Traveler Description
One of the most significant archaeological finds in the world, this 16,300-square-meter excavation reveals more than 7,000 life-size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations.

Address: Eastern Route
Phone: 029 391 1961

http://www.bmy.com.cn

Traveler Reviews

Stunning!
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Sep 10, 2008


The drive out to the Terra Cotta Warrior site from our hotel near the south gate of the Xian city wall took a little bit less than an hour. When we arrived there we found that there was a short walk (about 5-10 minutes) from the parking lot where we had been dropped off to the entrance gate. On the way back we passed through an area with a lot of shops and restaurants. There was obviously some pressure on visitors to buy some souvenirs or spend some money on other things, but in general we were left alone. The three exhibition halls are all very interesting. The first one is the one that is perhaps the best known one. It is the largest, and possibly also the best. It is in this hall one can get a real feeling of the size of the site. You enter through one of the short sides of the buildings and you immediately see the Terra Cotta Army facing you. It is very impressive to see the long columns of figures that continues almost all the way to the far end. At that end of the building it is possible to get a closer look at some of the figures that are being restored, and again it is not possible not be impressed with sheer scale of the work that has been done to restore the army and create the stunning display. The other two buildings are much smaller, but still there are much to see. In one of the buildings large parts of the army has not been excavated yet, I suppose due to the risk of damaging the archaeology that is below the collapsed roof that used to cover the warriors. The museum is also very impressive. The highlight is of course the carriage that was uncovered, but there is also much more to see. The main problem with the museum is that at busy times it is often difficult to get close to every item that you may want to look at. I have visited this site twice and on each occasion I had a great time. It is definitely one of the top attractions in China, although my three teenage kids weren?t as impressed with the site as I was. I guess it depends a bit on what your interests are. But certainly for anyone remotely interested in Chinese history and culture a visit to this site is a must.

Getting to Terra Cotta Warriors
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Aug 7, 2008


We wanted to see the Terra Cotta Warriors but the packages all seemed to be very expensive.We wanted to take the bus, some people say it is very easy to find, it wasn't to us. We only had one day in the area, so we needed to get there. Eventually, we encountered David fromTourist Information Center Xian. Although the van used wasn't the nicest looking, we did get there fairly quickly. He suggested we stop at the Hot Springs, so we did for about an hour. He purchased tickets for us at was the posted price, and left us on our own to explore, which is just what we wanted to do. Although he did take us to a jewelry shop, he didn't mind that we only walked in and out. Then we were dropped off at the Terra Cotta warriors site. We were there to explore at our leisure, about 3 or 4 hours. Afterward, we had time to eat at a restaurant there near the exit. He did charge about $20 total for 3-more that the bus, but we didn't have to worry about where to get off and on, and we got to see the Hot Springs, which was something I wanted to do. We were happy to get our tours in one day. He also drove us around the town to see the Bell Tower, etc., and dropped us off right at our hotel.

One of the best parts of the tour
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Jul 16, 2008


My name is Kristin and I recently went on an 11 day trip to Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai. I traveled with Explorica, an educational travel company, for which I work (www.explorica.com). Our tour included all activities, meals, hotels, excursions and our itinerary was packed! It was a great experience because I got to experience so much in the short time I was abroad. One of my favorite parts was the visit to this museum. Do not miss this visit if you're headed in that direction.

Impressive!!
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on May 27, 2008


No matter how many photos of this one sees, one will be blown away at the sheer scale of it all. The place is amazing and the warriors are utterly fascinating - even mesmerizing. Our guide was excellent (as was his english) and explained loads of things to us during our two plus hour tour of the site. He approached us in the parking lot. It was totally worth the approximately $21 we paid him (RMB 150 for 2 people). We arrived at the site just as they were opening it at 8:30 am and pretty much had the place to ourselves. We also did not suffer the heat too much. We took a taxi to the place at a cost of approximately $42 (RMB 300) and he waited for us in the parking lot.

The eighth wonder?
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on May 18, 2008


Our guide took my wife and me to a buffet style Chinese restaurant on the grounds of the Terra-Cotta Warriors and Soldiers Museum before we actually viewed the warriors. The meal cost 45 yuan and was very good. Then we began the tour. It was truly remarkable. The background film, in English, was about 15 minutes long. It gives some background to what you see with your own eyes. We felt it was worth the 15 minutes. The largest pit ? I think it?s called pit number 1 ? is very impressive with the legion of repaired soldiers in formation, and the scattered pieces still in place, waiting their turn to become part of a whole again. Many people walking around the pit but, because the pit is so large, plenty of space to view and take photos. Lighting for photos here is very good(no need for flash ? the distances are too long, anyway). You can get good close-ups with a decent telephoto lens. The remaining pits were impressive also, but not at the level of this one. Our guide told us that a new pit would be opening in about two years. As we left, we went through the gift shop, and I wanted to buy a booklet about the warriors. It turns out that one of two, still-living, farmers who discovered the site comes to the shop each day and signs each book purchased. Our guide told us that he had been taught to write his name for this purpose, and this is the only thing he can write. Before the visit, and several times during the visit, we heard from our guide ? and from other voices around us ? the phrase ?Eighth Wonder of the World?. Since we have not seen any of the others, we can?t compare, but this was truly impressive.