Houhai skyline and China Resources Tower reflected in Shenzhen Bay at sunset

Shenzhen Travel: Your First 24 Hours

Shenzhen is the city right across the border from Hong Kong, and most Shenzhen travel problems hit on day one: payment, apps, the border crossing, VPN. One checklist sorts them before you land.

Visiting in November 2026? APEC leaders meet in Shenzhen on November 18-19. What changes for visitors

Border queues Full report⁠

Check if you need a visa

Check this before you assume 240-hour transit or visa-free entry covers your passport.

Check the border queue now

Luohu, Futian or Shenzhen Bay: see which port is moving before you leave Hong Kong.

Shenzhen weather now

28°C82°F

Clear

Today26° / 24°78° / 75°F 0.0 mm
Mon30° / 22°86° / 72°F 0.0 mm
Tue31° / 22°87° / 72°F 0.4 mm

Measured 08:00 PM at Shenzhen Bao'an Airport · Shenzhen time · Forecast high / low · rain. Today: remaining hours. · Now: NOAA Aviation Weather Center · Forecast: MET Norway

Shenzhen travel guides for your first week

All guides⁠

Alipay and WeChat Pay QR code signs on a fruit market stall in Shenzhen

How to Pay in China 2026: Alipay for Foreigners, Not Cards

How to pay in China as a visitor: set up Alipay for foreigners before you fly, know when the 3% card fee applies, and keep WeChat Pay and cash as backup.

Travelers walking through Futian Port health quarantine and border signage

Hong Kong to Shenzhen 2026: Pick Your Border Crossing

Hong Kong to Shenzhen by MTR or high-speed train: compare every border crossing, its hours and queues, the Hong Kong airport route and the trip back home.

Shenzhen Metro pay gates at Houhai Station

Shenzhen Metro 2026: How to Get Around With Alipay and Didi

How to get around Shenzhen: tap into the Shenzhen metro with Alipay for 2-11 RMB, ride Line 11 in from the airport, and book a Didi where the trains stop.

Palm-lined Sea World plaza in Shekou with the Minghua ship and evening crowds

Where to Stay in Shenzhen 2026: Best Area by Trip Type

The best place to stay in Shenzhen by trip: Futian first, Luohu for the Lo Wu border, Nanshan for tech, Shekou for expats, plus hotels that accept foreigners.

Plates of fresh-cut Chaoshan beef ready for hotpot at a Shenzhen restaurant

Shenzhen Food 2026: What to Eat and Order With Zero Chinese

Food in Shenzhen, sorted: what to eat in Shenzhen first (dim sum, beef hotpot, roast goose), how QR menus work, and how to flag allergies and get delivery.

Looking down the atrium of a Huaqiangbei electronics market, floor after floor of shop signs and stalls

Huaqiangbei Shenzhen, China: Electronics Market by Building

Huaqiangbei is the Shenzhen electronics market: start at SEG, browse Huaqiang Electronic World, bargain on the upper floors, and test everything before paying.

Who writes this

I have lived in Shenzhen for six years. Before that, I lived in the US.

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