How to Visit the Terracotta Warriors

Getting There

Practically every hotel and tour company in Xi'an arranges bus trips to the Terracotta Warriors as part of an Eastern Tour package. If you aren’t interested in having an English-speaking guide for the day, you can save a lot of money by taking one of the cheap buses (Y8 one-way) that leave for the town of Lintong from the parking lot between Xi'an’s train station and the Jiefang Hotel. The ride to the Terracotta Warriors Museum should take less than two hours. Mar.–Nov., daily 8:30–5:30; Dec.–Feb., daily 8:30–5 Mar.–Nov. Y150, Dec.–Feb. Y120. Price includes movie, access to 3 vaults, and entrance to Exhibition Hall 029/8139–9001 main office, 029/8139–9126 ticket office.

Visiting Tips

Cameras: You can shoot photographs and videos inside the vaults, a change from previous years when guards brusquely confiscated film upon seeing your camera. You still can’t use a flash or tripod, however.

Souvenirs: You can buy postcards and other souvenirs in the shops outside the vaults and the Circle Vision Theater. Alternatively, you can face the fearsome gauntlet of souvenir hawkers outside the main gates; miniature replica Terracotta Warriors can be found here for as little as Y1 each. If you’re intimidated by the aggressive touts, however, there’s nothing available here that you can’t get back in Xi'an. So be strong, don’t look them in the eyes, and most important, never stop walking.

Time: You’ll likely end up spending two to three hours touring the vaults and exhibits at the Terracotta Warriors Museum. The time spent here will probably be part of a long day tour visiting a number of sites—the Hauqing Hot Springs and possibly the Banpo Matriachal Clan Village—clustered around the small city of Lintong, east of Xi'an.