta Army?

Allow 3 to 4 hours for Pits 1, 2 and 3 plus the Bronze Chariots Hall. If you add Lishan Garden — the actual burial mound of Qin Shi Huang — budget another 1 to 1.5 hours. With the round-trip travel from the city (about 2 hours total), plan on at least half a day, ideally a full day.

Q: When should I visit to avoid the crowds?

Arrive at opening, 8.30 am — the large tour groups tend to roll in from late morning through midday, and by afternoon Pit 1 can be shoulder to shoulder at the railing. Avoid China's long public holidays at all costs: Labour Day (1–5 May) and National Day / Golden Week (1–7 October) are the busiest of the year. July and August bring both heat and crowds. The most comfortable seasons are spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November), on weekdays.

What it is

Why the Terracotta Army tops every Xi'an itinerary

Picture this: you walk into a building the size of an aircraft hangar and look down into a pit, and below you, rank after rank of life-size clay soldiers stretch back further than you can see — thousands of them, all facing east, ready for battle. Lean over the railing and you notice something that stops you: no two faces are alike. One has heavy brows, another hollow cheeks, a third the topknot of an officer. It is as if a sculptor used a different real soldier as the model for each one.

This is the Terracotta Army — the force that Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇, the first emperor to unify China) ordered built in the 3rd century BC to guard his tomb in the afterlife. It lay buried and silent for over two thousand years until 1974, when a group of farmers digging a well struck a clay head — the accidental discovery that triggered an excavation which astonished the world. The site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

More than 8,000 warriors and horses have now been unearthed across three main pits, along with a pair of exquisitely cast bronze chariots — all within one museum complex at Lintong. If you only see one thing in Xi'an, this is it.

The Terracotta Army, Xi'an — life-size clay warriors standing in ranks inside Pit 1, each face individually modelled — Warriors in Pit 1 — note how the hairstyles, moustaches and expressions differ from one figure to the next

🎫

Entry

~¥120 (~฿600)

~¥150 in peak season · book online ahead

🕗

Opening hours

8.30 am–6.30 pm

(Nov–Mar closes 6 pm) — check before you go

🚌

Bus

Line 游5(306)

¥7 from Xi'an Railway Station · ~1 hr

⏱️

Time to spend

3–4 hours

+1–1.5 hrs with Lishan Garden

🗿

Figures

Over 8,000

Across 3 pits + bronze chariots

📍

Location

Lintong District

~40 km east of central Xi'an

What to see

Pits 1, 2, 3 and the bronze chariots — don't miss these

One ticket covers everything. Follow this order and you'll catch the highlights and finish on the most dramatic.

1

Pit 1 — the main army

The largest · thousands of warriors in battle formation

The biggest and most iconic pit, housed in a hall as long as several football pitches. Inside, life-size infantry stand in eleven long columns facing east in battle order — this is the view everyone photographs. Walk to the far right end to see the section where archaeologists are still reassembling broken figures: you watch warriors being pieced back together from genuine fragments.
2

Pit 2 — mixed combat units

Archers, cavalry, chariots · partly still buried

This pit shows several arms of the army together — kneeling archers, cavalry with their horses, and senior officers. Much of it remains deliberately buried (the museum is waiting for better paint-conservation technology), but glass cases display standout figures close up, such as a remarkably intact kneeling archer. You can see the tread under his shoes and the detail of his armour far more clearly than anywhere else on site.
3

Pit 3 — the command post

The smallest · ~68 figures, the finest modelling

The smallest pit but a significant one, believed to be the army's command headquarters. It holds around 68 figures — senior officers and a command chariot — fewer in number but the most finely crafted of all. You can move through it quickly, but take a moment to notice how the layout differs from the battle pits.
4

Bronze Chariots Hall

Two half-scale bronze chariots · masterwork casting

Do not skip this building. Inside are the two bronze chariots unearthed near the burial mound itself, each assembled from thousands of gold and silver pieces. The second has a closed cab and gold-and-silver harness fittings, and ranks among the most intricate ancient bronze castings in China — it's where many visitors linger longest.
5

Lishan Garden

Qin Shi Huang's actual burial mound · free shuttle

Included in the same ticket, this is the area of the emperor's actual burial mound (the tomb itself remains unexcavated), with a free shuttle running between the warrior museum and the garden. It suits anyone with time who wants the context of who all these soldiers were built to guard. Skip it if you're short on time, but if you can spare another 1–1.5 hours it's worth seeing the full picture of the mausoleum.

Suggested route: To save the wow factor for last, try Pit 3 → Pit 2 → Bronze Chariots Hall → finish at Pit 1 (the most spectacular). But if you arrive at opening, 8.30 am, and want Pit 1 before the crowds, go straight there first — both orders work well.

Getting there

How to reach the Terracotta Army

The museum is at Lintong, about 40 kilometres east of central Xi'an — there's no metro straight to it, but it's an easy trip with three main options.

🚌

Tourist bus (cheapest)

Line 游5(306) · ¥7 (~฿35)

Board at the East Square of Xi'an Railway Station, pay cash on board. ~1 hr. Runs 8 am–7 pm, every ~7 minutes.

🚗

Didi / taxi (fastest)

~¥120–150 (~฿600–750) one way

Order via the Didi app rather than hailing a cab — 45–60 minutes. Good value if you split the fare between a few people.

🎟️

Half- / full-day tour

Book through Klook

Transfers + ticket + guide bundled, no need to navigate the online ticketing yourself. Often paired with Huaqing Palace.

Beware fake buses: the station forecourt has buses claiming to be the 306 that are not the real thing. The genuine bus is white and clearly marked 游5(306) — "游" means "tourism" — and the real one does not have touts pulling passengers aboard. If someone is steering you onto a bus, walk away.

Plan ahead

Tickets, timing and beating the crowds

🎫 Tickets must be booked online in advance

This is the thing visitors trip up on most often: the museum no longer sells tickets at the gate. You must book online in advance (through the museum's official website or WeChat account, up to 7 days ahead), and there is a daily cap on numbers — tickets sell out fast on public holidays. Entry is around ¥120 per person (~฿600) in the regular season, rising to about ¥150 in peak season. The ticket covers Pits 1/2/3, the Bronze Chariots Hall and Lishan Garden, including the internal shuttle.

If the Chinese booking system isn't easy for you (it usually needs a Chinese phone number or passport registration), the simplest route is a tour or ticket package through Klook that handles it for you.

Extra on-site cost: the electric cart from the ticket checkpoint to the museum entrance is about ¥5 per person (optional — you can walk). Carry some cash.

🕗 Go early, avoid the long holidays

Arriving at opening, 8.30 am, is the single best move. The big tour coaches tend to arrive from late morning through midday, and by afternoon Pit 1 can be too crowded to get to the railing. Come at opening and you'll have space at the front and far clearer photos.

Avoid China's long public holidays without exception — Labour Day (1–5 May) and National Day / Golden Week (1–7 October) are the busiest of the year. July and August bring both fierce heat and crowds. The most comfortable seasons are spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November), especially on weekdays.

🎧 A guide beats the audio guide

The figures in the pits have little detailed signage, so without context you simply see "a lot of clay soldiers." But the story behind them — why every face differs, why the once-bright paint vanished the moment it met the air, who was conscripted to build them — is what brings the pits alive.

English-speaking guides can be hired at the entrance, or come with a pre-booked tour that includes one. Most visitors find that far more rewarding than the museum's own audio guide. If you're doing it independently on a budget, reading up a little beforehand helps a great deal.

Combine nearby

Already at Lintong? Add Huaqing Palace

Huaqing Palace (the imperial hot-spring complex) is on the same 306 bus route, about 10 minutes before the warriors — two sights in one day makes excellent sense.

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Frequently asked

FAQ · The Terracotta Army before you go

How much does the Terracotta Army cost, and do I need to book ahead?

Entry is about ¥120 per person (~฿600) in the regular season, rising to around ¥150 in peak season. One ticket covers Pits 1, 2 and 3, the Bronze Chariots Hall and Lishan Garden, including the internal shuttle. Crucially, tickets must now be booked online in advance (via the official website or WeChat account, up to 7 days ahead) — you cannot buy them at the gate, and daily numbers are capped. If you don't want to navigate the Chinese booking system, a tour or ticket package through Klook handles it for you.

How do I get to the Terracotta Army from central Xi'an?

The cheapest way is tourist bus 游5(306) from the East Square of Xi'an Railway Station. The fare is ¥7 (~฿35) paid in cash on board, and the trip takes about an hour. Buses run 8 am to 7 pm, roughly every 7 minutes. Watch out for fake 306 buses — the genuine one does not have people soliciting passengers. Alternatively, a Didi or taxi costs around ¥120–150 one way, or book a tour with transfers included through Klook.

How long do I need at the Terracotta Army?

Allow 3 to 4 hours for Pits 1, 2 and 3 plus the Bronze Chariots Hall. If you add Lishan Garden — the actual burial mound of Qin Shi Huang — budget another 1 to 1.5 hours. With the round-trip travel from the city (about 2 hours total), plan on at least half a day, ideally a full day.

When should I visit to avoid the crowds?

Arrive at opening, 8.30 am — the large tour groups tend to roll in from late morning through midday, and by afternoon Pit 1 can be shoulder to shoulder at the railing. Avoid China's long public holidays at all costs: Labour Day (1–5 May) and National Day / Golden Week (1–7 October) are the busiest of the year. July and August bring both heat and crowds. The most comfortable seasons are spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November), on weekdays.

Is a guide or audio guide worth it?

A guide is very much worth it. The figures themselves have little explanatory signage, and the story behind them — why every face is different, why the original bright paint vanished on contact with the air, who was conscripted to build them — is what brings the pits to life. English-speaking guides can be hired at the entrance, or come with a pre-booked tour. Most visitors find a live guide more useful than the museum's own audio guide. If you go independently, reading up a little beforehand helps a lot.

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