Terracotta Warriors Day Tour Xian: Customizable Afternoon

Skip the crowds and design your own afternoon after the Terracotta Warriors.

A private day tour from Xian that starts with hotel pickup at 9am and takes you to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, where you spend the morning exploring all three excavation pits. After lunch on your own, you choose two additional sites in downtown Xian from a list that includes the City Wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Shaanxi History Museum, Bell & Drum Tower, Muslim Quarter, and others. An English-speaking guide and air-conditioned private transport are included throughout. The tour ends with hotel drop-off.

Step-by-step itinerary

Terracotta Warriors and Xian sightseeing

• Pick up from Xian hotel at 9:00 am
• Drive one hour to Terracotta Warriors Museum
• Explore Pit No. 1, Pit No. 2, and Pit No. 3
• Break for lunch (own expense)
• Visit two chosen downtown sites
• Drive back to hotel to conclude trip

The experience

Your guide picks you up from your Xian hotel at 9am and drives about an hour to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. This is the centerpiece of the day: the most significant archaeological excavation of the 20th century. You'll walk through all three pits (No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3) in the order they were discovered, with your guide explaining what you're seeing. The scale of the site means you'll spend real time there, not a rushed pass-through.

After the museum, you break for lunch at a restaurant of your choosing. Your guide can suggest places, but the meal is on your own. This is where the tour's flexibility kicks in. You then pick any two afternoon sites from a menu that includes the City Wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Shaanxi History Museum, Bell & Drum Tower, Muslim Quarter, Great Mosque, Gao's Grand Courtyard, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, or Forest of Stone Steles Museum. You decide what matters to you, and the guide takes you there. No fixed itinerary, no time wasted on stops you didn't choose.

The whole day runs about eight hours from pickup to drop-off. Your guide speaks English throughout, the vehicle is air-conditioned, and you get bottled water during the drive. Entrance fees and lunch are separate from the tour price, so you pay those on the spot based on what you actually visit.

What’s included

• Private air-conditioned transportation.
• hotel pickup and drop-off at 9am.
• English-speaking professional guide.
• bottled water during the drive.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:00, 08:30, 09:00 and 09:30

Book up to4h before

AgesUp to age 90

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 15 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by TWT Travel

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to see the Terracotta Warriors thoroughly in the morning and then decide your own afternoon based on what interests you most. The flexibility lets you skip sites that don't matter to you and spend time on the ones that do.

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Top questions

How much time do you spend at the Terracotta Warriors Museum?

The museum is the main focus of the morning and early afternoon. You explore all three pits with your guide, so you have enough time to see the full scale of the excavation without rushing through.

Can you choose which afternoon sites to visit?

Yes. You pick any two sites from a list that includes the City Wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Shaanxi History Museum, Bell & Drum Tower, Muslim Quarter, Great Mosque, and several others. Let your guide know your preferences when you book so they can plan the route.

What's included in the tour price?

Private transportation, hotel pickup and drop-off, an English-speaking guide, bottled water, and a professional driver are all included. Entrance fees to the museum and any afternoon sites, plus lunch, are paid separately on the day.

Does the tour include shopping stops?

No. This tour has no time-consuming shopping stops built in, so your day stays focused on the sites you actually want to see.

What time does the tour start and end?

Pickup is at 9am from your Xian hotel. The full day runs about eight hours, ending with drop-off back at your hotel in the late afternoon.