Terracotta Warriors Essential Full Day Tour from Xi'an

Xian, China

Xi'an is home to the world-famous Terracotta Warriors Army and Horses, one of the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. This full-day tour offers you the opportunity to explore the site, where 7,000 of these life-sized figures were constructed to guard Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb. You'll also visit the Banpo site (home to artifacts of a Neolithic matriarchal community).

The Terracotta Army in Xi'an was created to guard Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb and to protect him in the afterlife. It is estimated that there are more than 7,000 life-sized terracotta figures and horses buried in the mausoleum, and you can see this spectacular site on this full-day tour! The museum complex features extensive exhibits, artifacts and a movie of the rich history of the site.

After your visit to the Terracotta Warriors site, you'll head to the site of the Banpo ruins. Dating back about 6,000 years, Banpo was a typical Neolithic matriarchal community. At that time, the Banpo people used tools made primarily of wood and stone. Women, the crucial labor force, were responsible for making pottery, spinning, and raising the family while the men fished. These ruins of a Banpo village was discovered in 1953, when 45 houses, six pottery kilns, 200 storage pits, 250 adult's tombs and children's burial jars, and 10,000 tools and utensils were unearthed.

Finish by enjoying a traditional Chinese style lunch.

USD $90.99

Review by: Charles S. S	April 2012
I was picked up on time and was called the night before to get the time. I was with a couple so only 3 on tour. This included a trip to Banpo village; a 6000 year old village that was found and excavated. This was really cool to see. The Terracotta Warriors far exceeded my expectations and was just awe inspiring. I even bought a book and had it signed by the farmer that discovered them. Definitely a trip well worth the time and price.

Review by: DONALD C	March 2012
Excellent tour. With foreign tourists down over 80% since 2008, this tour through Viator turned out to be a private tour for my wife and I! Small but nice air conditioned van for the two of us + driver + English speaking guide. Guide was very informative and knowledgeable. With just 2 of us in the tour, we could ask a lot of questions to learn more of the city and culture. Lunch was very good with lots to eat.

Review by: KEITH R	January 2012
Great day and informative and pleasant guide Lucia. Enjoyed having a private tour as we were the only passengers Advantage of travelling at quiet time of the year. Terracotta warriors are amazing. Trip did not include the advertised "After lunch, you will travel to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a symbol of the city. Step on the Xi'an's city wall. It is the most complete and best preserved city wall in all of China, dating back some 600 years" but did include an unexpected shopping stop at Terracotta Warrior reproduction shop. We would have preferred to see the other sights as advertised if given a choice.

Review by: margareta k	October 2011
As a single middleaged solo traveller I couldn't have been looked after better and can only recommend this tour. I was picked up on time and Linda, my guide, was very professional, informative and friendly. I was most pleased with the service and would use viator again

Review by: Jennifer Kate	September 2011
My guide was great. It was pouring with rain and she did all she could to keep me comfortable. She was informative and engaging. Every part of teh tour was good.

Review by: HORACIO I	September 2011
Although a terribly rainy day the tour was excellent. Tour guide Linda was promt, personable and attentive.

Review by: Steven E	August 2011
glad we went was so interesting.

Review by: Christopher G	August 2011
Was excellent to have a personal tour guide and driver.

Review by: perky	August 2011
The private tour guide was very informative and the lunch food was better than most of the other food we ate from other agencies.

Review by: Luiz D de C	July 2011
Well done. Very well planed and organized.It is worthy doing it.

Review by: Suzanne R	May 2011
Great tour, especially for people only spending a short time in Xi'an. Guide spoke great English, essentially was a private tour (only the 4 of us that booked it). Highly recommend, especially if you want to have all your plans settled before you get to Xi'an.

Review by: Walter C	May 2011
just plain awesome. i was only one that_br/_ signed up for this day so it turned into_br/_ a private tour. the warriors were just unbeliveable. also was lucky as the farmer_br/_ that found the site was there signing the books._br/_ GREAT TOUR HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Review by: 01parkerd	May 2011
Overall a very good tour, I had expected a group tour but (I guess due to no-one else paying) it was a private tour. Guide had excellent English and was very knowledgeable.

Review by: Rafael G R	May 2011
Wonderful tour. Only one other person so virtually a private tour. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and courteous and used his own time to help me make travel connection after the tour. His English language was exceptional. I would do another tour.

Review by: Amy	April 2011
Very interesting, received a very informative history lesson - worth the trip

Review by: Jean F	October 2010
great tour. we covered 3 major sites. the wild goose pagoda, the original ancient settlement and the terracotta warriors. it was national week when i was there so i actually got to meet the farmer who discovered the site which was cool. the trip had the right pace. the guide was excellent, great English, took time to ensure we managed to see each area of the site and took photos for everyone and pointed out the best spots for you.

Review by: Barry J	October 2010
Excellent day out with a wonderful tenglish speaking our guide. We had a small group of 5 first time visitors to Xian and our tour guide made it a great day for us all with her extensive knowledge and itinerary. I would recommend this full day tour to everyone.

Review by: ELLEN L	October 2010
My tour guide didn't explain a lot of things that I saw.

Review by: Andrew Y	September 2010
The tour guide spoke English better than any of the other tour guides on my Viator excursions. I found her effort to be outstanding.

Review by: Michael P	September 2010
Not to be missed - - wonderfull experience

Review by: Terence C, Australia	August 2010
Was very informative and a great experience.

Review by: Anonymous	August 2010
Was very informative and a great experience.

Review by: Margaret S, United Kingdom	June 2010
This was an excellent tour, the guide, Penny was very well informed and as we were the only 2 people on this tour we had a nice car and a private guide just for us.

Review by: Barbara H, United States of America	May 2010
Our tour guide was excellent. She spoke English well and was very receptive and welcoming to better her English.

Review by: Anonymous	May 2010
Our tour guide was excellent. She spoke English well and was very receptive and welcoming to better her English.

Review by: Robert C, United Kingdom	April 2010
I was lucky and had the tour guide all to myself. She was very pleasant and had a deep knowledge and understanding, which greatly increased the value of the day's visit.

Review by: Jason L, Singapore	December 2009
I was lucky enough to get a private tour since no one else booked the tour on that day! My guide was extremely accommodating and knowledgeable, and a lady driver who was highly skilled on the roads! It also helped that the guide was able to converse in both English and Mandarin. The whole tour was really a big history lesson of Xi'an. First, we went to the Big Goose Pagoda for a walkabout. Then we went to the Banpo Museum, which I rather enjoyed! It was akin to seeing the Roman ruins, except the Banpo version is a matriarchal Chinese settlement thousands of years ago. After the museum, we went to this factory where they make the terracotta warriors. Admittedly, while it was interesting to see, prices here are way higher than what you can get at the street markets in town. Unless you want to purchase a life size warrior, you are better off getting them at 10 yuan a set somewhere else. Of course, the highlight was after lunch, the Terracotta Warriors Bing Ma Yong. My guide took great effort to explain in detail what was going on. We went to all the pits and the museum. Even though it was absolutely freezing there's no heating nor doors, I enjoyed the visit very much! Our last stop was the South Gate of the city walls, which was a good hour back into town. I imagine that if the tour was in summer, it would be brilliant, but as I was the only one on the wall, there's really nothing much to see with the pollution and fog surrounding us. Overall, I felt that this tour was comprehensive and absolutely worth going for.

Review by: Brian W, United Kingdom	August 2009
Great trip with a good tour guide. The only slight downside was not enough time at the city wall which was very impressive. We went back the next day and hired bikes for a ride round the whole wall 14k.

Review by: Jutta H, United States of America	July 2009
Absolutely excellent! Enjoyed it very.

Review by: Jeff C, United States of America	May 2009
The trip was good.

Review by: shirley t, Australia	November 2008
We travelled with a small group-only five- and the program was excellent. Our tour guide was most informative and pleasant and I would thoroughly recommend him. The terracotta warriors surpassed expectations and the other sites we visited were well worth the trip.

Review by: Shirley T	November 2008
We travelled with a small group-only five- and the program was excellent. Our tour guide was most informative and pleasant and I would thoroughly recommend him. The terracotta warriors surpassed expectations and the other sites we visited were well worth the trip.

Review by: Yves S, France	October 2008
Really very good on what we see. Main site could be better if we saw other sites instead of very expensive factory.

Review by: Izella C, United Kingdom	October 2008
Our tour guide was lovely, but we could have done without the sales trip to the terracotta warrior factory, and the Banpo village was not our cup of tea. The city wall was very impressive if clearly the bulk has been rebuilt, it gives you a good idea. However, the terracotta army is not to be missed. Truly impressive. If you're in China, don't miss the terracotta warriors; however, Xi'an is not the nicest area in China overall.

Review by: Stephen W, United Kingdom	September 2008
Excellent trip! The tour guide was very knowledgeable, and you got to see this famous, amazing piece of history. Make sure you get your souvenirs at the factory you stop off at; the prices at the actual site are really expensive! You also get to see Banpo site, which is also very interesting.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	October 2007
It was amazing to see all these pieces of art and to only see a fraction of what is really there.

Review by: Kim V, New Zealand	August 2007
I enjoyed the tour. The guide was friendly and knowledgeable. Xi'an was an excellent city to visit. I would definitely recommend this tour to friends.

Review by: Ashley D, Canada	April 2007
Overall, we were very happy with this tour. It was a little more expensive than local tours, but it was worth it to have a tour group of only 8, instead of the groups of 30 that we saw all around us. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, friendly and sincere. The bus was comfortable and air-conditioned, and the itinerary covered all of the important sights we wanted to see in our brief visit to Xian. The only disappointment was the lunch provided, it was designed for tourists, and was quite bland compared to the wonderful, flavorful, authentic local cuisine we were expecting to try. And one more piece of advice - they will take you to a "factory" where they make little terracotta warriors replicas. It's a great place to take pictures, but try to avoid buying anything - the prices were about 10 times more expensive then buying the exact same figures in the Muslim Quarter!

Review by: Carole N	April 2007
Overall, we were very happy with this tour. It was a little more expensive than local tours, but it was worth it to have a tour group of only 8, instead of the groups of 30 that we saw all around us. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, friendly and sincere. The bus was comfortable and air-conditioned, and the itinerary covered all of the important sights we wanted to see in our brief visit to Xian. The only disappointment was the lunch provided, it was designed for tourists, and was quite bland compared to the wonderful, flavorful, authentic local cuisine we were expecting to try. And one more piece of advice - they will take you to a "factory" where they make little terracotta warriors replicas. It's a great place to take pictures, but try to avoid buying anything - the prices were about 10 times more expensive then buying the exact same figures in the Muslim Quarter!

Review by: J. M, United States of America	January 2007
Our guide was helpful and knowledgeable. We got to see and do what we wanted. It was extremely cold but still not a problem. Definitely will do it again.

Review by: Jade C. M	January 2007
Our guide was helpful and knowledgeable. We got to see and do what we wanted. It was extremely cold but still not a problem. Definitely will do it again.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	November 2006
We had a good, knowledgeable guide and we saw the key sites in Xian.