About Shenzhen

Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China’s Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The area became China’s first — and one of the most successful — Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Shenzhen has a population of approximately 15 million and it's in one of the most concentrated areas in the world, the Pearl River Delta Mega City.

Shenzhen is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. While before being only a small village, Shenzhen’s modern cityscape is the result of more than $30 billion in foreign investment from foreign-owned and joint ventures. It currently has 26 buildings at over 200 meters tall, including the Kingkey 100 (the 9th tallest building in the world).

Being southern mainland China’s major financial center, Shenzhen is home to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange as well as the headquarters of numerous high-tech companies. Shenzhen is also one of the busiest container ports in the world. In 2007, Shenzhen was named one of China’s top ten most livable cities, with many parks and gardens available.

Traveling to Shenzhen

Visas
In most cases, a visa should be obtained from a Chinese embassy or consulate before arriving anywhere in mainland China. Many travel agencies will assist you with the application and some can submit it on your behalf. Plan on applying for a visa a month before your trip; if needed, there are services available to expedite the process and shorten the wait time.

Certain nationalities arriving from Hong Kong can obtain a single-entry five-day Special Economic Zone Tourism Visa on arrival. Getting a tourist visa in Hong Kong takes from 1 to 3 days and costs HK$150-1,100. Please check if this option is available to you, before arriving in Hong Kong.

By Air
Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX) has domestic and limited international flights. For convenience, travelers may wish to fly internationally to a major Chinese city (such as Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, etc.) and then take a domestic flight (Air China, China Southern, China Eastern, etc.) onwards to Shenzhen. Alternatively, one can travel to Hong Kong and then take local transportation to Shenzhen (keeping in mind the need for a visa for mainland China).

Transportation from Hong Kong International Airport to Shenzhen

Ferry
There is ferry service from Hong Kong airport to Shenzhen (check at the information desk for schedules). Using the ferry to get from HKIA to Shenzhen is cheaper, easier, and faster than going into Hong Kong Central or Kowloon.

Private Limousine or Van Service
There are a number of companies that operate luxury vans from HKIA to destinations in Shenzhen and Shenzhen Airport. They typically involve crossing via the Shenzhen Bay Bridge Customs Point. Passengers are often not even required to leave the vehicle at the border post, with the driver handling all the passports and details. Costs can be from HK$200 upwards. All in all, it takes about 2 hours. When using the van service from Shenzhen to HKIA, book it at your hotel - the price is usually CNY200.

Traveling within Shenzhen

By Metro
The Shenzhen Metro is the most convenient and easy to understand method of transport around the Shenzhen city area. Fares are ¥2-9. Trains come every 3 minutes or so and the metro runs until 11PM. The Shenzhen Metro currently has 5 lines, 137 stations, and 178.44 km (110.87 miles) of total track in operation.

Metro line 1 connects the airport to downtown Shenzhen in 50 minutes, (¥5.7). If you arrive on a domestic flight into the domestic flight terminal, follow the signs for buses and take bus M416 (¥2). This bus will bring you to Hourui station on Line 1. The bus takes around 10 minutes and departs frequently from outside the terminal building.

By Taxi
It is recommended that you only take taxis from official taxi queues or from your hotel. Taxi meters start at ¥10.00 for the first 2 kilometers, then ¥0.60 for each 250 meters. Late night costs slightly higher. There is a ¥3.00 fuel surcharge added to all fares. Taxis are well regulated and managed in Shenzhen.

Unlike in neighboring Hong Kong, it is rare to find any drivers who speak English, so be sure to have the names and addresses of your destinations written in Chinese to show your taxi driver. There is a fleet of 800 electric taxis in service. These taxi are blue (normal taxis are red) and there is no fuel surcharge for these taxis.

References and Recommended Reading
Travel & Tourist Information
http://wikitravel.org/en/Shenzhen

Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhen_Bao%27an_International_Airport

Shenzhen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhen

Shenzhen Metro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhen_Metro