What the ticket costs and what it covers
Adult admission is ¥120 and it is the same price in both seasons — there is no peak-and-low split here, unlike the Forbidden City. A half-price ¥60 ticket covers students on full-time undergraduate or lower programmes (student card checked at the dedicated channel) and veterans holding a Chinese veteran's preference card. That one ticket covers both halves of the museum: the Terracotta Army pits and the Lishan Garden, the mausoleum park about two kilometres away.
- The shuttle bus between the two halves is free and runs about every twenty minutes. Budget on roughly an hour and a half for each half.
- Free admission is written as a concession for Chinese nationals: children under 16 brought by a guardian, visitors aged 65 and over, and people with disabilities. The museum's own English policy spells out the child rule — Chinese mainland children qualify by age (ID card or household registration booklet), while children of any other nationality qualify by <strong>height: 1.4 m and under</strong>. Every free visitor still has to book ahead.
- Admission starts at 08:30. Last admission is 17:00 in the peak season (16 March to 15 November) and 16:30 in the low season (16 November to 15 March).
- Booking is real-name and timed. The official channel accepts a passport, so foreign visitors book and enter on the same document.
Start with the official visitor channel
Use the museum's official website or its official WeChat ticket channel and select passport as the document type. Keep the passport you booked with on you — the check at the gate is a real-name check, not a glance at a barcode.
- Check the date and the entry window; the museum pre-sells about a week ahead and holiday weeks change the rule, so do not plan on a fixed number of days.
- Save the confirmation and the museum address in Chinese offline.
- Do not assume a third-party ticket's cancellation policy matches the museum's policy.
Choose your time before choosing your transport
The museum is a day trip from central Xian, so the first decision is how much time you want inside the pits. Arrive with enough margin for security, the walk between halls and the return journey; a late afternoon ticket can leave you racing the last transport.
- Morning is the safer default for a first visit and gives more flexibility if the road is slow.
- Allow time for all main pits and the bronze chariot exhibition rather than planning a second far-away sight immediately afterward.
- If using a taxi or ride-hailing, keep the Chinese destination name and the hotel address ready.
What to carry
This is a large museum complex, not a single gallery beside the train station. Carry your passport, booking confirmation, water and comfortable shoes. Keep payment and connectivity backups for the return trip.
- Passport — the same document you used in the booking.
- Screenshot of the ticket and the official museum contact route.
- A transport backup: local ride-hailing, a booked transfer or enough time to find the correct bus/taxi queue.
Put it into an Xian itinerary
Pair the Terracotta Army with a lighter central-Xian evening, not another distant attraction. The museum day works well before a city-wall walk, Muslim Quarter meal or an early night before a train.
- Check the train departure station carefully if you leave Xian that night—there may be more than one.
- Keep a buffer for traffic on the way back into the city.
- Use the Xian city tour board for a route that does not make every stop depend on perfect traffic.
Questions travelers ask
How much are Terracotta Warriors tickets?
¥120 for an adult, the same in both seasons. Full-time students at bachelor level and below, and veterans, pay ¥60. The ticket covers the pits and the Lishan Garden, and the shuttle between them is free.
Can foreigners buy Terracotta Warriors tickets with a passport?
Yes. The museum's real-name booking accepts a passport as the identity document, and the official ticketing page lists the passport alongside the Chinese ID options. Enter the passport details carefully and bring the same passport to the museum.
Is the Lishan Garden included, or is that a second ticket?
Included. One ¥120 ticket covers the Terracotta Army museum and the Lishan Garden, and the shuttle bus that links them is free. Allow about an hour and a half for each half.
How long do I need at the Terracotta Army?
Allow at least half a day including the journey from central Xian; with both halves of the site and a traffic buffer, most of a day is more comfortable.
Should I visit the Terracotta Warriors in the morning?
Morning is the most forgiving default because the site is outside central Xian and the return journey can take longer than expected. Follow the entry window on the ticket you actually book.