English guide for foreign visitors
How do I plan a 2-day Xi’an itinerary with the Terracotta Warriors?
Back to Guides · Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum — official ticketing ↗
Step 1 of 6
Fix your two Xi’an days
Do this
Decide which calendar day is the city day and which is the Terracotta Warriors day, based on your actual arrival and departure times in Xi’an. Treat the museum day as a full travel day rather than a short round trip.
- Done when
- You have two named dates: one city day and one museum day, and the museum day is not squeezed against an arrival or departure you cannot control.
If this fails
If arrival or departure leaves no realistic full day for the museum, move the museum day or add a night rather than compressing it. Check whether the overall trip is too rushed before booking anything nonrefundable.
Step 2 of 6
Book the museum slot officially
Do this
Book admission through one of the museum’s official channels: the official website, the official WeChat account 秦始皇帝陵博物院, or 兵马俑票务在线. The museum states that all visitors — including Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and foreign visitors, and policy free-ticket visitors — must reserve in advance through these official channels.
- Done when
- The official channel shows a confirmed reservation for your chosen date and slot, tied to the passport details you entered.
If this fails
If the slot you want is unavailable or the booking page will not complete, do not assume a reservation exists. Try another slot or another day, or re-check the official channel later; do not proceed on a screenshot, a third-party promise or an unconfirmed cart.
Step 3 of 6
Confirm the order and slot
Do this
After booking, confirm the order using the museum’s stated order-query route: on the website via the official site or the official WeChat account under 我的订单 → 订单查询 using phone number, ID number or order number; if booked in WeChat, check 我的订单 in the WeChat account.
- Done when
- The order query returns your reservation with the correct date, slot and visitor details.
If this fails
If the order cannot be found, do not travel to the museum assuming entry. Re-check the channel you booked through, and if it still cannot be located, rebook through an official channel or change the day.
Step 4 of 6
Check hours and slot rules
Do this
Before finalizing the day, check the museum’s current opening and ticket-check times and the timed-entry rule on the official page. The museum states visitors must arrive within their reserved slot, waiting about half an hour ahead, and that the site uses one-way entry and exit with the north gate as the entrance.
- Done when
- Your day plan starts early enough to reach the north gate within the reserved slot, with the published check-in window confirmed on the official page.
If this fails
If published hours or slot rules have changed, rebuild the day around the current official times rather than an old itinerary. Major holiday opening times are announced separately by the museum.
Step 5 of 6
Plan the Xi’an city day
Do this
Use the other day for central Xi’an: the city wall and the old-city areas around it, kept as a single compact day so it does not collide with the museum day.
- Done when
- The city day has a realistic order of stops that starts and ends near your accommodation, and does not depend on the museum day.
If this fails
If the city day is overloaded, cut stops rather than shortening the museum day. Check the itinerary for over-packing before locking transport.
Step 6 of 6
Lock transport around the slot
Do this
Once the museum slot is confirmed, book the intercity or onward rail legs that fit around it, using the official China Railway site for schedules and sales.
- Done when
- Rail bookings are issued and their times do not conflict with the confirmed museum slot or the city day.
- Finished only when
- You hold a confirmed, dated museum reservation matching the passport you will carry, the museum day is a full day with realistic travel buffer, the city day is planned separately, and any rail legs are issued and compatible with both.
- A cart, screenshot or third-party promise with no confirmed museum reservation
- A reservation whose date or visitor details do not match the passport you will carry
- A museum day compressed against an arrival or departure you cannot control
- Rail tickets issued for times that make the confirmed museum slot unreachable
If this fails
If rail times cannot be made to fit the confirmed slot, change the rail plan or the museum day — do not leave a nonrefundable leg that makes the museum unreachable.
After this task
This page plans the two days; the ticket page owns the detailed official booking procedure for foreign passports.
Book your Terracotta Warriors ticket with a foreign passport →