Terracotta Army tickets and tour: booking, transport and pits (2026)

The Terracotta Army is part of the Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum in Lintong, about an hour east of central Xi’an. Entry is by real-name ticket, and a little planning makes the difference between a rushed visit and a good one.

Booking your ticket

• One ticket costs ¥120 and covers Pits 1, 2 and 3, the exhibition hall, and the mausoleum site park, which you reach on a free shuttle.
• Book on the official website bmy.com.cn (it has an English version) or the museum’s WeChat account. Foreign visitors book with a passport. Trip.com also sells tickets.
• Booking opens about 7 days ahead, a little further ahead at holidays. Entry is by time slot. Weekends, summer and Chinese holidays fill up, so book a few days ahead then.
• Tickets are for one day only and generally cannot be refunded.

On the day, bring the passport you booked with. You scan it at the gate, or use the manual lane if the reader does not take it.

Opening hours

The museum’s own site lists ticket sales and entry from 08:30 to 17:00 in the high season (16 March–15 November) and 08:30 to 16:30 in the low season, with the halls closing later. Aim to arrive in the morning so you are not rushed.

Getting there

• Tourist Bus 5 (No. 306) leaves from the Fangzhicheng coach station (Metro Line 1, Fangzhicheng) and takes about an hour. It stops at Huaqing Palace on the way. Carry some cash, as transit cards may not be accepted.
• Metro Line 9 to Huaqingchi, then local bus 602 or 613, also works but involves more changes.
• DiDi or a taxi from the city takes about an hour and is the easiest option for two or more people.

Ignore anyone at the car park who says the museum is closed or sells “official” tours. Walk to the ticket gate yourself.

Seeing the pits in the right order

Most guides suggest starting in Pit 1, the huge hall with rows of soldiers in battle formation. It is the most impressive and the busiest, so see it first while you are fresh. Pit 3 is small, the command post of the army. Pit 2 is the least excavated but has the cabinets with the kneeling archer and other figures up close. Then visit the exhibition hall with the two bronze chariots, and take the shuttle to the mausoleum park if you have time.

Guides and audio guides

Official guides can be hired at the visitor centre near the entrance. Agree the price and language before you start. Audio guides are also available. A guided visit is worth it here: the pits look like rows of statues until someone explains how they were made and found. Many travellers book a small-group day tour from Xi’an that includes transport, ticket and guide.

Combining with Huaqing Palace

Huaqing Palace, the Tang dynasty hot springs at the foot of Mount Li, is on the same road and easy to add on the same day. Entry is ¥120. Foreign visitors book online or through Trip.com and exchange the booking for a ticket at the ticket office with their passport. In the evening it stages “The Song of Everlasting Sorrow”, a large outdoor show, for which you pay separately.

See our pages on the Terracotta Army and Huaqing Palace, and the Xi’an city guide for the rest of your stay.