Last Updated: May 24, 2023
The Terracotta Army, AKA the Terracotta Warriors, is one of the biggest tourist sites in China. Probably only second to the Great Wall of China.
And it is well deserved of that accolade, as they truly are an amazing and unique site to behold and something we particularly enjoyed on our visit to China.
What are the Terracotta Warriors?
Terracotta is the type of clay based ceramic, which was used to create the warriors, hence the name.
The army was built around the tomb of Qin Shi Huang. Who was the first emperor of China. With the purpose of protecting the emperor in the afterlife.
It was discovered in 1974 accidentally by some local farmers. It is over 2,000 years old and is still being excavated to this day due to the colossal size and mass number of warriors.
All the warriors are life-sized, with each statue appearing unique and with various attributes. Such as weapons, uniform, helmets etc. dependant on there position and ranks. There are also life size horses and chariots amongst the army.
There are approximately 8,000 warriors, although they seem to discover new ones all the time so this number is likely to grow. Of the 8,000 around 2,000 are on display.
Kids Quote: “Who are all these guys!”
Aden, Age 3
It’s a great trip with kids. Sometimes ours get a bit bored at the historic and cultural sites we head too, but this one is a nice day out for the whole family.
It is quite a large complex so in between the pits the kids get to have a nice run around to let off some steam. And due to how unique and stunning the site is, the kids found it really interesting and visually stimulating.
Kids Quote: “It’s amazing how they made so many!”
Laith, Age 10
Best Base for Visiting the Terracotta Army with Kids
Most people visit the warriors from the city of Xian, as we did, as this is the closest city to the site.
If you’re itinerary is not inclusive of Xian it is possible to visit them from Beijing or even Shanghai in a day, but it’s not ideal. You will need to fly or take the overnight train into Xian, then a mix of metros and buses. Before you have to repeat this on the return journey.
If you’re going to do all this you may as well spend a night or two in Xian as it is a great city to spend a few days in as a family.
It has some great easy activities for families. You can cycle around the old city wall. Take a walk down Muslim Street to try an array of street food. Or have a wonder to the Drum & Bell Towers to see them lit up in the evening.
With these added bonus’ Xian is definitely a worth while stop on your China route. And once in Xian the trip to the Terracotta Army will feel much less rushed.
Getting to the Terracotta Army from Xian with Kids
Getting to the Terracotta Army from Xian is relatively straight forward. You can get there either by public transport, taxi or a tour.
A taxi will cost around 200CNY ($30) one way. You can usually get one back from outside as well. But if you want to guarantee one back you can ask the driver who dropped you off to come back or wait and negotiate a price. As the bus is quite easy and far cheaper, it’s only advisable to get a taxi if there are a few of you or you are really pushed for time.
The bus that goes direct to the Terracotta Army departs from Fangzhicheng Bus Station (it used to be Xian Railway Station). You can get there via the metro on line 1, alighting at Fangzhicheng Station.
Once you alight the Metro, walk north and you will quickly reach the bus station. Here you are looking for bus number 5 (306). There will be a sign in front of the bus also with this number. However, there are also ‘replica’ 5 (306) buses that are not official.
Be wary of anyone trying to encourage you onto a bus. They will probably look official and are very convincing, but the official bus will not try to solicit customers. So if someone is being somewhat overly enthusiastic to get you on their bus, it probably isn’t the right one.
Tickets are not bought until you are seated when a conductor will come round on the official bus. So again, if anyone is trying to sell you tickets outside or as you get on the bus then it’s probably a replica.
Getting on one of the replicas probably won’t be the end of the world, you will likely still get to the warriors. But they will probably take detours to other sites and shops in order to earn commission and the prices will also be inflated. So it will be quite annoying if you get sucked into one, so keep your wits about you.
Once you have found the correct bus, wait for the doors to open, get on, sit down and wait for the conductor. The cost is around 5 CNY per person (80cents). You will pay per seat, so if your kids need a seat they will be same price, if on your lap, free. Ensure you have some small bills as you need to pay in cash. Then sit back for the journey of approximately an hour.
The bus takes a few stops so be sure to stay on until you are at the right place, if you have a map app downloaded, keep an eye on this. Or if you have a translator app you could also ask for help. Or just a picture of the warriors would suffice with a bit of universal sign language. It should be relatively obvious though as most people, especially tourists, will get off at the warriors stop.
You will be dropped at a parking lot, remember where it is as that is where you will get the bus from back to Xian. The actual site is about a 15 min walk from the parking lot. There are some golf buggies that will wiz you over, but there is usually a que and a cost, the walk is fine so we wouldn’t advise bothering with the carts. Just follow the crowds and signs and you will be there in no time.
Entering the Terracotta Army Site with Kids
The ticket office is in a large hall, clearly signposted. Again you may get a few people asking you to buy tickets outside etc. but they will be doing this as part of a tour probably with inflated prices, so just head straight to the box office counter.
The tickets are around 150CNY ($25) and kids under 1.2m are free. Providing you get there early enough there shouldn’t be too much of a que, but after around 9.30am it can get very busy, so try to be early.
Once you have your tickets you are free to wonder through and start exploring. If you do want a guide though you can purchase an audio guide at the desk, which are around 40CNY ($7) plus a deposit which you will get back.
Or you can use one of the many tour guides dotted around that will have probably already approached you. You can negotiate a price with them, but you will be looking at around 150-200CNY for a guide.
There is some English signage dotted about, but if you want lots of decent information either an audio or human guide is advised. If you find some people who want to join up it can be a good way to save a few Yuan and split the cost. We had met a couple from New Zealand on the bus and so decided to join together to get a tour guide.
Seeing the Terracotta Army with Kids
The whole site where the warriors are is quite large with a few separate buildings. If you get a guide you will be advised where to go.
There are 3 main ‘pits’ where you can see the warriors and in addition to the pits there is a bronze chariot display hall.
The biggest and most impressive area is pit 1 where the majority of the warriors are held. This is also the most popular, so if you have managed to get to the site early hit this first before the hoards arrive.
You may need to jostle a bit to get a good look, we and the kids were as polite as possible, but had to give as good as we got as well at times!
Pit 2 and 3 are a lot smaller, but still impressive, with a more variations of statues and some weapons on display also. And the Bronze Chariot exhibition hall is as it sounds, with a large bronze chariot on display.
Your ticket will also include the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. But as it is not excavated it is just a mound and is a 10 minute shuttle bus ride away. So unless you’re a massive history buff it might not be worth the journey. But it is included so if you have the time you can visit here.
After visiting all the sites, the guide may ask to take you to shops or a restaurant. They’re likely getting commission for this, but it’s up to you if you want to head anywhere after of course. We went to one of the restaurants and it was ok. The food was fine if a little overprice as we expected, but not hugely, so fine for our late lunch.
You’ll just repeat your steps for getting back. Walk back to the parking lot and find the bus, which you should be familiar with by now, before taking the return trip back to Xian.
You will probably want to put a whole day aside for the trip, although you may get back late afternoon if you are speedy, but take your time and enjoy it. Whilst it is very touristy, it is still magnificent and one of the most unique historical sites we have visited.