Visited in June 2024. As most visitors, we also visited only the Terracotta Army during our visit to Xi'an and skipped the actual mausoleum site. We arrived to the Terracotta Army site by a taxi which we took from Xi'an. The drive takes quite long so it isn't much faster option than taking the bus from Xi'an. We had bought the tickets online so there was no need to queue for tickets. As it was Saturday the site was very busy with Chinese tourists. The information signs around the entrance showed that this Terracotta Army site is just a small section of the whole mausoleum and there were signs towards the actual mausoleum, if you want to walk over there. We were only visiting the army as the weather was way too hot to walk over the mausoleum site.

From the entrance gate you have option to either walk to the museum site or take a shuttle bus. The walk isn't long so I wouldn't waste my time waiting for the shuttle. The actual museum area is divided in 4 buildings that you can visit. The famous Terracotta Army, which you see in all the photos, is located in the largest building, Hall 1, which is located right opposite the entrance. However, as we were hungry, we went first to eat and then decided to check out the exhibition halls from the smallest to the biggest. By the way, don't waste your time eating inside the museum area unless necessary, there are way more options after you exit the site.

We visited the smallest hall first. The hall was partly in renovation. You'll see here a small pit with couple terracotta soldiers and horses. Also here we realised that the halls won't be air-conditioned and they will be like saunas in the summer heat. The second hall is much bigger but only has some empty pits with few broken warrior statues. There wasn't much information in English in these halls. Next we visited the museum of the site. The museum was also under renovation and most of the artifacts were not on show. Again, not much information in English and no working AC. However, you'll have giant Unesco WHS logo right at the entrance of the museum.

Lastly we visited the main sight, the biggest hall. Visitor experience there was terrible, to be honest. Crowded, people pushing each other, sauna temperatures, air smells like dirt. It was very hard to enjoy and appreciate the world famous sight that you had in front of you. There were more information signs in English than in the other halls. The army was much smaller in real life than what I expected and most of the hall is still active archaeological digging site, where they piece together the warriors, as most are found broken and in pieces. As the crowds and the heat got too intense, we exited the hall quite soon.

From the museum site, you'll exit through an entertainment district full of shops and restaurants, and there are some traditional theatre performances that you can attend. We then took a taxi back to the city. Overall, the visitor experience at the Terracotta Army wasn't very good so I would recommend to not go there in summer and not during the weekend. There were lots of things under renovation during my visit which also made the experience less enjoyable. However, it is still a must visit, and worth the traveling time from Xi'an.