Private Xi'an Tour: Terracotta Warriors, Hanyangling Museum, Cave Homes

A really excellent tour that covers a lot of history. Michael was a charming and efficient guide with a wealth of knowledge which he clearly loved imparting. The visit to the cave dwelling is quite short but very touching as a glimpse of a way of life that is fast disappearing. We had a really excellent noodle lunch in a local restaurant in a town near the Terracotta Army - it's up to you whether you join the locals in the enjoyment of the bowl of raw garlic on every table, but I found it really worked with the noodles. The speciality of the place was seat belt noodles, the width of a seat-belt and almost as long - you order by how many you want 2 noodles is a decent portion for a westerner Michael claims to eat 4! The Hanyangling Museum is not on the main tourist itineraries but more than merits a visit as it is a really well-designed museum in which you actually walk over the archaeological site on glass floors. Quite fascinating. All in all, an excellent day.

This was a good tour - not great, but GOOD. Michael speaks english well. Michael is a nice person to spend your day with and he had some good information about the Terracotta Warriors, but had a tendency to repeat himself. Between stops on this tour, Michael fell asleep in the van - which I didn't like because then I felt a need to keep an eye on the driver. Our Driver was excellent and lunch was enjoyable. All my other tour guides contacted me the night before tour date at my hotel to ensure meeting time and location was agreed upon - however Michael didn't contact me so I had to call the Tour Company late at night to confirm time/location. Next day, Michael told me he called the hotel but I didn't answer the phone. This is possible because I was out at dinner - however there was no message left on my phone or with the Concierge.

This was exactly what we wanted and Victoria was an outstanding guide. The mausoleum with the terracotta soldiers is a world treasure. This was the centerpiece of the day. Victoria took us through at the pace we wanted, giving plenty of information about what we were seeing. The later cave home stop is a quick look, all that is needed. We then asked her to choose a lunch place. It was terrific - small, local, and including the regions famed noodles. The visit to Emperor Jingdis tomb was pleasant for its sense of a different time - but most of all because of Victorias explanations. That is the main point: having a guide like Victoria is the reason to do a tour like this. She is extremely knowledgeable about history Chinese but also western and brought the locations alive. This tour was a highlight of our trip. We went at the beginning of April and had good weather, hot but not overwhelming.

Great tour!

Excellent tour. Michael was a great guide.

My wife and I booked a one day, private tour through Viator in early June to visit the Terracotta Warriors, with a local lunch and to visit the tomb of Jiang DI in the afternoon. The tour was operate by Lilys private tours and I would highly recommend them and also VIator, who we have used many times. Chris and our driver met us at the hotel and we set off for the longish ride to the Terracotta Warrior museum sites, I think it was about an hour and half. During the ride Chris explained what we were going to see and gave us a little of the local history. To be honest I was expecting that much, we had seen a documentary shot about 10 years ago when you were not allowed to take photos of the actual warriors but were restricted to a few replicas in a hall in the museum. I was pleasantly surprised. No actually I was blown away with the changes that had been made since that documentary, there is now 4-6 major pits that the public can view and photograph as they see fit. Much of what you see are restored warriors but that does nothing to reduce the spectacle of the place, it is truly breath taking. Chris was a font of knowledge, she gave us more information than we could possible remember, but it made the whole visit truly memorable. After the museum we went to see a cave dwelling home of one of the locals, to better understand how they had expanded their home and we got to understand a bit more about the family dynamics in China. While this part of the trip seemed a little incongruous, in retrospect it was very enlightening, just not something we were expecting on a trip the terracotta warriors. It probably should be better explained or positioned as part of the tour description. Lunch was excellent, and was at a local restaurant which we probably would not have visited if we did not have a Chinese speaking guide. We tried the local noodles and a variety of other vegetarian and chicken dishes including a wonderful wok fried bread that was served with pickled vegetables. Our final event was to visit the tombs of Jiang Di to see the tiny naked terracotta warriors. Obviously this site is not as popular as we were pretty much the only people there. To be candid, by the time we got there, after a great lunch, we were probably more in favor of a long nap than a visit to another tomb, but it gives you a great perspective on the different dynasties to go here and hear about the Emperors different personal styles. Chris was again very enthusiastic and knowledgeable and kept us going. After that it was back the hotel and a much needed rest. Overall a very successful day and our thanks to Chris, it was truly memorable and I would highly recommend this tour to anyone wanting to understand more about the terracotta warriors and to experience their grandeur

My husband and I really enjoyed this tour. Michael was an excellent guide. He bought us lots of bottled water, as it was extremely hot in July and the noodle lunch we ate was delicious. Seeing the Terracotta warriors, the tomb of Emperor Jingdi and the cave house was very interesting. I highly recommend this tour.