Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong, China.
A special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong, bordering Hong Kong to the south, Dongguan to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, and Macau to the southwest. With a population of 18.2 million in 2025, Shenzhen is the third-most-populous city by urban population in China after Shanghai and Beijing. The Port of Shenzhen is the world's fourth-busiest container port. Shenzhen has established itself as a premier global metropolis with a GDP that has surpassed Hong Kong and Singapore in recent years.
Getting to Shenzhen
See the China page for more general information for entering mainland China. If you are travelling from Hong Kong or Macau and want to take a short trip to Shenzhen, you may not need a full mainland China visa. You can apply instead for a five-day Special Economic Zone Tourism Visa On Arrival (SEZ VOA) at the border.
- 01Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport
Serves many domestic locations, as well a growing number of international destinations.
- 02Sha Tau Kok/Shatoujiao
- 03Heung Yuen Wai/Liantang
- 04Man Kam To/Wenjindu
Worth seeing
People, even long time Shenzhen residents, will confidently tell you that "Shenzhen has no history". However, there is a surprising number of historic sites, some of great national significance, dating back to the twelfth century.
Things to do
Shenzhen has many theme parks, which are popular with Chinese tourists, many of whom go to Shenzhen mainly for these. Reactions of Western visitors vary widely, from enjoying them immensely to finding them amazingly tacky. Most of these are operated by Overseas Chinese Town (OCT, 华侨城, Huáqiáochéng), and you can get discounts to the parks using the Smart OCT (花橙旅游) website or app (only in Chinese).
Where to eat
Because Shenzhen is a migrant city, all of China's regional cuisines are represented here, with Guangdong, Hunan, and Sichuan food particularly common. Restaurants range from hole-in-the-wall establishments for homesick working class arrivals to opulent food palaces for businessmen and politicians entertaining clients.
Getting around Shenzhen the local way
- Get inThis visa is available at some land entry points from Hong Kong such as Lo Wu/Luohu and Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang (which is not Lok Ma Chau Spur Line/Futian where the MTR East Rail Line terminates, you get there with shuttle bus (HK$10) from Lok Ma Chau (San Tin) terminus, the same shuttle will then take you across no man's land to Shenzhen after HK border check, so keep the ticket), Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (only for passengers arriving from Macau by helicopter) and the Shekou ferry terminal.
- Get inVisa-on-arrival is only available for those arriving on the helicopter service from Macau.
- Get inFerry from the airport ferry terminal (Fuyong Ferry Terminal) to Hong Kong, Macau, Zhongshan, or Zhuhai.
- Get inA free shuttle bus connects the ferry terminal to the airport itself.
- Get inFuyong is also served by a direct ferry service to Hong Kong International Airport which allows you to skip Hong Kong immigration, making this a convenient option if you need to connect between flights at the two airports.
- Get inThere is a helicopter service from the Terminal Marítimo in Macau, though it is very expensive.
- Get inFerry - There is a ferry service from Hong Kong airport to Shenzhen (Shekou Ferry Terminal and Shenzhen Airport Fuyong Terminal) without going through Hong Kong immigration or customs or the city.
- Get inThere is a booth before you get to immigration and you purchase your ticket and ask them to get your luggage transferred and then you go by bus to the ferry and then straight to mainland China.
From Wikivoyage: Shenzhen, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-08.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.