Explore Xi'an: Terracotta Warriors Tour from Beijing & Optional City Sights with Airport Transfer

Xian Day Tour Itinerary

Meeting Your Guide at Xi'an Airport

Your guide meets you in the arrival hall of Xi'an Xianyang International Airport holding a “Your Way Holiday” sign, and your driver takes you by private car. The layover tour is timed around your flight, with about 8 hours between leaving the airport and returning to it.

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the major archaeological finds in China. It holds the burial army of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China, made up of life-sized soldiers, horses, and chariots set out in military formation over two thousand years ago.

The figures are displayed in several excavation pits, and each soldier carries individual features, so the site is worth walking through slowly with your guide rather than rushing between them.

Pit 1 is the largest of the three main pits, a long hangar filled with ranks of infantry and chariots standing in formation. Your guide explains how the warriors were made and assembled, and what the layout shows about Qin-era military organization.

Pit 2 shows a mixed formation of archers, infantry, cavalry, and chariots grouped together. It is the pit that best displays how the different arms were combined, and many figures here are set out so the original arrangement is easy to read.

Pit 3 is the smallest of the three and is thought to have served as a command area for the army. The figures stand in smaller clusters, and it is a quieter stop where you can look at individual statues up close.

Lunch, Shaanxi Specialities

For lunch your guide takes you to a local restaurant to try Shaanxi home cooking. The usual choices are Biang Biang noodles, roujiamo (a seasoned filling in a crisp flatbread), and yangrou paomo (a lamb stew with torn bread), dishes that come out of Xi'an everyday eating rather than tourist menus.

Bell and Drum Tower Square

After lunch, if your timing allows, the tour continues toward the Bell and Drum Tower Square in the middle of the old city. Both towers go back to the Ming Dynasty, when the bell and the drum marked the hours of the day.

The square sits where the old north-south and east-west streets cross, so it is a simple place to see the two towers and the streets leading out from the center. Your guide explains the history of the towers and the old city layout.

At the End of the Day

Your guide and driver bring you back to Xi'an Xianyang International Airport in time for your onward flight, with the timing worked around your departure schedule. If you have spare time before check-in, your guide can adjust the last stop.

Questions Before You Book

How does a layover tour work from the airport?

Your guide meets you in the arrival hall of Xi'an Xianyang International Airport with a sign. The private car and guide stay with you and bring you back to the airport before your next flight. Tell us your flight number and your arrival and departure times when you book so the day is planned around your actual window.

How much time do I need between flights?

The tour runs about 8 hours. Because you also need to clear security for your onward flight, you should have a layover comfortably longer than that. If your gap is shorter, tell us and the guide can cut the city stop to protect your return time.

What happens if my inbound flight is delayed?

Your guide tracks your flight. A short delay is absorbed, but if the layover becomes too tight to finish safely, the tour is cut short or rearranged so you are back before your onward flight. Let us know right away if your flight changes.

Do I need to re-check my bags for the onward flight?

It depends on your airline and tickets. If your bags are checked through to your final destination you can travel light. If not, your guide can point you to airport baggage storage so you are not carrying them around the museum.

Is the Terracotta visit okay if I have limited mobility?

Yes. The three main pits are viewed from walkways around large hangars, with seating nearby and no climbing needed for the pits themselves. There is still a fair amount of standing and walking, so tell your guide in advance and the pace can be adjusted.

Will we have enough time at each stop?

The Terracotta Museum takes the longest, usually a couple of hours. The Bell and Drum Tower Square stop is shorter and comes after lunch on the way back toward the airport. Your guide sets the whole pace around your flight time.

Price Per Person in US Dollars