The Terracotta Army museum is in Lintong district, north-east of Xi'an. The adult ticket is CNY 120 all year, and it must be booked online by real name in advance. That includes foreign visitors: the museum's site says to book with your passport details and to bring the original passport to be scanned at the gate. We re-read the museum's ticketing and visitor-guide pages on 17 October 2026, and everything below comes from them except the section on getting there, which uses Wikivoyage and is marked. Before you go, check three things: that you have a booked slot for your date, that you carry the real passport, and that you head for the North Gate, which is the only entrance. We did not visit the museum ourselves for this page.
This page covers the museum only. The city overview is in the Xi'an guide, hotels are in where to stay in Xi'an, and entry rules, payments and internet limits for the whole country are on the China hub.
Fees, checked 17 October 2026
From the museum's ticketing announcement. Amounts are in Chinese yuan (CNY).
| Ticket | Price | Conditions on the site |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | CNY 120 | One price in both peak and off-peak seasons, per a Shaanxi provincial pricing letter the site cites |
| Student | CNY 60 (half price) | Full-time Chinese students up to undergraduate level, with a student card. Adult and online education excluded |
| Foreign child | Free | The English page says children of non-Chinese nationality up to 1.4 m tall enter free, must be booked in advance and accompanied by a parent |
| Chinese child | Free | Aged 16 and under, accompanied by a parent. One adult may bring up to 3 children |
| Age 65 and over | Free | Some entries on the site say Chinese nationals only, so foreign seniors should call before buying |
Where the site contradicts itself: the conditions for children and seniors are written inconsistently between entries, with some naming Chinese nationality and some not. We do not interpret them. If you travel with children or older relatives, call the ticket line on 029-81399127, as the site lists, before you decide.
Extra fees listed by the museum: a battery cart inside the Terracotta Army area costs CNY 5 per person, and one in Lishan Garden costs CNY 15 per person. Lockers beside the ticket hall are free, though they do not accept valuables such as cash, phones, computers, documents, jewellery, drinks or cooked food.
How to book
The site says it is a real-name online reservation system and that every visitor, foreigners and free-entry visitors included, must book through official channels.
- Official website bmy.com.cn: book with a second-generation Chinese ID card or a passport.
- Official WeChat account: search for the account named "秦始皇帝陵博物院" or "兵马俑票务在线" and book inside it.
- Arrive for your slot. Tickets are divided by time slot and the site recommends waiting at the gate 30 minutes before your booked time.
- Valid for one day. Tickets are checked three times. You can cancel for a refund before the ticket is checked, with the money back to the original account in 3 to 5 working days. A used ticket cannot be refunded.
- Daily cap. The visitor guide says the site accepts at most 65,000 people a day and stops selling once the cap is reached.
- Payment proof. If you booked on the official site or WeChat, you can print a receipt at self-service machines at the East Gate with the original documents, 09:00 to 17:30, valid on the day only.
If you buy through an overseas reseller, the price and conditions are theirs. Check the entry slot and refund policy on their page before paying. We do not list reseller prices because they change by currency and date.
Opening hours
| Period | Ticket checks start | Ticket checks stop | Closing time on the home page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer, 16 Mar to 15 Nov | 08:30 | 17:00 | 18:30 |
| Winter, 16 Nov to 15 Mar | 08:30 | 16:30 | 18:00 |
The date we checked (17 October) falls in the museum's summer period, and the winter schedule starts on 16 November. For public holidays, follow the site's latest notice. The home page and the ticketing page do not contradict each other: the closing time is when the area shuts, while 17:00 or 16:30 is the last time tickets are checked. Do not arrive near the cut-off.
What you will see
All figures here come from the museum's pages.
- Pit 1. About 14,260 square metres, with roughly 6,000 clay soldiers and horses. More than 500 life-size soldiers, 24 horses and 6 chariots have been excavated so far. It was found in March 1974 by villagers digging a well.
- Pit 2. About 6,000 square metres, with crossbowmen, cavalry, infantry and chariots. The site lists 939 soldiers, 472 horses and 89 chariots.
- Pit 3. About 520 square metres. The site describes it as the likely command post for Pits 1 and 2, and says it is the only pit not burned, so more paint survives on the figures.
- Bronze chariots. Two bronze chariots found in 1980 are displayed in the Lishan Garden. They are about half life size, and the site calls them the "pinnacle of bronze". Your ticket covers them, and a free shuttle runs from the Terracotta Army car park.
The museum says the Terracotta Army and the Lishan Garden each take about 1.5 hours. It gives two sample routes: a one-hour route covering Pit 1 and the bronze chariots, and a two-hour route covering Pit 1, Pit 3, Pit 2 and the bronze chariots.
Getting there
The museum's site has route pages for airports, high-speed rail and public transport, but the text loads through scripts and we could not read it. The table uses Wikivoyage, which is not an official source. Check the route in a maps app on the day.
| Route | What Wikivoyage says |
|---|---|
| Bus 306 (also called Tourist Line 5) | Leaves from the east side of the plaza in front of Xi'an railway station and ends at the museum car park. About 1 hour, up to 3 hours in heavy traffic. CNY 7 one way, paid on the bus. It passes Huaqing Palace on the way |
| Buses 307 and 914 | Also reach the museum. 307 also serves the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. 914 is slower on local roads but more frequent. CNY 7 |
| Metro Line 9 | Wikivoyage says Line 9 serves the north-eastern suburbs and the Terracotta Army area, reached from the ends of Line 1 or 6. We did not verify the nearest station name |
| Taxi from the airport | About CNY 85 plus a CNY 15 expressway toll |
A warning from Wikivoyage: do not board vehicles at the stops on the inside (south) of the city wall where touts hold signs saying 306 or 5. These are private vans that stop elsewhere first. Use the plaza on the east side of the railway station. Official bus staff only confirm the route number and do not push you to board. On the way out, the exit road has souvenir shops and persistent sellers.
The address on the official site is Qinling North Road, Lintong District, Xi'an (陕西省西安市临潼区秦陵北路).
Planning the day
- Go early. Checks start at 08:30. By bus from the railway station allow about 1 hour or more (Wikivoyage). Our suggestion is to leave your hotel by 07:00.
- Combine with Huaqing Palace. Bus 306 passes it, per Wikivoyage, so the two fit in one day. Details are in the Xi'an guide.
- Keep the afternoon for the old city. If you are back by evening, the Bell Tower and Muslim Quarter are still walkable.
- Staying nearby. We list a resort hotel in Lintong, checked against its own site, on where to stay in Xi'an. It is far from the city centre.
Banned items
The official site lists items not allowed past the gate, such as flammable and explosive items, sharp objects, lighters, pets, drones, kites, loudspeakers, bicycles, scooters and video-recording equipment (摄像设备 on the Chinese page, "camera equipment" on the English one). We do not interpret whether a phone camera or ordinary camera counts. If you carry a large camera, ask the museum's enquiries line, 029-81399174, as listed on the site.
How this page compares
We read China Highlights' and Lonely Planet's Xi'an pages on 17 October 2026 as English benchmarks. They describe the army and give itineraries well. Neither lists the real-name rule with the original passport at the gate, the 65,000 daily cap, the three ticket checks and refund rule, or the seasonal check-in cut-offs, which we took from the museum's own pages. We also flag where the site's own child and senior rules are inconsistent, instead of picking one.
Links on this page and our earnings
Tickets bought directly from the museum, as set out above, do not pass through us. As of 17 October 2026 we have no registered affiliate link for the Terracotta Army and earn nothing from the booking buttons on this page, which open the providers' search pages. We do not compare prices.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the Terracotta Army ticket?
CNY 120 for adults, one price all year, per the museum's site. Full-time Chinese students up to undergraduate level pay CNY 60.
Do foreigners need to book in advance?
Yes. The museum's site says everyone, including foreign visitors, must book by real name online, through bmy.com.cn or the official WeChat account, and show the original passport at the gate.
What time does it open and close?
Ticket checks start at 08:30 and stop at 17:00 (16 Mar to 15 Nov) or 16:30 (16 Nov to 15 Mar). The home page lists closing times of 18:30 and 18:00.
How long should I allow?
The museum says the Terracotta Army and the Lishan Garden each take about 1.5 hours. If you visit both, allow at least 3 hours including walking and shuttle waits (our suggestion).
How do I get there from Xi'an railway station?
Wikivoyage lists bus 306 from the plaza in front of the station, east side, CNY 7 and about 1 hour. We have not checked it with an operator, so confirm in a maps app on the day.
Do foreign children get in free?
The English version of the site says children of non-Chinese nationality up to 1.4 m enter free if booked in advance. Other entries word it differently, so call 029-81399127 before you go.
Can I take a bag inside?
There are free lockers next to the ticket hall. Valuables, cash, phones, documents and drinks cannot be stored, per the site.
See also
- Xi'an travel guide
- Where to stay in Xi'an
- China hub: entry rules, payments, trains
- Forbidden City tickets in Beijing
Official sources and further reading
- Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Site Museum (official): ticket price, booking, refunds, e-cart fees, banned items
- Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Site Museum (official): home page, opening hours
- Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Site Museum (official): visitor guide, 65,000 daily cap, sample routes
- Wikivoyage: Xi'an (buses, taxis, warnings; not official)
- China Highlights: Xi'an Travel Guide (benchmark, read 17 Oct 2026)
- Lonely Planet: Xi'an (benchmark, read 17 Oct 2026)
Prices, schedules and entry rules change. Figures here are approximate as of 2026; always confirm on the official or operator page before you book. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
