terra cotta tours

How to Visit the Terracotta Army Hassle Free

The Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an are one of the must-visit attractions for all travelers to China. The dramatic exhibition reveals the secrets behind the 2,000-year-old army of clay statues that guarded the tomb of China's first emperor until a chance discovery in 1974.

• Location: 42 kilometers (26 miles) east of Xi'an in Lintong District
• Area: 16,300 square meters (175,000 sq. ft.)
• Duration: 4–6 hours

Content Preview

Tips for visiting the terracotta army.

• Things to See

The Best Time to See and How to Avoid Crowds

• How to Get Your Entry Tickets

Location and How to Get There

Guide or self-guided.

1. Consider walking from the parking lot to the entrance.

The parking lot is about 1 km from the entrance. There are shared golf carts running from the parking lot to the entrance.

As you need to queue for them (in the busy travel season from May to October), we recommend you walk the 15 minutes or so there if you are able. Our guide will accompany you on the walk.

2. The Terracotta Warriors are wheelchair-friendly.

It is equipped with barrier-free access and shared golf carts running from the parking lot to the entrance.

3. The Terracotta Warriors offer free luggage storage service

It is on the east side of the ticket office. If you are planning to visit the Terracotta Warriors directly after getting off the train or plane, you could also leave your luggage in our private car.

4. Avoid scams.

For example, don't buy the book signed by the farmer who claims to be one of the discoveries of the Terracotta Army. They are all fake. Many play that role to rip off travelers. The book is over-priced at 180–200 yuan: (29–32 USD). Museum guides may recommend it to you!

5. And avoid the souvenir shops.

When you finish your visit, you have to pass an area with a lot of souvenir shops. We don't recommend you buy gifts there, as they may be overpriced. A better place to buy souvenirs is the market in Xi'an.

6. The restaurants around the museum aren't the best.

There are many tourist restaurants around the museum, but lower your expectations on taste and quality. Some even may rip you off. Our guides choose the best available restaurant for our customers.

• 1-Day Xi'an Highlights Tour
• 3-Day Beijing to Xi'an by High-Speed Rail
• 4-Day Xi'an and Huashan Mountain Tour

Things to See in the Terracotta Warriors

The highlights of the Terracotta Warriors include two parts. One is the the Terracotta Army Museum. It is also the most popular visiting area. The other part is the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor.

The usual order of a Terracotta Warrior tour is to visit the museum first and then go to the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin. However, during peak times like the summer season or Chinese holidays, the museum tends to get extremely crowded. In such cases, you could consider visiting the mausoleum first.

Region 1: Terracotta Army Museum

In the museum, you would see the three pits where the warriors are on display:

• Pit 1: This is the largest and most impressive, where about 2,000 terracotta warriors are displayed.
• Pit 2: This middle-sized pit has the most army units with archers, chariots, mixed forces, and cavalry.
• Pit 3: It is the smallest pit and represents the command post.

Our recommended visiting sequence is Pit 1 – Pit 3 – Pit 2, as this way you will follow the Terracotta Army story from overall to detailed information (the Exhibition of Bronze Chariots has now been moved next to the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor).

There are also many exhibits showing thousands of life-size clay figures, ancient weapons, jade and gold ornaments, bronze chariot replicas...

Region 2: Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

The best thing to see there is the Exhibition of Bronze Chariots and two pits displaying figurines in different shapes. Compared with the museum, there will be fewer tourists around, especially during the bustling holiday season, making the experience more enjoyable.

A Hand-Made Experience (Spotlight Experience Offered by Us)

To enhance your experience and a better understanding of the Terracotta Warriors, we could arrange the hands-on experience of making your own clay warriors. You could learn how these terracotta warriors were made and preserved. Your hand-made mini warriors are good souvenirs to take home.

There is very little (good English) signage, so a guide is definitely needed to explain the exhibits and help you get the most out of a visit.

You have three choices : rent an audio guide, hire a guide at the museum; or have a private guide included in your private tour (as we do).

1) Rent an audio guide (recorded guide). The cost is 40 yuan (deposit 200 yuan). The audio guide only provides limited and stilted introductions to certain parts of the museum.

2) Hire a guide at the museum . At the entrance, you'll be approached by English-speaking guides and asked if you want their services. The cost is around 150 yuan, and the quality of guidance you get varies. Try to avoid the commission shopping sites the guide may take you to.

3) Have a private guide (our recommendation). Our private Xi'an guides are picked to be the best. They will give you an expert appraisal of the Terracotta Warriors, answer your questions, navigate the crowds, and lead you to the best spots for photos.

The Terracotta Army is an indoor attraction, which is not likely to be affected by weather, so it can be visited all year round .

As the Terracotta Army Museum is one of the must-visit attractions in China, it is crowded most of the time , especially during weekends and Chinese public holidays such as National Day Holiday (October 1–7) and Labor Day Holiday (May 1–3).

To avoid crowds , we suggest that you:

• Start your day early and try to arrive before the large bus-tour groups arrive at around 10 am. You may get extra bonus by arriving early in the morning, such as the opportunity to observe archaeologists working.
• Or visit around noon when other visitors leave for lunch if you do not mind having a late lunch.
• Visiting during the winter low season means fewer crowds, but the dry and cold weather is not so pleasant for Xi'an's outside attractions.

How to Get Your Entry Tickets for the Terracotta Warriors

The Terracotta Warriors Museum currently doesn't sell tickets on-site. Tickets must be bought in advance online . You can buy tickets via the Terracotta Army Museum WeChat account (秦始皇帝陵博物院) in Chinese or its official website in English by logging in.

During the off-peak season, we recommend booking tickets one week in advance. For peak seasons, please book 1 to 3 months ahead (especially during summer holidays, ensure reservations are made 3 months in advance).

The Terracotta Army is 45 km (28 mi) east of Xi'an city, taking about 1 hour by car . The most convenient way is to take a private tour . Your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel and accompany you to the Terracotta Army. Taking a taxi or public transportation is also available.

How to Get to the Terracotta Army from Beijing

Many people wonder whether it is possible to take a day tour from Beijing to the Terracotta Army. The answer is yes, but it is very rushed.

We suggest leaving 3 days in Xi'an for a relaxing travel pace. Taking a high-speed train is recommended to travel from Beijing to Xi'an. The journey is about 4-6 hours.

• Day 1: Arrival and a food tour
• Day 2: Visit the Terracotta Warriors
• Day 3: Visit the Ancient City Wall and departure

See our How to Plan a Beijing and Xi'an Trip

Explore the Terracotta Warriors with Us

If you don't want to waste time finding a (non-con) taxi or public bus to the attraction, lining up for tickets, reading maps, making sense of Chinese signs, etc., a private tour is a great option.

It means that you will be well taken care of by a private guide and driver, and enjoy a lot of flexibility . Your guide will help you unravel the mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors, escape the crowds, and show you the best spots for photos.

Tell us your requirements and one of our specialists will be in touch to plan a unique trip for you .

• 2-Week Private China Tour: Beijing–Xi'an–Lhasa-Shanghai
• 12-Day China Silk Road Tour from Xi'an to Kashgar
• 11-Day China Classic Tour
• 14-Day China Natural Wonders Discovery
• 15 Best Places to Visit in China (2024)
• Best (& Worst) Times to Visit China, Travel Tips (2024/2025)
• How to Plan a 10-Day Itinerary in China (Best 5 Options)
• 8 Days in China: Top 15 Tours and Itineraries (2024/2025)
• China Weather in January 2024: Enjoy Less-Crowded Traveling
• China Weather in February 2024: Places to Go, Costs, and Crowds
• China Weather in March 2024: Destinations, Crowds, and Costs
• China Weather in April 2024: Where to Go (Smart Pre-Season Pick)
• China Weather in May 2024: Where to Go, Crowds, and Costs
• China Weather in June 2024: How to Benefit from the Rainy Season
• China Weather in July 2024: How to Avoid Heat and Crowds
• China Weather in August 2024: Weather Tips & Where to Go
• China Weather in September 2024: Weather Tips & Where to Go
• China Weather in October 2024: Where to Go, Crowds, and Costs
• China Weather in November 2024: Places to Go & Crowds
• China Weather in December 2024: Places to Go and Crowds

Get Inspired with Some Popular Itineraries

More travel ideas and inspiration, sign up to our newsletter.

Be the first to receive exciting updates, exclusive promotions, and valuable travel tips from our team of experts.

Why China Highlights

Where can we take you today.

• Southeast Asia
• Japan, South Korea
• India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri lanka
• Central Asia
• Middle East
• African Safari
• Travel Agents
• Loyalty & Referral Program
• Privacy Policy

Address: Building 6, Chuangyi Business Park, 70 Qilidian Road, Guilin, Guangxi, 541004, China

Xian Terracotta Warriors Tours 2024/2025: Private & Group tours

Buried with Emperor Qinshihuang over 2,200 years ago, Terracotta Warriors and Horses, also known as Terracotta Army, were unearthed by chance when several local farmers were digging wells in 1974. Today, it has beckoned the curious to Xian. Every year, numerous travelers on Xian Terracotta tours come to uncover the story of this iconic ancient wonder of China.

One of the greatest archaeological finds of history, Terracotta Army seems timeless, and unchanging. On a small group or tailor-made Terracotta Soldiers tour with China Xian Tour, you’ll meet Emperor Qinshihuang’s invincible force, and learn about the history and back stories.

Travel in the company of Xian’s top-rated travel agencies and supported 24/7 by one of our travel consultants. Your Xian Terracotta Warriors Tours will be guided by professional local tour guides and feature in-depth cultural exploration.

Best Xian Terracotta Warriors Tours

China Xian tour guests have a selection of flawlessly designed Xian Terracotta Army tours, put together with real local experiences and other top Xian landmarks, such as Old City Wall, Huashan Mounain, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, etc.

Our expert guides will not only introduce you to the magnificent funeral project for the Qinshihuang but also will share hidden stories about this first emperor in Chinese history. So, what are your waiting for? No more Terracotta Army Virtual Tour!

1 Day Terracotta Army Tour with City Wall

Terracotta warriors day tour with airport transfer, 1 day xian tour: terracotta army, banpo museum, pottery making, terra-cotta army and hanyangling museum tour, terracotta warriors and xian food day tour, 2 days essence xian tour package (time-efficient), 3 days xian city tour with mt.huashan, 2 days xian small group tour with best xian highlights, no suitable tour need advice, china tours including terracotta army, 4 days xian – shanghai tour by high-speed train, 5 days chengdu & xian highlights tour, 4 days beijing & xian highlight tour by flight, 8 days beijing – xian – shanghai highlight tour, 4 days best xian-zhangjiajie tour by flight, 5 days xian – guilin highlights tour by flight, 6 days dunhuang and xian in-depth tour, destinations, popular tours, travel blog.

Top 15 Things to Do in China 2024/2025 11/10/2022 07:53

Chinese Zodiac: Everything You Need to Know 04/14/2022 09:29

Why Visit Dunhuang and Top Things to Do in Dunhuang 03/29/2022 09:33

We are member of:

Email: [email protected] [email protected] WeChat/Whatsapp: 86-15129005119 Call: (+86)18792910029 (08:00-21:00 Beijing Time)

2002-2022 © All Rights Reserved.

Username or email *

Send us a quick inquiry

* Tell us your travel requirements/questions here.

I prefer to be contacted via:

Email WeChat WhatsApp Phone call

Your travel consultant will reply within 24 hours.

A TripAdvisor award-winning China travel agency organizing diverse private and mini-group China tours. We offer in-depth experience, free cancellation, flexible & safe trips.

[email protected] [email protected]

WeChat/Whatsapp

86-15129005119

(+86)18792910029 (08:00-21:00 Beijing Time)

• 10 Amazing Facts
• 7 Cool Facts
• What is it?
• Where is it?
• Who built it?
• When built it?
• Why built it?
• Discovery in 1974
• Who found it?
• How the Terracotta Warriors were Made
• Why Important?
• One Day Mini Group Tour
• 2 Days Xi'an Tour
• How to Visit
• Tourist Maps
• Best Time to Visit
• How to Buy Tickets
• Avoiding Traps
• Top 20 FAQs
• Bronze Chariots & Horses
• Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum
• Accessory Pits
• Types of Terracotta Statues
• Qin Weaponary
• Emperor Qin Shi Huang
• Qin Dynasty

How to Visit Terracotta Army - A Comprehensive Visitor's Guide

One-day self-guided terracotta army visit plan.

Most visitors will travel to Xi’an first, stay a night at a hotel in downtown for a good rest, and then take a one-day tour to the Terracotta Army on the next day.  

1. Learn some basic facts before visiting Terracotta Army 

Location: in Lintong District of Xi’an, about 40 km (25 mi) from downtown Area: 2.078 hectares (5.135 acres) Built in: 247 or 246 BC – 208 BC Number of Terracotta Warriors and Horses: Nearly 8,000 Opening Hours: Peak Season from March 16 to November 15: 8:30 - 18:00; off season from November 16 to March 15: 8:30 - 17:30 What to See: Pit 1, Pit 2, Pit 3, Bronze Chariots and Horses Exhibition Hall Read more: 10 Amazing Terracotta Army Facts You May Not Know  

2. Get the entrance ticket in advance

The entrance ticket for the Terracotta Army costs CNY 120, whether it is in the peak travel season or slack season. As only 65,000 entrance tickets are issued daily, it’s advised you to get a ticket in advance.  

How to Buy Terracotta Warriors Tickets?

The easiest way is to book a ticket from TravelChinaGuide. If you know Chinese and have a Chinese cell phone number, you can book it directly on the official website of the Terracotta Army. Some tourists may want to buy a ticket only after they arrive at the scenic spot, but this is not recommended, because you may spend a long time queuing before the ticket window and there is risk that tickets are sold out.  No matter you book ticket from TravelChinaGuide, official website, or on site, your passport or passport information will be required as the Terracotta Army Museum has introduced the real-name ticketing policy. In addition, you need to take your passport for inspection when entering the scenic area.  

3. Set off early in the morning for your one day Terracotta Army trip.

It’s strongly advised to get up and set out early in the morning to visit Terracotta Army, let’s say 7:00 am, to miss the large tour groups which usually arrive at around 10:00 am. If you do not mind having lunch late, you can also visit at noon during lunch time.  

More tips on how to avoid the crowds:

You can choose to travel in the slack season in winter. As the Terracotta Army is a sheltered attraction, weather will not affect your visit much. By the way, try to avoid visiting the Terracotta Army during public holidays, especially the National Day holiday of China from October 1 to 7 to stay far from throngs of tourists. Read more: Best Time to Visit Terracotta Warriors Museum  

4. Travel to the Terracotta Army.

From downtown area, you can take metro line 1 to Fangzhicheng Station and transfer to metro line 9 to Huaqing Pool Station. Then take Lintong Bus 602 to your destination.  At Fangzhicheng Metro Station, you can also take the direct tourist bus 5 (306) to the Terracotta Army outside the nearby Fangzhicheng City Bus Stop. The bus is available between 07:00 and 19:00, costing about CNY 5. The whole journey takes about 1.5 hours. Read more: How to Get to Terracotta Warriors from Xi'an

Be careful to avoid traps:

1) When taking tourist 5 (306), make sure you are boarding on the right bus. There are often fake buses around the pick-up point, which claim to take you to the Terracotta Army. However, they may actually take you to the fake Terracotta Army, some rarely-known artificial attractions, or jade and souvenir shops to rip you off. The conductors on fake buses also wear uniforms, so it’s not easy to tell them from appearance. If a conductor keeps canvassing customers, it’s much likely to be a trap. 2) After you arrive at the parking lot outside the Terracotta Army, some local villagers may sell discounted entrance tickets and offer to lead you to the “real” Terracotta Army. Ignore them and follow the large group of tourists to walk about 500 meters (550 yards) to the entrance. 3) Near the entrance, there might be some vendors selling models of Terracotta Army. Do not buy them to avoid being overcharged. Read more: Avoiding Traps - Stay Away from Fake Terracotta Army  

5. Tour in the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum.

After you get to the entrance, you need to walk about 15 minutes or take a battery car to the pits at the cost of CNY 5. In peak travel season, you need to queue up for the battery car, so it’s more advised to take a walk. Then your Terracotta Warriors tour formally starts. Recommended Route to Visit Terracotta Army: Pit 1 – Pit 3 – Pit 2 – Bronze Chariot Exhibition Hall Time Needed: 2- 4 hours

Tips: 1) Among all the sites, Pit 1 and Pit 2 are the highlights worth your attention. Pit 1 stands out for its large number of Terracotta Warriors and Horses and large scale. Pit 2 is important because it houses more types of Terracotta Warriors. 2) As there are few signs in English in the museum, hire a guide or rent an audio guide so that you will understand the exhibits better. Generally it costs CNY 150 or so to hire a guide and CNY 40 for renting an audio guide.  

6. Attractions to Visit after Terracotta Army

1) Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum If you have enough time and interest, you can explore further in the nearby Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum and accessory pits, the entrance fee of which is covered by Terracotta Army ticket. Besides, there are free buses shuttling between the Terracotta Army and Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum. A tour there takes about two hours. 2） Huaqing Pool and Mount Li If you don't go to the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, your time will be enough for a visit to the nearby Huaqing Pool and Mount Li. You can conveniently take tourist bus 5 (306) or Lintong Bus 602 to the Huaqing Pool in about 40 minutes. Then you can appreciate various Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) style buildings inside the scenic area and have fun visiting the hot spring pools used by the Concubine Yang Yuhuan, one of the four most beautiful women in Chinese history. Mount Li is behind the Huaqing Pool Scenic Area, where you can have an easy climb to look over the structures below.  

7. Have lunch.

Before setting out for other attractions after visiting Terracotta Army, it’s time for lunch. If you visit the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum after, you’d better prepare some food in advance for there is no restaurants inside the scenic area. If you plan to visit the Huaqing Pool and Mount Li in the afternoon, you can have lunch near the Terracotta Army. There are quite a lot of restaurants surrounding the scenic area offering authentic Xi’an food, like Terracotta Army Friendship Restaurant, Old Xi’an Restaurant and small food stores selling Crumbled Flatbread in Mutton Stew , steamed cold noodles, and Chinese style hamburgers. There are also western fast food restaurants like McDonald’s, KFC and Starbuck for your choice. In addition, you can find local farmyards nearby selling home-cooked meals. The food is a little expensive compared with that in the downtown area and the taste may not be very satisfying.   

8. Return to the downtown area.

1) From Terracotta Army and Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum: Outside the Terracotta Army Scenic Area, take Lintong Bus 602 to Huangqing Pool Metro Station. After getting off the bus, change to metro line 9 to Fangzhicheng Station, and then transfer to metro line 1 to the downtown area.  2) From Huaqing Pool Scenic Area and Mount Li: Outside the Huaqing Pool Scenic Area at the foot of Mount Li, take metro line 9 to Fangzhicheng Station. Upon arrival, take metro line 1 to the downtown area. If you are interested in the love story between Tang Emperor Xuanzong and his concubine Yang Yuhuan, it’s advisable to enjoy the Song of Everlasting Sorrow show in the Huaqing Pool Scenic Area. You will be fully immersed in the grand Tang Dynasty palace dance and touched by the love story of them. Show Timetable: Thursday to Saturday: 8:10 – 9:20 pm; 9:40 – 10:50 pm Sunday to Wednesday: 8:30 – 9:40 pm Note: As it is put on an outdoor stage, the show is only available from April to October.

Recommended Tours

• 86-19138970032 (GMT+8 18:00~09:00)

• Beijing Xian Tours
• Shanghai Beijing Tours
• Hong Kong Guilin Tours
• Hangzhou Suzhou Tours
• Kunming Lijiang Tours
• Shanghai Yangtze Cruise Tours
• Chengdu Tibet Tours
• More Short Stay Tours
• China Tours in January
• China Tours in February
• China Tours in March
• China Tours in April
• China Tours in May
• China Tours in June
• China Tours in July
• China Tours in August
• China Tours in September
• China Tours in October
• China Tours in November
• China Tours in December

• High Speed Trains
• China Yangtze Cruise Tour
• Photography
• Desert Adventure
• Ethnic Villages
• Biking Tours
• Kung Fu Tours
• Heritage Sites Exploration
• China Spring Tours
• China Summer Tours
• China Autumn Tours
• China Winter Tours

Notice! 2024 available cruise routes include 4~5 days Chongqing-Yichang(most classic) and 11~12 days Chongqing-Yichang-Shanghai(limited).

• Best-value Yangtze Cruises
• Top Family-friendly Cruise Ships
• Top 3 Luxury Yangtze River Cruises
• Yangtze River Highlights
• Yangtze River Cruise Routes
• Upstream or Downstream?
• Dining & Drinking
• Accommodations
• On-board Activities
• Yangtze Cruise Booking Steps

• Inner Mongolia

• Fanjingshan
• How to Plan Your First China Tour
• How to Plan Beijing Tour
• How to Plan Xian Tour
• How to Plan Shanghai Tour
• How to Plan Guilin Tour
• How to Plan Sichuan Tour
• How to Plan Family Tour
• 2024 China Travel Ideas
• Best Time to Visit China
• What to Pack for Your China Journey
• Make Payment in China
• Updated China Travel News
• Ultimate Chinese Visa Guide
• Chinese Visa Types
• Chinese Visa Requirements
• Do I Need a Visa for China
• Chinese Visa Application
• Chinese Visa Exemptions
• 144-hour Visa Free
• Shenzhen Visa on Arrival
• Hainan 30-day Visa Free
• Embassies & Consulates
• Invitation Letter
• Useful Visa FAQs & Tips
• Entry Regulations
• Baggage Allowance
• Customs Declaration
• Exit Regulation
• How to Book Train Tickets
• How to Collect Train Tickets
• How to Cancel & Alter Train Tickets
• How to Read Train Tickets
• China High Speed Train Types
• Seats Class & How to Choose
• Friendly Facilities on the Train
• The Train Station Departure Process
• Available Food and Drinks on the Train
• Western Toilets on the Train
• Luggage Racks & Baggage Allowance
• Beijing Train Stations
• Shanghai Train Stations
• Guilin Train Stations
• Xian Train Stations
• Chengdu Train Stations
• Hong Kong West Kowloon Railway Station
• Beijing - Xian
• Beijing - Shanghai
• Guangzhou - Shanghai
• Shenzhen - Shanghai
• Chengdu - Xian
• Shanghai - Hangzhou
• Shanghai - Xian
• Chengdu - Chongqing
• Kunming - Lijiang
• Beijing Capital International
• Beijing Daxing International
• Shanghai Pudong International
• Shanghai Hongqiao International
• Guangzhou Baiyun International
• Hangzhou Xiaoshan International
• Chengdu Tianfu International
• Chengdu Shuangliu International
• Xian Xianyang International
• Shanghai - Beijing
• Hong Kong - Shanghai
• Guangzhou - Beijing
• Chengdu - Lhasa
• Shanghai - Guilin
• Shanghai - Sanya
• Travel in Spring Season
• Travel in Summer Season
• Travel in Autumn Season
• Travel in Winter Season
• Weather in January
• Weather in February
• Weather in March
• Weather in April
• Weather in May
• Weather in June
• Weather in July
• Weather in August
• Weather in September
• Weather in October
• Weather in November
• Weather in December
• Top 10 China Destinations
• Top 15 Things to Do
• China World Heritage Sites
• Top 10 Best Natural Beauties
• Top 10 Museums in China
• Top 10 Old Towns & Villages
• Five Great Mountains in China
• Top 10 Monasteries & Temples
• Top 10 Ski Resorts
• Top 10 Beautiful Lakes in China
• 7 Best Beaches in Sanya
• Top 6 Beautiful Waterfalls
• Panda Volunteering
• Having fun on Ice and Snow Festival
• About Us Who We Are Our Team Why Travel with Us Feedback & Reviews Travel Stories Travelers' Gallery Payment Guide Customer Support Contact Us
• Tour Experiences

Destinations

• Travel Guide

Terracotta Warriors-Cultural Masterpiece Heritage

Terracotta Warriors (Terracotta Army) is eye-catching at first sight when tourists visiting the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. Reputed as one of the eight wonders in the world, Terracotta Warriors was listed as world cultural heritage in the year of 1987.

Being the most memorable project, terracotta warriors was an army of over 6,000 life-size terra cotta soldiers with different distinct facial features buried with the mausoleum of first Emperor Qin, which illustrated the powerful army force during Qin dynasty.

Xian Terracotta Warriors

Terracotta Warriors History

Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor who united China in 221 BC. Before he ascended the throne, his mausoleum had been constructed. After his’ death in 38 years later, the mausoleum was not finally finished. As the burial objects, thousands terra-catta soldiers and horses were buried to guard his afterlife.

With more than two thousand years underground, those terrocota warriors were found in good condition surprisingly. What’s more surprise is that all terra cotta soldiers had different expressions, which revealed a high level of craftsmanship and artistry.

Also there were about 40,000 bronze weapons, including battle axes, crossbows, arrowheads and spears found together with well-preserved. With their horses, chariots and weapons, Terracotta Warriors was a masterpiece of realism and also of great historical interest.

Terracotta Warriors

What to see in Terracotta Warriors Museum

Right now, there are only 3 Terracotta Warriors sites to be excavated: No. 1 Pit, No. 2 Pit, and No. 3 Pit respectively. The No.1 site is the largest and first excavated to tourists with much impressive. In the right and left sides are the No.2 and No.3 Pit. Each pit has different numbers of terracotta army of real-sized soldiers and horses. And some columns of soldiers at the front, followed by war chariots at the back.

Besides, there are two display halls in the museum to show some cultural relics and a short movie to record the discovery and excavation.

No. 1 Pit of Terracotta Warriors and horses

Recommended Terracotta Warriors Tours

>> 1 Day Xian Terracotta Warriors Day Tour

>> 3 Days Classic Xian Terracotta Warriors Tour

Keep Reading

• The Great Wall
• Potala Palace
• Sichuan Panda Base
• Zhangjiajie National Park
• Hangzhou West Lake
• Kunming Stone Forest

Recommended Tours

Top 3 tours chosen by most customers to explore in the best way. Check the detailed itinerary, or tailor your own trip now with us.

3 Days Classic Xian Tour (Best Highlights Plus Enjoyable Pace)

2 Days Xian City Break (Pick Up from Hotel, Train Station or Airport)

1 Day Xian Terracotta Warriors Efficient Tour

Start planning your tailor-made holiday to China by contacting one of our specialists. Once inquired, you’ll get a response within 0.5~23.5 hours.

Have a question? Get answers from our travel experts or guests

• Your Question:
• Your Email:
• Affordable and valuable price
• 100% tailor-made packages
• Highly rated customers reviews
• Efficient customer support

China Tours

• Top 10 China Tours
• Classic China Tours
• China Tours from Beijing
• China Tours from Shanghai
• China Tours from Hong Kong
• China Tours from Chengdu
• Short China Trips
• Customize China Tour
• China Panda Tours
• Family Tour with Kids
• High-Speed Train Tour
• Silk Road Travel
• Yangtze River Cruise
• Hiking & Trekking Tours
• Photography Tours
• China Minority Travel
• Beijing Shanghai Tours
• Shanghai Yangtze Tours
• Chengdu Jiuzhaigou Tours
• Chengdu Lhasa Tours
• Suzhou Hangzhou Tours
• Guilin & Yangshuo
• Zhangjiajie

“Very good experience”

“WONDERFUL 25 DAYS IN CHINA - PRIVATE TOUR”

“Awesome China tour from northeast to southwest”

Any questions, please email us at: [email protected] or call us at: 86-19138970032 (Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. GMT+8)

• Terms & Condition
• Privacy Policy
• Customer Support

Copyright © 2011-2024. All rights reserved.

Cookie policy

We use cookies to give you the best experience on our website. Continue using our website means you agree with our cookie policy. For more info, please read here .

• China Daily PDF
• China Daily E-paper
• Music&Theater
• Film&TV
• Events&Festivals
• Cultural Exchange
• Online Arts and Culture

A 360-degree virtual tour of Terracotta Army

The Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, has rolled out a virtual tour of its world-famous Terracotta Army, enabling visitors to enjoy a 360-degree panorama of the eighth wonder of the world from the comfort of home.

With a 20 billion-pixel resolution panoramic view, visitors can take a "walk" among the warriors in two of the four sites, pits one and three, to have a closer look than would be possible in person at the more than two-millennia-old statues.

Click here to enjoy the tour

• A Journey through Yantai: Unraveling the secrets of China's wine city
• Ancient allure seen through a screen
• 'Cyberstar' cities pulling in the crowds
• In praise of chia
• China-New Zealand Year of Tourism opens in February 2019

Chicago Terra Cotta Tours

• Native American
• Fantastical
• Sea Creatures
• Egyptian Revival

“Terra cotta has by its facility of formation furnished the architect with a freedom of expression that enabled him to give scope to his fancy. . .” (Charles Thomas Davis, 1895)

Following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, architects turned toward fireproof materials as they rebuilt the city. Terra cotta, in addition to being fireproof, was lightweight and could be formed into any imaginable design in a multitude of colors. As you travel through Chicago, you can see terra cotta on buildings in virtually every neighborhood if you take the time to look.

Chicago Terra Cotta Tours is a website designed to help you find terra cotta decoration throughout the city. These are not tours in the sense that you follow a guide on a predetermined route. These are self-guided tours that you can plan on your own, using this website as a guide. Tours are arranged around categories and subcategories. There is a map (still in development) for each subcategory that shows the location of all the buildings in that group. I am very aware that this isn't everything Chicago has to offer terra cotta-wise.  This is, however, a good cross-section of forms, colors, and locations. Whether you use Chicago Terra Cotta Tours to take a virtual tour or an in-person one, enjoy these beautiful pieces of Chicago’s architectural history and be sure to always look up!

Disclaimer: This website is a perpetual work in progress. On an ongoing basis I will be adding new items, updating existing items, and correcting errors. Suggestions of additions are welcome, as are comments and corrections, if they are expressed in a civil manner.

Terracotta Warrior Museum Ticket 2022

07 12月 Terracotta Warrior Museum Ticket 2022

Ticketing Method:

Visitors can pre-purchase Terracotta Warriors tickets through the museum’s official ticketing website, WeChat public service center and OTA platform, etc. Please make reservations for tickets at least 24 hours in advance, and visit the museum after confirmation of success.

The Qin Shihuang Imperial Tombs Museum implements online reservation for individual visitors with real names, suspend group reception, and cancel on-site ticketing and reservation services.

Ticket Prices:

Adult: 120 RMB per person;

Student: 60 RMB per person.

Exhibition Hall:

The Qin Shihuang Imperial Tombs Museum operates on a one-ticket system and the exhibition hall to be visited include:

Terracotta Warriors Museum includes: Pit No. 1, Pit No. 2, Pit No. 3 and the exhibition hall of cultural relics;

Lishan Park includes Qin Shihuang Imperial Mausoleum Sealing Earth, Qinling Bronze Chariot Museum, K9901 Exhibition Hall, K0006 Exhibition Hall, Qin Shihuang Imperial Mausoleum Inner City Wall Restoration Display.

Visitors can take a free ferry to and from the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum and Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and Lishan Garden with their tickets (booking information and ID card).

Ferry Ride Points

Take free ferry ride with ticket (booking information and ID card)

East of the North Gate of the Terracotta Warriors Museum

Visiting Process

1. Enter the square with a valid personal ID to verify the reservation information.

2. Show the Xi’an immediate “One Code Pass” and the green code will be displayed before entering the temperature measurement channel.

3. If your body temperature is below 37.3℃ and there is no abnormal condition such as coughing or shortness of breath, you can proceed to the ticketing area.

4. For those who are exempted from the policy, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and foreign visitors, can apply for admission vouchers at the ticketing center after receiving normal epidemic-related tests.

Measures to Limit the Flow

1. The maximum number of visitors to the Qin Shihuang Imperial Tombs Museum in a single day will not exceed 8,000 people, and temporary closure measures will be taken when the upper limit is exceeded.

2. Each exhibition hall will implement flow control measures according to immediate audience volume, please obey the guidance command.

Anti-epidemic Measures

1. Wear a mask all the time and keep a distance of more than 1.5 meters from others in the queue and during the visit.

2. If abnormal body temperature or other emergency conditions are found, you must immediately seek medical attention or cooperate with the temporary isolation point to receive epidemic prevention checks.

3. Guiding signs and facilities will be set up in the visiting area, and one-way visiting routes will be implemented, so visitors should not go backward.

4. Suspension of manual interpretation services, visitors can use self-service interpretation through the museum’s WeChat public service. Open the outdoor kiosk vending service in the hospital, other commercial services are suspended.

5. No admission without prior reservation or abnormal epidemic detection information.

Bronze Chariot and Horse No.1

Bronze Sword

Cavalry Warrior

Charioteer Warrior

Drainage Facilities in the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang

Food Officials’ Buildings in Emperor Shi Huangdi Tomb

High-Rank Officer Warrior

Horse with Saddle

How High is the Mound of Qin Shi Huangdi Tomb?

How Long Did It Take to Build the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum?

How to Get to the Terracotta Warrior Museum

Is There Really Mercury in the Underground Palace of Qin Shihuang’s Mausoleum?

Kneeling Archer Warrior

Lishan Food Official Ruins Were Discovered at Shi Huangdi Tomb

Liyi – The Administration Institution of Qin Shi Huang Di Tomb

Middle Rank Officer Warrior

New Excavations at the Eastern Gate of the Outer City of the Tomb of Emperor Qin

Over 20 New Acrobats Were Discovered in the 9901 Burial Pit of Qinshihuang Mausoleum

Pits of Rare Birds and Animals in the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum

Qin Stone Armor

Standing Archer Warrior

Terracotta Army FAQ

Terracotta Army Pit 1

Terracotta Army Pit 2

Terracotta Army Pit 3

Terracotta Warrior Museum Map 2022

Terracotta Warrior Weapons Shu

Terracotta Warriors Museum Opening Time 2022

The Architectural Layout of Qin Shi Huangdi Tomb

The Architecture of the Bedchamber of the Emperor Qin Mausoleum

The Area of Emperor Qin’s Tomb and the Number of Discovered Burial Pits

The Art of Terracotta Warriors and Horses Sculpture

The Bedchamber and the Resting Hall in the Tomb of Qin Shihuangdi

The Design Ideology of the Qin Shi Huang Tomb

The Flood Control Dike of Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

The Layout of Emperor Qin Shi Huang Tomb

The Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin

The Owner of the Accompanying Burial Pit in Shangjiao Village of Emperor Chin Tomb

The Ruins of the Rest Hall of Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum

The Stable Pits of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang

The Stone Processing Site at the Emperor Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum

The Underground Palace of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang

The Wine House at the Tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi

We Are the Professional Doctors of Terracotta Warriors

What Colors Are on the Terracotta Warriors?

Who Built the Qin Shihuang Tomb?

Zhao Kangmin: the First Person to Discover the Terracotta Warriors

Terracotta Army Ticket provided by Authentic China Tours

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content

Terracotta Warriors Tour

Save 20% more on your Private China Tours

Affordable Private Tours to China

We offer private tours catered to people prefering an unrushed travel pace and more intimacy. Save up to 20%!

Travelers’ Choice Award Winner

Consecutive award winner since 2014

Top Destinations

The Great Wall of China, Forbidden City

Xi’an

Terracotta Warriors, The Muslim Street

The Bund, JInmao Tower, Shanghai Tower

What people are saying

A short note to say that we enjoyed the one day warrior tour very much. Our guide Cindy was very gracious and extremely knowledgeable of chinese history and particularly the terracotta warriors and the archeology that has taken place at the site. She was also very patient with our side meanderings and personal needs. Take this tour…..you will not be dissapointed.

I would like say our much we enjoyed our 2 days touring with Elaine. She was a great tour guide, very knowledgeable and made all the history interesting to listen to and we all learnt a lot. She went out of her way to ensure we had a great time. The driver was also very good dropping and picking us up at the entrances and exits. We would highly recommend Elaine to anyone wanting a tour guide in Xian.

Thanks to my tour guide Spring Wong I was able to see the best of Xi’an in 7 hours. I was only in Xi’an for a day, arriving by overnight train at 8:41 and leaving at 18:00. Spring met me at the train station, asked me what my interests were and created a tour tailored for me that included climbing the City Wall, visiting the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, and of course seeing the Terracotta Warriors. We also made stops for an authentic Chinese lunch and later drinks. Spring was very helpful taking photos of me at each place and new the best spots for taking photos. She was fun. At the end of the day she took me back to the station and made sure I found my train and that all was good.

Contact us today

WhatsApp us

History | Updated: April 19, 2024 Originally Published: July 2009

What You Need to Know About China’s Terra-Cotta Warriors and the First Qin Emperor

The thousands of clay soldiers guarding Qin Shi Huang’s tomb are enduring representations of the ruler’s legacy

Arthur Lubow ; Updated by Sonja Anderson

In March 1974, a group of peasants digging a well in China’s drought-parched Shaanxi province unearthed fragments of a clay figure—the first evidence of what would turn out to be one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of modern times. Near the unexcavated tomb of Qin Shi Huang —who proclaimed himself first emperor of China in 221 B.C.E.—lay an extraordinary underground treasure: an entire army of life-size terra-cotta soldiers and horses, interred for more than 2,000 years.

The site, where Qin Shi Huang’s ancient capital of Xianyang once stood, lies a half-hour drive from traffic-clogged Xi’an , population nine million . It is a dry, scrubby land, planted with persimmon and pomegranate—bitterly cold in winter and scorching hot in summer—and marked by dun-colored hills pocked with caves. But hotels and a roadside souvenir emporium selling five-foot-tall pottery figures suggest that something other than fruit cultivation is going on here.

Over the past 50 years, archaeologists have located some 600 pits , a complex of underground vaults, across a 22-square-mile area. Some are hard to get to, but three major pits are easily accessible, enclosed inside Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum , constructed around the discovery site and opened in 1979 as the four-acre Museum of Qin Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses . In one pit, long columns of warriors, reassembled from broken pieces, stand in formation. With their topknots or caps, their tunics or armored vests, their goatees or close-cropped beards, the soldiers exhibit an astonishing individuality . A second pit inside the museum demonstrates how they appeared when they were found: Some stand upright, buried to their shoulders in soil, while others lie toppled on their backs, alongside fallen and cracked clay horses. The site ranks with the Great Wall and Beijing’s Forbidden City as one of China’s premier tourist attractions.

Specimens unearthed from the pits in Xi’an have stunned audiences around the world. Between 2007 and 2009, the British Museum , Atlanta’s High Museum , California’s Bowers Museum , the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the National Geographic Society Museum in Washington, D.C. all hosted traveling exhibitions featuring original terra-cotta warriors. More recently, the soldiers have made appearances at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center , New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and England’s World Museum Liverpool .

Exhibitions have featured statuary—armored officers, infantrymen, and standing and kneeling archers—as well as terra-cotta horses and replicas of intricately detailed bronze chariots , drawn by bronze horses. These artifacts offer a glimpse of the treasure trove that attracts visitors to the Xi’an museum site, where more than 2,000 of the estimated 8,000 warriors have been disinterred so far.

The stupendous find at first seemed to reinforce conventional thinking—that the first emperor had been a relentless warmonger who cared only for military might. As archaeologists have learned, however, that assessment was incomplete. Qin Shi Huang may have conquered China with his army—believed to consist of 500,000-plus men—but he held it together with a civil administration system that endured for centuries. Among other accomplishments, the emperor standardized weights and measures and introduced a uniform writing script.

Digs have revealed that in addition to the clay soldiers, Qin Shi Huang’s underground realm, presumably a facsimile of the court that surrounded him during his lifetime, is also populated by delightfully realistic waterfowl , crafted from bronze and serenaded by terra-cotta musicians. The emperor’s clay retinue includes terra-cotta officials and even troupes of acrobats , slightly smaller than the soldiers but created with the same methods. “We find the underground pits are an imitation of the real organization in the Qin dynasty,” says Duan Qingbo , head of the mausoleum excavation team. “People thought when the emperor died, he took just a lot of pottery army soldiers with him. Now they realize he took a whole political system with him.”

Qin Shi Huang decreed a mass-production approach ; artisans turned out figures almost like cars on an assembly line. Clay, unlike bronze, lends itself to quick and cheap fabrication. Workers built bodies, then customized them with heads, hats, shoes, mustaches, ears and so on, made in small molds. Some of the figures appear so strikingly individual that they seem modeled on real people, though that is unlikely. “These probably weren’t portraits in the Western sense,” says Hiromi Kinoshita , who helped curate the 2007 exhibition at the British Museum. Instead, they may have been aggregate portraits: The ceramicists, says Kinoshita, “could have been told that you need to represent all the different types of people who come from different regions of China.”

The first emperor’s capital, Xianyang, was a large metropolis, where he reportedly erected more than 270 palaces, of which only a single foundation is known to survive. Each time Qin Shi Huang conquered a rival state, he is said to have transported its ruling families to Xianyang, housing the vanquished in replicas of palaces they had left behind. At the same time, the emperor directed construction of his tomb complex; some 720,000 workers reportedly labored on these vast projects.

Upon the death of his father, Yiren , in 246 B.C.E., the future Qin Shi Huang—then a 13-year-old prince named Ying Zheng—ascended the throne of the Qin kingdom. Celebrated for its horsemen, Qin sat on the margin of civilization, regarded by its easterly rivals as a semi-savage wasteland. Its governing philosophy was as harsh as its terrain. Elsewhere in China, Confucianism held that a well-run state should be administered by the same precepts governing a family: mutual obligation and respect. Qin rulers, however, subscribed to a doctrine known as legalism , which rested on the administration of punitive laws.

In his early 20s, Ying Zheng turned for guidance to a visionary statesman, Li Si , who likely initiated many of the sovereign’s accomplishments. Under Li’s tutelage, Ying Zheng introduced a uniform script (thereby enabling subjects of vastly different dialects to communicate). Standardization, a hallmark of the Qin state, was applied to weaponry as well: Should an arrow shaft snap or the trigger on a repeating crossbow malfunction, the component could be easily replaced. The young ruler also presided over the creation of an advanced agricultural infrastructure that incorporated irrigation canals and storage granaries.

With methodical zeal, Ying Zheng set about conquering the warring states that surrounded him in the late third century B.C.E. As his armies advanced, principalities fell. No one could thwart consolidation of an empire that eventually stretched from parts of present-day Sichuan in the west to coastal regions along the East China Sea . Having unified the entire civilized world as he knew it, Ying Zheng in 221 B.C.E. renamed himself, adopting the title of huangdi , or emperor.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by China Xinhua News 新华社 (@chinaxinhuanews)

He then invested in infrastructure and built massive fortifications. His road network likely exceeded 4,000 miles, including 40-foot-wide speedways with a central lane reserved for the imperial family. On the northern frontier, the emperor dispatched his most trusted general to reinforce and connect existing border barriers, creating a bulwark against nomadic marauders. Made of rammed earth and rubble, these fortifications became the basis for the Great Wall , most of which would be rebuilt in stone and brick during the 15th century under the Ming dynasty.

As the grandeur of his tomb complex suggests, Qin Shi Huang kept an eye on posterity. But he also longed to extend his life on earth—perhaps indefinitely. Alchemists informed the emperor that magical herbs could be found on what they claimed were three Islands of the Immortals in the East China Sea. The emissaries most likely to gain entry to this mystical realm, they asserted, were uncorrupted children. Around 219 B.C.E., Qin Shi Huang reportedly dispatched several thousand youngsters to search for the islands. They never returned. A few years later, the emperor sent three alchemists to retrieve the herbs. One of them made it back, recounting a tale of a giant fish guarding the islands. Legend has it that the emperor resolved to lead the next search party himself; on the expedition, he used a repeating crossbow to kill a huge fish. But instead of discovering life-preserving elixirs on his journey, the emperor apparently contracted a fatal illness.

As he lay dying in 210 B.C.E., 49-year-old Qin Shi Huang decreed that his estranged eldest son, Fusu , should inherit the empire. The choice undercut the ambitions of a powerful royal counselor, Zhao Gao , who believed he could govern the country behind the scenes if a more malleable successor were installed. To conceal Qin Shi Huang’s death—and disguise the stench of a decomposing corpse—until the body returned to the capital, Zhao Gao took on a cargo of salted fish. The delaying tactic worked. Once Zhao Gao managed to return to Xianyang, he was able to operate on his home turf. He managed to transfer power to Ying Huhai , a younger, weaker son.

Ultimately, however, the scheme failed. Zhao Gao could not maintain order, and the country descended into civil war. The Qin dynasty outlived Qin Shi Huang by only four years. The second emperor died by suicide; Zhao Gao eventually was killed. Various rebel forces coalesced into a new dynasty, the Western Han .

For archaeologists, one indicator that Qin rule had collapsed suddenly was the extensive damage to the terra-cotta army. As order broke down, marauding forces raided the pits where clay soldiers stood guard and plundered their real weapons. Raging fires, possibly set deliberately, followed the ransacking, weakening support pillars for wooden ceilings, which crashed down and smashed the figures. Some 2,000 years later, archaeologists discovered charring on the walls of one pit.

Throughout recorded Chinese history, the first emperor’s Epang Palace —located on the Wei River , south of ancient Xianyang—was synonymous with ostentation. The structure was said to have been the most lavish dwelling ever constructed, with an upper-floor gallery that could seat 10,000 and a network of covered walkways that led to distant mountains to the south.

“All Chinese people who can read, including middle-school students, believed that the Qin dynasty collapsed because it put so much money into the Epang Palace,” says Duan. “According to excavation work from 2003, we found it was actually never built—only the base. Above it was nothing.” Duan notes that if the palace had been erected and demolished, as historians thought, there would be potsherds (ceramic fragments) and telltale changes in soil color. “But tests found nothing,” he says. “It is so famous a symbol of Chinese culture for so long a time, showing how cruel and greedy the first emperor was—and archaeologists found it was a lie.” Duan also doubts accounts of Qin Shi Huang’s expedition for life-prolonging herbs. His version is more prosaic: “I believe that the first emperor did not want to die. When he was sick, he sent people to find special medicines.”

The emperor’s tomb lies beneath a forested hill, surrounded by cultivated fields about a half-mile from the museum. Out of reverence for an imperial resting place and concerns about preserving what might be unearthed there, the site has never been excavated . According to a description written a century after the emperor’s death, the tomb contains a wealth of wonders, including man-made streambeds contoured to resemble the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers, flowing with shimmering, quicksilver mercury that mimics coursing water. (Analysis of soil in the mound has indeed revealed a high level of mercury .)

Answers about the tomb are not likely to emerge anytime soon. “I have a dream that one day science can develop so that we can tell what is here without disturbing the emperor, who has slept here for 2,000 years,” says Wu Yongqi , former director of the original Museum of Qin Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses. “I don’t think we have good scientific techniques to protect what we find in the underground palace. Especially if we find paper, silk or textiles from plants or animals; it would be very bad if they have been kept in a balanced condition for 2,000 years, but suddenly they would vanish in a very short time.” He cites another consideration: “For all Chinese people, he is our ancestor, and for what he did for China, we cannot unearth his tomb just because archaeologists or people doing tourism want to know what is buried there.”

Whatever future excavations reveal about Qin Shi Huang’s enigmatic nature, some things seem unlikely to change. The emperor’s importance as a seminal figure of history won’t be diminished. And the mysteries that surround his life will likely never be completely resolved.

Get the latest History stories in your inbox?

Click to visit our Privacy Statement .

Arthur Lubow | READ MORE

Arthur Lubow is a journalist who has written for national magazines since 1975 and is the author of Diane Arbus: Portrait of a Photographer .

Sonja Anderson | READ MORE

Sonja Anderson is a writer and reporter based in New York City.

Portugal Coastal Hiking Tour

• What's Included
• Delicious Meals
• Great Hotels

Set out on an incredible 6 days of hiking along Portugal’s sun-drenched southwestern Atlantic coast.

From the rich culture of Lisbon to the sparkling white villages of Algarve, take a turn through one of the best preserved coastlines in all of Europe. Hike to quaint towns, rocky seascapes and unspoiled beaches along our journey. Beginning near Lisbon in romantic Sintra, where forested hillsides give way to white sandy beaches, we hike by centuries-old castles and palaces. The scenery can only be described as absolutely quintessential.  Savor the fresh, salty air and indulge in traditional southern European cuisine. Tour through inviting plazas and savor quiet conversation in a charming café. Explore jumbled rocks along vast stretches of shoreline. We find the end of our route in Sagres. This bluff, once thought to be the end of the world, is where ships departed from the sailing school of Prince Henry the Navigator in a quest to discover far-off lands. Take in the beauty of the shoreline before we ourselves depart home.

Trip Highlights

• From Sintra to Sagres, discover Europe’s best preserved coastline.
• Hike the finest sections of famed Rota Vicentina—the Fisherman’s Trail.
• Absorb Portugal’s heritage visiting historic sites built by conquerors and kings.
• Delight in fresh local cuisine—seafood, homemade cheese and Alentejo wines.

Activities – Hiking

This trip can be rated Easy Active [2] by doing the standard walks or Moderate [3] by continuing and doing the optional parts of the hikes as well.

Easy Active [2]. Trip members should be capable of walking up to 3 hours (up to 4 miles) on consecutive days. Hikes may include trails with some loose dirt, rocks, sand and stone stairs of variable height, and sections with some ascents and descents. Elevation gain/loss is minimal on this trip.

Moderate [3]. The first three days are a mix of culture and hiking; the last three days are dedicated to hiking and exploring nature. Days are full and you should anticipate rising early and retiring for the evening after 9pm. The daily hikes range from 2.5–10 miles (4–6 hours). The terrain will vary and includes forested trails, grassy lanes, dirt pathways and sandy beaches. It is important to note there will be uneven, rocky, steep and/or hilly sections, and some trail sections have areas of exposure. Hiking in sand is more strenuous than hiking on dirt trails; likewise hiking in very warm weather can make the hills feel more strenuous. The better shape you are in, the more you’ll be able to enjoy all that ruggedly beautiful Portuguese Coast has to offer!

Hike to Guincho beach and the Cresmina Dunes from Peninha Sanctuary.

Our trip begins in Lisbon, Portugal with a 9am group rendezvous.  A short drive brings us to the dramatic Peninha Sanctuary. According to local legend, the 17th-century chapel was built after the Virgin Mary appeared to a hermit. We begin our hike here or in the village of Biscaia, heading downhill on trails to Guincho beach and then onwards to Cresmina Dunes Nature Center for lunch. The views, not the exertion, will render us breathless! Our next stop is Cascais to check into our hotel and freshen up before dinner. Lunch and dinner included.

Hiking: 6 miles; terrain: some rocky sections. Driving: 1h15 min

Hike to Cabo da Roca, stroll the streets of Cascais.

At Praia Grande Beach we hike on trails hidden among the coastal flora to Cabo da Roca, the western-most point of continental Europe. From the windswept landscape of this historic Cape we marvel at views of the wild Atlantic and local fisherman perched on the cliffs ready to hook their day’s catch. After lunching on local specialties in Azoia we head to the quiet and green of Capuchos Convent nestled in the forest. Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers a wide diversity of landscapes including mountains, forests, lakes, sand dunes, and a rugged coastline with high cliffs interspersed between lovely beaches. Transferring to the seaside village of Cascais, we’ll check in to our hotel in the 15th c. citadel overlooking the bay, the lighthouse and the old town. Breakfast and lunch included. Dinner on your own.

Hiking: 5 miles; Terrain: some steep, rocky sections on ascents and descents; City walk: 1 mile; Driving: 1h25 min

Visit an Azulejo tile workshop, then hike along Rota Moinhos for panoramic views.

We stretch our legs with a boardwalk stroll from Cascais to Estoril before transferring south of Lisbon over the Tejo River. We visit a tile workshop to discover the five-centuries-old tradition of Azujelo painted ceramic tile work; these decorative tiles are found everywhere from churches and palaces to ordinary homes and railway stations. There is free time for lunch in town before beginning our hike along a portion of the Rota Moinhos (“Windmills Path”) in the Arrábida Natural Park. The trail, named for the traditional windmills along the path, offers panoramic views of the region’s mountain ranges, Palmela Castle and the Tejo River estuary. Tonight we stay in the whitewashed village of Vila Nova de Milfontes, at the Mira River estuary and dine at a favorite restaurant. Breakfast and dinner included.

Hiking: 2.4 miles; Terrain: mostly rolling with an initial steep ascent; Driving: 3.5 hours

The famous Rota Vicentina leads us to the coastal village of Almograve.

We begin with a short crossing of the Mira River in a traditional Moliceiro boat. We hike from Praia das Furnas to Almograve, a quiet coastal village blessed with two distinctive beaches. The northern Almograve beach is spread over gentle sand dunes, while the southern beach has dramatic black shale rocks jutting from the steep cliffs. We enjoy a picnic lunch that includes famous local cheeses. This afternoon, trip members can choose to transfer to our lodgings or opt to continue hiking. The optional hike brings us to Cabo Sardão, where storks nest on the cliffs above the Atlantic. Overnight for the second night in Vila Nova de Milifontes. Breakfast included. Lunch and dinner on your own.

Hiking: 6 miles; Terrain: mostly flat trails with some steeper up-and-down sections; Optional hike: 5 miles; Terrain: sandy trails

Hike to Ponta em Branco for stunning views of Odeceixe beach.

We continue our hike on coastal trails with sea breezes and sweeping views of the rugged coast. The jumbled geology of the sedimentary rock along this stretch of shoreline is evidence of the force of nature here. We are rewarded with an exceptional view of Odeceixe beach from Ponta em Branco (White summit). Hiking down to Odeceixe beach on the Seixe river delta, we take time to stroll the soft sands before heading to Sagres, on the southern Algarve coast where Henry the Navigator, a famed figure during the Age of Discoveries, walked along the cliffs in the 15th century and built a church and his home. Guests choosing to opt out part of today’s hike will enjoy the countryside views of Alentejo, with free time to explore the fishing village where we stop for lunch before transferring to Sagres. ​Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Hiking: 8.5 miles; Terrain: sections of hard packed dirt trail and sandy trails; Driving: 1.5 hours

Our final hike along golden sand beaches and clifftops ends in Zavial.

Hiking : 5.6 miles; Terrain : hard-packed dirt trails and sandy beach sections.

From the rugged Algarve coast we return to Lisbon to say our goodbyes.

Our journey along Portugal’s wild Atlantic Coast comes to an end. Continue exploring the famed Algarve coast on your own, or transfer back to Lisbon with the guides for arrival at around 7pm. We provide a drop-off at the Lisbon airport and Lisboa Plaza hotel.

Driving: 3 hours

Although we do our very best to adhere to the schedule above, the itinerary is subject to change for numerous reasons beyond our control, including weather and terrain conditions.

What’s included

• Transportation during the course of the trip
• Guilt-free van support with snacks and water
• Highly experienced and enthusiastic trilingual guides
• Entries for specific monuments, events or points of interest
• Gratuities for all accommodations and group meals
• Baggage transfers and handling
• Optional transfer to Lisbon at end of the trip
• Wine with dinners
• Lodging and meals as indicated below

Accommodations

• Hotels: 5 nights
• Cascais: 2 nights
• Vila Nova de Milfontes: 2 nights
• Sagres: 1 night

3 dinners, 4 lunches (or picnic lunches): Day 1: Lunch and Dinner Day 2: Breakfast and Lunch or Picnic Day 3: Breakfast and Dinner Day 4: Breakfast and Lunch or Picnic Day 5: Breakfast Lunch and Dinner Day 6: Breakfast and Lunch

Tour Dates – 2024:

• Feb 25 – Mar 1 
• Mar 3 – 8
• Mar 17 – 22 – guaranteed departure
• Apr 7 – 12
• Apr 21 – 26
• May 5-10 – private departure
• May 19 – 24
• May 26 – 31 – guaranteed departure
• Jun 9 – 14 – no longer available
• Sep 8 – 13
• Sep 22 – 27
• Oct 6 – 11 – guaranteed departure
• Oct 20 – 25 – guaranteed departure
• Oct 27 – Nov 1

Don’t see the dates you’re looking for? Please  Contact Us

Tour Reviews

Amazing vacation! This Spring I took a trip with Terracotta Journeys along the coast of Portugal, not really knowing what it would be like. Before the trip I was worried about the availability of showers after hiking. I needn’t have worried. All the accommodations, meals and logistics were first class. We finished every day in a very comfortable hotel. The meals were wonderful and, region by region, the guides showed us the local cuisine and wines. They were generous with both. The coast of Portugal is magnificent and left me with good memories of our walks. But what made the trip truly fantastic were the guides. They knew the history, culture, regional differences, geology, plants and birds. They took us on beautiful hikes and showed us how the parts we saw fit into the larger picture of coastal history and geology. Best of all was just hiking in their company. I can’t imagine a better trip. Thank you Manuel and Andre. I hope to see you both again. Phil Morgan

Wonderful hiking tour! Wonderful hiking tour (Portugal Coastal Hiking Tour). First rate guide, wonderful experience. Beautiful country and unlike a lot of other tours I have been on, the food is really good ! Dan Gottheimer

Leave a Review

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Terra Cotta Color - A Warm and Earthy Shade Guide

Posted: February 27, 2024 | Last updated: February 27, 2024

Terra Cotta Color – A Warm and Earthy Shade Guide

The enchanting allure of terra cotta color is not just confined to the rustic pots that grace gardens and patios. This warm, earthy hue has found its way into the hearts of interior designers and homeowners alike, bringing with it a sense of warmth, comfort, and timeless elegance.

From the sun-kissed villages of the Mediterranean to the chic, modern lofts in bustling cities, terra cotta has become a color synonymous with versatility and style. Let's get into exploring how this rich, inviting color can transform your living spaces into cozy, stylish havens.

Discovering the Roots of Terra Cotta - A Color Steeped in History and Tradition

The story of terra cotta color begins in the ancient world, where it was first used in pottery and architectural elements. This earthy hue, whose name literally means "baked earth" in Italian, has a rich history that spans continents and cultures. It evokes the warmth of sun-drenched landscapes and the rustic charm of traditional craftsmanship. In home decor, terra cotta brings a touch of this timeless appeal, creating spaces that feel grounded and connected to the natural world.

Incorporating terra cotta into your home doesn't just add a splash of color; it weaves a tapestry of history and tradition into your living spaces. Whether through accent walls, textiles, or decorative elements, this versatile hue can complement a variety of design styles, from the classic to the contemporary.

The Magic of Terra Cotta For Transforming Spaces with Warmth and Elegance

The magic of terra cotta lies in its ability to infuse spaces with warmth and elegance. In living rooms, a terra cotta-colored wall can act as a stunning backdrop, enhancing the coziness of the space and making it more inviting. In kitchens, terra cotta tiles can add a touch of rustic charm, creating a welcoming atmosphere where family and friends can gather.

But the beauty of terra cotta extends beyond its aesthetic appeal. This color, with its earthy undertones, has a grounding effect, creating a sense of calm and tranquility. It's a color that encourages conversation and connection, making it a perfect choice for spaces where people come together.

Pairing Terra Cotta with Other Colors - A Guide to Harmonious Combinations

One of the joys of decorating with terra cotta is discovering the myriad of colors it pairs beautifully with. For a vibrant, energetic look, consider combining terra cotta with shades of teal or turquoise. This pairing brings together the warmth of the earth and the coolness of the sea, creating a dynamic and refreshing palette.

For a more subdued, sophisticated vibe, pair terra cotta with neutrals like beige, ivory, or soft gray. These combinations allow the richness of terra cotta to shine while maintaining a sense of balance and serenity. Adding accents in gold or brass can further elevate the space, introducing a touch of luxury and elegance.

Creative Ways to Incorporate Terra Cotta Color in Your Home Decor

Incorporating terra cotta color into your home decor can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. For a subtle touch, consider adding terra cotta-colored cushions, throws, or vases to your living spaces. These small accents can make a big impact, bringing warmth and vitality to the room.

For those looking to make a bolder statement, terra cotta-colored furniture or accent walls can transform a space, making it more vibrant and inviting. In outdoor areas, terra cotta pots filled with lush greenery can create a Mediterranean-inspired oasis, perfect for relaxing and entertaining.

The Timeless Appeal of Terra Cotta - A Color That Transcends Trends

One of the most compelling aspects of terra cotta color is its timeless appeal. Unlike fleeting trends that come and go, terra cotta has an enduring quality that makes it a wise investment for any home. It's a color that evokes a sense of history and tradition yet feels fresh and modern in the right context.

As we look to the future of home decor, it's clear that terra cotta will continue to play a significant role. Its versatility, warmth, and elegance make it a favorite among designers and homeowners alike. Whether you're looking to add a touch of rustic charm or create a bold, dynamic space, terra cotta offers endless possibilities.

Related Articles:

• Pantone’s Color of the Year For 2024
• Expert Guide to Terracotta Floor Tiles: Everything to Know
• Teal Reveal: What Color is Teal in Interior Design?

The terra cotta color is much more than a trend; it's a timeless choice that brings warmth, elegance, and a sense of history into our homes. Its versatility allows it to adapt to various styles and settings, making it an enduring favorite in the world of interior design.

Whether you're drawn to its earthy tones for their aesthetic appeal or their ability to create a cozy, inviting atmosphere, incorporating terra cotta into your home decor is a decision that promises to enrich your living spaces for years to come. So why not embrace the charm and versatility of terra cotta and see where it takes you? Your home might just thank you for it.

Ready to bring new life to your home? Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive interior design tips, trends, and ideas that will transform your space.  Click here to subscribe !

More for You

Stephen Hawking once gave a simple answer as to whether there was a God

‘I feel slighted’: My husband and I are in our 70s. We married 3 years ago. He’s leaving his $1.8 million home to a 10-year-old relative. Is that normal?

Dolly Parton says it was ‘bold’ of Beyonce to change ‘Jolene’ lyrics without telling her

Southern Baptists are poised to ban churches with women pastors. Some are urging them to reconsider

7 CDs You Probably Owned, Threw Out and Now Are Worth Bank

Potato Recall Update as FDA Sets Risk Level

24 "Rich Person Activities" That Most "Normal" People Would Never Even Think About

Wonder Woman's Lynda Carter, 72, wows in silver swimsuit to promote new music

Florida Supreme Court Upholds DeSantis’s Suspension of Progressive Prosecutor

Charles Barkley Addresses Caitlin Clark, Chicago Sky Incident With Eight Words

20 Rare Quarters Worth Some Serious Money

'I own 15,000 houses': Robert Kiyosaki says there's 'nothing wrong' with buying a house — except he uses debt to buy it and 'pay no taxes'

Spy agency issues urgent warning to billions of smartphone users to avoid being spied on

Jon Stewart Spots How Trump Is Doing America 'A Service' By Exploiting Political System

C.J. Stroud: “I Don’t Play For the Weak [BLEEP] Cowboys”

Navy fires USS Somerset’s commanding officer following investigation

Country Legends: The Definitive 25 Icons of the Genre

Judge rules against WA GOP challenge to 'warning labels' on ballot initiatives

20 Best Sandwiches in America You Need to Try At Least Once

A Toxicologist Reveals A Simple Trick To Interpreting Your Own Bloodwork

This Tiny Pied-à-Terre Proves There’s No Such Thing as Too Small

“It’s my Airstream in the sky in Paris,” says Peter Dunham.

The 300-square-foot pied-à-terre—two small former maid’s rooms combined into one—overlooks the Seine in the city’s sixth arrondissement. The address is familiar to Dunham: His mother has lived on the third floor of the Haussmannian building since the 1980s. Four years ago, the daughter of a former neighbor contacted his mother. The woman had found a 1985 letter from Dunham’s mother offering to buy the flat if it ever became available. Dunham had been looking for a permanent place to stay on visits to Paris for sourcing trips and to be closer to family. “How quickly can I say yes?” he replied when his mother asked if he would be interested in the space.

In designing the sixth-floor apartment, Dunham did not want to distract from the views of such Parisian landmarks as Sacré-Coeur, the Louvre, and Notre-Dame. To that end, he wrapped the walls in raffia in a warm, neutral shade that creates a calming backdrop.

Trips to Paris flea markets netted a leather sofa (with sections that detach—essential for navigating the piece up the building’s narrow stairs), vintage chairs, and cocktail tables with bronze tops that Dunham speculates were once used as ventilation covers. A wall of the living room features a midcentury French bar cabinet, which now does double duty as a standing desk. A lithograph by Pablo Picasso is a nod to one of the area’s best known former residents, who once lived and worked down the street.

Glue gun in hand, Dunham used trim to create a romantic oxblood border around the edges of the living room. The bold hue, subtle here, explodes in the adjacent bedroom, which is swathed in one of Dunham’s linens in a custom red . This kind of contrast is a design credo for Dunham. “There is always a need for some rice with the gumbo,” he says. “We all have a certain balance.”

The cozy bedroom also exemplifies his eclectic design approach, with its 1970s hammered copper headboard, antique Indian miniatures rehung in Syrian handmade frames, and vintage bedside bookcases that perfectly fit in the narrow space between the bed and the wall. Indeed, every nook and cranny in this tiny apartment has a purpose. Dunham—who will open a New York showroom this July for his L.A.-based Hollywood at Home collection of fabrics and furniture—says he hopes to eventually spend a month or two at a time in Paris. For now, his pied-à-terre is in use for shorter trips to the city.

While the apartment is undoubtedly compact, it feels bigger when Dunham steps onto its small terrace, which has postcard panorama views of the Seine and the Île de la Cité. He compares living in his Parisian jewel box to that more American concept: the van life. “It’s my Airstream in the sky in Paris,” he says with a laugh.

House Tours

A Beach House That’s Anything But Newport

This Celebrity Designing Duo Can’t Miss

Is This the Ultimate Poolside WFH Space?

This Apartment Is a Nod to the Women of the 70s

This Bachelor Pad Is Full of Art—And Sneakers

From the Archive: A 1740 Farmhouse Retreat

This House Has a Secret Zsa Zsa Gabor Connection

Inside a Neutral-Washed Family Oasis in NYC

This New York Apartment Merges Softness and Soul

Forest Hues Seep into This Vail Retreat

This Studio Apartment’s Now a Swank Sanctuary

The Deep Dive: Some Assembly Required

As any issue of Dwell proves, the choice of material or joinery method can transform a good project into a design for the ages. The Deep Dive is a forum where design and building pros can obsess over those details. Here we ask expert colleagues to share the inspiration behind house elements that delight clients—as well as the nitty-gritty information about how they were built.

While Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans are numerous and frequent, Crescent City architects and homeowners Emilie Taylor and Seth Welty sync their calendars to the Société de Saint Anne marching krewe. "It’s a hot-glue-gun competition," Emilie delightedly says of the parade. "There are thousands of people in wild handmade costumes."

Since having kids, Emilie and Seth no longer walk alongside the Saint Anne krewe. Now, they pedal. "You don’t want to lose your toddlers in a crowd like that, so we made a bicycle-pulled float," Emilie explains. "Our children can be in a protected little zone with snacks and books but also be part of the party." The couple costume the traveling show differently for each Mardi Gras; recent themes have included The Lorax, a flea circus, and a space-age Conestoga wagon. Of the annual effort, Seth adds, "It’s finding what’s around and making stuff out of it."

Reuse and improvisation are front of mind for the March/April cover subjects throughout the year. Indeed, some of the most memorable elements of Emilie and Seth’s 2,800-square-foot residence were plucked from the waste stream and given new life, such as the terra-cotta roof tiles that wrap the exterior of the first floor. "It was worth it to us to spend time with these things, tinker with them, and detail the house to accept them," Seth says of the salvaged materials and components that he and Emilie would often assemble into place themselves. 

Sweat equity didn’t figure so largely into their original vision for their home in the Black Pearl neighborhood though. "Then the pandemic hit and we were all stuck inside, and it was kind of maddening," Seth recalls. "We have two kids we love dearly, but also they were a two- and a four-year-old and it was hard to be inside for months on end." For relief, the parents would swap childcare and construction tasks on alternating days. "It was therapeutic, scrubbing off a tile or hammering blocking into a wall," he adds.

For the terra-cotta wall, Emilie and Seth sourced the tiles from a resident of Houma, Louisiana, who had removed them from his roof and advertised them on Facebook Marketplace. After carting approximately 3,000 mold- and moss-covered pieces back to New Orleans, those that didn’t endure the trip were set aside for crushing into driveway and garden substrate. The survivors underwent dunking and scrubbing, and because these tiles were not uniformly sized, Emilie and Seth sorted them by width and height to arrange them in a stacked-bond pattern. The rows mounted to the building like a typical rainscreen, with the spacers separating terra-cotta from the weather barrier fashioned from discarded polypropylene yard signs.

Near the front door, the terra-cotta tiles appear to pull apart, creating some visual communication across the entryway. "We cut the tiles in narrower strips so we could play with that porosity idea," Emilie notes, and they were subsequently installed in a steel frame whose horizontal members aligned to the existing courses. For screen and rainscreen alike, Emilie and Seth reused holes that had been pre-drilled into the tiles for roof applications.

 "The terra-cotta was cheap on its face, but it required a heck of a lot of time, labor, and intention," Emilie reflects. "I think a lot of reuse, or even using new materials in unique ways, requires a lot of love."

Which didn’t stop her and Seth from repeating the process elsewhere, at scales large and small. The couple, who also run the creative studio Colectivo , discovered a spiral staircase on the site of a renovation project elsewhere in New Orleans. Looking past the treads’ unappealing shag carpet, Emilie and Seth found that the stair could fit the vertical space between their backyard and second-floor balcony almost perfectly. They dismantled the stair into parts, transported it to Black Pearl for stripping and repainting, ingeniously reassembled the stairs via rotation, and rewelded the spiral back into a whole. Meanwhile, they also repurposed 1860s-era barge planks from their former residence into a record cabinet. 

"We’re constantly costuming—and looking at stuff in a scrapyard definitely engages the same part of our brains," Seth says. Emilie further likens it to an homage to New Orleans inventiveness overall.

What the architects don’t claim? That intercepting the waste stream represents the next must-have in sustainable design. "I hear a lot of questions about sustainability and the cost of reuse. How can we get to a more universal adoption of reuse when it requires so much individualized attention and care?" as Emilie explains. "The way I think about it is that everything we do through the design process is meant to repair or improve a site and have a larger benefit. If others were to do the same, then there would be some collective good."

We welcome your thoughts and illustrative projects. Reach out to [email protected].

Get the Pro Newsletter

What’s new in the design world? Stay up to date with our essential dispatches for design professionals.

Find anything you save across the site in your account

All products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Tour Wow!house 2024, the Marvelous London Decorator Showcase

By Alia Akkam

Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, London’s go-to resource for decorative arts, has once again been vivified by Wow!House . The third edition of the dazzling show house (on view through July 4) brings together an A-list roster of talents who have dreamed up 19 imaginative spaces imbued with Diptyque scents and eclectic music.

Past the façade’s sky blue doors and Mamou-Mani’s 3D-printed geometric mandala shapes, visitors are welcomed into the entrance hall by Benedict Foley, done up as a hedonistic Sicilian palazzo in collaboration with Zoffany. Bold hues also await in AD100 designer Ken Fulk’s dining room, which draws upon his work with the Rug Company. To complement the centerpiece carpet, an homage to the V&A Museum’s Poynter Room, the AD100 designer leaned into another opportunity to celebrate the cultural institution, taking inspiration from its Morris Room and cafe.

“Fromental donated a custom wall covering and a series of inset panels that reimagined some of our favorite animals, flowers, and figures that Ken Fulk Inc.’s art department initially drew for the rug ‘tiles,’” says Fulk. “We took that reference point one step further by commissioning our favorite porcelain artist, Linda Fahey, to create a pair of large swan centerpieces, dinnerware, and creatures that are individually collaged in a modern interpretation of the transfer-ware technique.”

A showstopping ceiling to mirror the rug’s gravitas was also essential for Fulk, so he was thrilled when gallerist Marion Friedmann agreed to loan him Thierry Jeannot’s prototype for the Transmutation 1 chandelier. “It’s a dramatic two-tier piece constructed from meticulously cut pieces of plastic bottles. From afar it appears to be traditional cut crystal, but upon further inspection, you realize it is made from the most modest of materials,” Fulk adds.

Another standout ceiling is found in the Swan Lake –inspired library by Andrea Benedettini. A romanticized take on nature, the interior adds an air of serenity thanks to a scenic ceiling wallpaper treatment and enveloping curtain wall. That calming aura also permeates the sunny morning room by Lucy Hammond Giles and Colefax and Fowler swathed in yellow Larsen linen; the kitchen by Studio Vero and Martin Moore (to be reassembled in a new location post-Wow!House) showcasing light timber and an earthy palette of green, terra-cotta, and tobacco; and the courtyard bedroom by Veere Grenney Associates and Schumacher flaunting large-scale windowpane check.

Tolù Adẹ̀kọ́ took a more brazen approach to his bedroom with Zimmer + Rohde, conjuring the golden age of travel. “By evoking the timeless appeal of historic voyages, we wanted to create a sanctuary that would transport guests to a time when travel was not just a means to an end, but a luxurious experience,” says Adẹ̀kọ́. His launch point for the interior was Zimmer and Rohde's silver-speckled Dimora fabric by Ardecora. From there, a faux vellum ceiling and faux bois timber embellished with gold-leafed studs encapsulate the transportive feel, while bespoke furnishings such as the Anu credenza from the Adẹ̀kọ́ and Co. Collection round out the space.

Michaelis Boyd opted for glamour in the House of Rohl primary bathroom too. “The whimsical and somewhat magical mood,” as studio partner Christina Gregoriou describes it, is elevated by floor tiles of various shapes that elicit an “Alice in Wonderland effect—the smaller the tiles, the more intimate the setting.” The protagonist of the sculptural room is the Victoria and Albert Taizu bathtub, its curvaceous design prompting the team to extend the organic flow with a cathedral-like dome illuminating a hand painted mural by Claire Basler that “immerses whoever bathes beneath it to be utterly spellbound,” points out Gregoriou, noting how the work’s illusion of movement “aligned with the sense of relaxation and decompression we wanted to achieve.”

There are plenty of other retreats in Wow!House 2024 too, from Anahita Rigby’s moody green study and the object-laden Legend room by AD100 designer Alidad and Watts 1874 to Fernando Wong’s tropical terrace with Summit. Sophie Ashby’s sitting room for United in Design is particularly inviting for lingering with a vibrant Priya Ahluwalia rug for Shame Studios and matte-finished cork flooring. Ashby and her husband, fashion designer Charlie Casely–Hayford, recently moved to a new home they’ve yet to renovate, but she envisioned her Wow!House space as one her family would like to unwind in for the long term, says Ashby, “somewhere that felt familiar, artful, calm, and full of soul, drawing inspiration from slow Sundays.”

The Design Centre Chelsea Harbour’s Wow!House 2024 is now open for tours, with ticket proceeds benefiting United in Design, the nonprofit founded by Ashby and Alexandria Dauley to foster inclusivity in the industry.

Step inside Wow!House 2024

Wow!House 2024 façade by Mamou-Mani Architects

Entrance hall by Benedict Foley and Zoffany

Study by Anahita Rigby

Library by Andrea Benedettini and Chase Erwin

Drawing room by Guy Goodfellow and Tissus d’Hélène

Morning room by Lucy Hammond Giles of Sibyl Colefax and John Fowler and Colefax and Fowler

Kitchen by Studio Vero and Martin Moore

Dining room by Ken Fulk Inc. and the Rug Company

Sitting room by Studio Ashby and United in Design

Primary bedroom by Charlotte Freemantle and Will Fisher of Jamb

Primary bathroom by Michaelis Boyd and House of Rohl

Courtyard bedroom by Veere Grenney Associates and Schumacher

Courtyard by Katharine Pooley and McKinnon and Harris

Bedroom by Tolù Adẹ̀kọ́ and Zimmer and Rohde

Bathroom by Maurizio Leo Placuzzi of Sicis

Legend room by Alidad and Watts 1874

Home bar by OZA Design

Dining space by Suzy Hoodless

Studio by Fosbury Architecture and Dedar

Terrace by Fernando Wong and Summit

Explore More Exclusive Features From AD PRO

The Kitchen Trends Defining Luxury Homes Today— Register Now for the Virtual AD PRO Session

Tour Wow!house , the Marvelous London Decorator Showcase

These Are the Interior Photography Rules Stylists and Photographers Want You to Know

5 Old Decorating Ideas We Wish They’d Bring Back

One Reason Markham Roberts Will Always Turn Down a Client

Why the ‘Granny Flat’ Is the Next Big Home Amenity

Andy Warhol’s East Village Pad Lists, Aman’s Residential Project Unveiled, and More Real Estate News

Sign up for The Source newsletter , our essential read for design professionals

By Adrian Madlener