Qin Terra Cotta Warriors

When the first warriors were excavated after 1974, they were not the colour you see today. Every figure in the pits was originally coated in vibrant lacquer paint: vermilion, deep green, sky blue, ochre, black, pinkish-purple, light red, and orange, applied in multiple layers over a white base coat. Within 15 seconds of air contact, the ancient pigments began peeling from the clay. By the time conservation techniques caught up in the 1990s, the colour on most unearthed figures was gone. The museum now runs a permanent exhibition called “True Color of Terracotta Army,” using high-resolution photography, physical restorations, and painted fragments to show what the pits originally looked like: not an army of bare terracotta, but thousands of individually coloured and uniformed soldiers arranged in military formation. This is arguably the most important fact to understand before you visit, because it changes what you’re looking at.

The Site and What’s in It

The Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, was constructed from around 246 BCE and took 700,000 workers roughly 38 years to complete. The terracotta figures are not actually inside the main mausoleum mound; they occupy burial pits arranged to the east of it, positioned as if guarding the entrance. Three pits are open to visitors. Pit 1 is the largest, at roughly 230 metres by 62 metres, containing an estimated 6,000 figures in battle formation alongside terracotta horses and wooden chariots. Pit 2 holds a mixed force of cavalry, infantry, and crossbowmen. Pit 3 is the smallest and appears to represent the command headquarters, with officers rather than rank-and-file soldiers. In total, around 8,000 figurines have been identified across the pits, along with over 40,000 bronze weapons.

In late 2024, excavation of Pit 1 produced a terracotta commander, only the tenth high-ranking officer figure ever found in 50 years of digging. High-level commanders are distinguishable by their tall caps and long tunics. This was the first commander discovered since the pit reopened for systematic excavation in 1994. Active excavation continues in Pit 1 and Pit 2, and visitors can watch archaeologists working from viewing platforms above the pit floors.

The ticket price in 2026 is CNY 120 during standard periods and CNY 150 during peak periods (Chinese national holidays, Golden Week). This includes the adjacent Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum Site Park and the shuttle bus that runs between the two sites. The museum imposes a daily maximum of 65,000 tickets, with no more than 13,700 visitors on site at any one time. Booking online up to seven days ahead (or 10 days ahead during holidays) via the museum’s official website is strongly recommended. The booking system requires a Chinese phone number, which creates a practical barrier for foreign visitors; using a third-party tour agent who holds allocations is the most reliable alternative.

Opening hours are 08:30 to 18:30 from mid-March through mid-November, and 08:30 to 18:00 in winter. The last ticket check-in is 17:00 (or 16:30 in winter), so arriving before 09:00 gives you the best combination of light and manageable crowd levels in Pit 1 before the tour groups arrive at 10:00.

Getting to the Site

The museum is located approximately 35 kilometres east of central Xi’an. From Xi’an North Railway Station (the high-speed rail terminal), bus number 914 or 915 runs directly to the site and takes around 70 to 90 minutes. The fare is a few yuan. Bus 306 from Xi’an’s East Bus Station is the other common public option. A taxi or rideshare from the city centre costs around CNY 100 to 150 one way and takes 40 to 60 minutes depending on traffic.

From Xi’an Xianyang International Airport, a direct shuttle bus covers the 62-kilometre distance for around CNY 45 and takes approximately 90 minutes. A taxi from the airport costs around CNY 200. High-speed trains from major Chinese cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu) arrive at Xi’an North; the journey from Beijing South takes around 4.5 hours and costs around CNY 400 to 500 for a second-class seat.

Xi’an Beyond the Warriors

Xi’an was the eastern terminus of the Silk Road and served as the imperial capital for 13 dynasties. The city wall, dating from the Ming Dynasty (14th century), is one of the best-preserved ancient city walls in China. You can rent a bicycle at the south gate and ride the full 14-kilometre circuit along the top; the experience is more interesting than it sounds, with watchtowers at regular intervals and elevated views across both the old and new city.

The Muslim Quarter (Huimin Jie) northwest of the Bell Tower is where Xi’an’s Hui Muslim community has lived for over a thousand years. The Great Mosque of Xi’an, founded in 742 CE, is one of the oldest in China and has a Chinese architectural style rather than the domed forms common to Middle Eastern Islamic architecture. The surrounding lanes are a working food market as much as a tourist attraction. Arrive around 18:00 to see it at full operation.

Food

Rou Jia Mo is the Xi’an dish most worth seeking out: braised pork (or lamb) in a crusty baked flatbread, eaten as street food, costing CNY 10 to 20 depending on the filling. The braising liquid typically includes star anise, cassia bark, and dried chillies and can be simmering for hours. The Muslim Quarter has the densest concentration of stalls selling it. Biang Biang noodles, hand-pulled flat noodles dressed with chilli oil, vinegar, and minced garlic, are the other regional staple. The character used to write “Biang” in Chinese is reputedly the most stroke-complex character in the language.

Yang Ruo Pao Mo (lamb and bread soup) involves breaking dense flatbread into a bowl by hand, then having the kitchen pour a rich lamb broth over the pieces. It is served table-side at traditional restaurants in the Muslim Quarter and is a useful warm-up for winter mornings before heading to the site.

Where to Stay

The Bell Tower and Drum Tower area in central Xi’an puts you within walking distance of the Muslim Quarter and close to bus connections for the warriors site. The Grand Mercure on Renmin Square and several mid-range international chain hotels are concentrated here. Budget options include the Ancient City International Youth Hostel, which has a helpful travel desk for booking warriors tickets and day trips to other Shaanxi Province sites such as Huashan Mountain.

The strongest argument for staying close to central Xi’an rather than near the warriors site itself is that the museum is best visited on a half-day schedule (three to four hours is sufficient for most visitors), leaving the remainder of your time in the city for the wall, the Muslim Quarter, and the Shaanxi History Museum, which holds one of the best collections of Tang Dynasty artefacts in the country.

Practical Notes

No English-language audio guides are available for rent at the site itself; download the official museum app before you go, which has English interpretation for all three pits. Foreign-language guided tours can be booked through Xi’an tour operators and are useful for contextualising the military organisation visible in Pit 2’s cavalry formations.

Pit 1 is an enclosed building and can feel warm and humid in summer when large groups are present. The best photographs of the pit floor are taken from the raised viewing platform along the north side, where you get the full depth of the formation rather than the compressed view from the ends. Arrive when the building opens and position yourself on the north walkway before the tour groups block the railing.