Uncover the amazing history and vivid stories behind the terracotta figures that were buried for over 2,000 years. Step onto the top of Xi’an Ancient City Wall — walk or cycle along it, feeling and touching the invisible soul of this ancient city. Act like a Xi’an local, tasting and experiencing the original local food and culture that you may never encounter as a typical tourist.
There are no fake luxuries and pomposity but true life and experiences. There are no boring, textbook-style history lessons but vivid stories that come to life. There is no tourist shopping, no time-wasting, and no queuing but a smartly-arranged itinerary. There is no spurious boasting and so-called “promises” but real enthusiasm and a detailed plan that we call our “services”.
Skip the line at the entrance of Terracotta Warriors Museum.
Use a telescope to get a closer view of the terracotta warriors.
Use an FM headset to keep out external noise disturbances.
Get a panoramic view of the city by walking, cycling, or taking an eco-car on the City Wall.
Taste the local people’s favorite daily food at a local featured restaurant.
Guide: better than a normal licensed tour guide; friendly and helpful with fluent English
Driver: reliable licensed local driver with at least 5 years' driving experience
Vehicle: Air-conditioned business car (max: 7 seats) with GPS facilities, big windows, and ample space (at least one vacant seat guaranteed)
China Highlights Xi'an Office: English-speaking backup support — We are very happy to hear your voice
Professional product team analysis on every part of the trip to ensure a smooth and enjoyable travel experience.
Your guide will be waiting for you in your hotel lobby at the appointed time holding a sign with the China Highlights logo and your name on it.
If, for any reason, you miss your tour guide, please ask the staff at the hotel's front desk to help you make a telephone call to your tour guide or to contact China Highlights' Xi'an office using the 24/7 emergency hotline at +86-18182404759 (24 hours). We will help you solve the problem.
Good to know:
The distance from downtown Xi'an to the Terracotta Warrior Museum is about 45 kilometers. Normally, it takes about 50 minutes to drive there.
You will acquire rich background information about the city from your well-educated, expert guide. Being prepared with a little knowledge about the Terracotta Army beforehand is highly recommended for a perfect trip if you don't just want to see lots of similar-looking stone statues.
We recommend you watch the following video on YouTube about the history of the Terracotta Army and Emperor Qin Shi Huang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP5p4QbvPtc (this brief video is about 5 minutes long).
Alternatively, you can watch this video for a more detailed introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-1IcaeuGnw (it takes about 45 minutes).
Your exploration of the Terracotta Army site begins. Please follow your guide to discover the amazing terracotta warriors that were buried for more than 2,000 years and to hear interesting stories about China's first emperor — Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BC).
There are three pits in the museum. Our recommended visiting sequence is Pit 1 – Pit 2 – Pit 3 – Bronze Chariot Pit – the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang as you will follow historical clues that lead from general to detailed information.
Pit 1 is the largest of the pits and it is estimated to house around 6,000 figures as well as a great quantity of bronze weaponry. You will be shocked by the large scale of the figures lining up, and will feel as if you have been taken back to the Qin Dynasty when the army of soldiers was waiting to go out to battle.
Pit 2 is not as large as Pit 1. It is estimated that the terracotta warriors and horses in this pit amount to 1,300 figures. However, the great variety makes it top-rated among all three pits.
Pit 3 is the smallest one with only 72 terracotta warriors and horses. It is believed that it served as the headquarters for the army, directing the warriors in Pit 1 and Pit 2.
The Bronze Chariot Pit exhibits two painted bronze chariots in a large scale. As burial objects, the bronze chariots represent Emperor Qin Shi Huang's vehicles. Crowned as "the King of Bronze Ware", the bronze chariots are the earliest, largest, and best-preserved bronze artifacts in the world.
When you take a closer look at the different clay figures' details, you'll find each figure has its own unique face. Please notice the differences in their hairstyles, headwear, and gestures. These are used to show their military ranks.
Next, around 8-minute driving, you'll be transferred from the museum to the best ViewPoint where you can view the whole area of the Maosoleunm of Qin Shi Huang. Considered that the tomb of Qin Shi Huang has little to see, we will visit the site by viewing at a distance instead of taking a close look at. You'll be shocked by the large size of the mausoleum. As the scale of the excavated terracotta army area only occupies about 5% of the whole mausoleum, 95% of the mausoleum is still buried and its contents remain secret. Your tour guide will tell the story why the Qin Shi Huang choose this site to expect to continue his rule in death as it had in life, and some inference about the structure and distribution of the underground palace.
With the narration from your guide, you will indulge in the splendid civilization of the great Qin Dynasty, and the following mysteries will be gradually unraveled:
Why are there no female warriors? Why are most of the soldiers not wearing helmets? Why are many figures without heads? Why is 95% of the mausoleum still buried rather than excavated? What are the differences between the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and the pyramids of the pharaohs in Egypt? Why were the emperors and pharaohs so interested in building their tombs?
Good to know:
We have selected a local restaurant near the Terracotta Warriors Museum. There, you can experience the most authentic Xi'an local food.
You'll have the chance to taste the local people's favorite food, such as Rou Jia Mo (肉夹馍, we also call it a Chinese hamburger), Yang Rou Pao Mo (羊肉泡馍, pita bread soaked in lamb soup; your guide will show you how to break the bread into small pieces), noodles, and dumplings.
Please let us know your food preferences, such as a vegetarian diet, Muslim food, gluten-free food, etc. so that we can make preparations in advance.
After lunch, you'll be driven back to Xi'an for the next destination, Xi'an Ancient City Wall. It will take about 50 minutes for the journey. A nap might be necessary for you to feel refreshed.
Xi'an Ancient City Wall was first built in the Ming Dynasty (1370–1378 AD) and is the largest and the best-maintained ancient city wall in China. It is shaped like a rectangle with a total length of 13.74 kilometers. The downtown part of Xi'an City is centered within this ancient city wall. There are four major gates (the north gate, the east gate, the south gate, and the west gate) of this city wall. Your visit will start from East Gate (Chang Le Gate).
You have three options when visiting the city wall. You can choose to walk part of the city wall (we suggest you walk from East Gate to South Gate, which is about 3.5 kilometers, and finally meet your guide and the other tour members at South Gate at 4:30pm).
Or you can cycle along the city wall (your guide will help you to rent a bike and we suggest you cycle from East Gate – North Gate – West Gate – South Gate, which is about 10 kilometers, and finally meet your guide and the other tour members at South Gate at about 4:30pm).
We highly recommend you to take the eco-car running on the city wall (your guide will buy the tickets for you). This runs from East Gate – North Gate – West Gate – South Gate and you will meet your guide and the other tour members at South Gate at about 4:30pm (the Bicycle Service Station). But in summer, it is very hot on the wall, so we suggest you to ride the essential part of the City Wall from East Gate to South Gate only, which is about 3.5 kilometers.
On the city wall, you can wander around, free your mind, and digest the details of the city, the people, and the culture.
After visiting the city wall, you will head to Xi'an's most famous food street, Muslim Street, where you'll see lots of featured foods and snacks. You can try some if you'd like to.
Please take note of the following tips for this food street:
Please make sure to reserve at least 3 hours if you want to catch an onward flight or 2 hours if you want to catch an onward train. Please book the transfer with us in advance and tell us your flight (or train) number and departure time.
Tip notes: Tip your guide and driver is not a compulsory requirement but would be a great affirmation of their services. Therefore, we suggest you to give your guide and driver 60 – 100 yuan per person as this would be a great encouragement for them.
You may follow us on our Facebook page to see the latest updates, photos and posts from your tour guide at: https://www.facebook.com/trippest/
We have prepared FM headsets and telescopes for our customers to make sure you can hear and watch clearly in the terracotta warriors while other groups are struggling and get lost in the crowds.
You will taste the local food and culture in a local way while other groups have to go to the tourist restaurant and eat the food just for tourists.
We never take our customers to the tourist shops while other groups have to waste their time and money on the over-priced souvenirs.
Season | Adult (age > 12) | Child (age 2 – 12) | Infant (age < 2) |
---|---|---|---|
Shoulder Season | $99 USD | $89 USD | free |
Peak Season | $109 USD | $99 USD | free |
* Please Note: The peak season includes the following dates: 30/Dec/2017 - 01/Jan/2018, 15/Feb/2018 - 21/Feb/2018, 05/Apr/2018 - 07/Apr/2018, 29/Apr/2018 - 01/May/2018, 16/Jun/2018 - 18/Jun/2018, 22/Sep/2018 - 24/Sep/2018, 01/Oct/2018 - 07/Oct/2018. Other dates are indicated as shoulder season.