Shenzhen Transportation
Shenzhen in Guangdong Province is the closest city to Hong Kong, one of the most modern and developed cities in China. Shenzhen has a modern and convenient transport hub. There are flights, trains, and coaches to major cities in China. Transport to Hong Kong is regular and convenient. Travelers can take a boat or ferry to Hong Kong, or reach Hong Kong by subway, bus, and plane.
Travel to Shenzhen by Plane
Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, about 32 kilometers away from the downtown of Shenzhen, is one of the top four busiest airports in China. It has opened more than 110 domestic air routes and 14 international airlines.
There are domestic airlines to most cities in China such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Sanya, Fuzhou, Nanchang, Guiyang, Guilin, Yibin, etc. The airport has regional airlines to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, and international air routes including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Sabah in Malaysia, Bangkok (the capital of Thailand), Seoul (the capital of South Korea), Tokyo, and Osaka in Japan.
How to Get to the Airport
By Subway
Travelers can take Subway Line 1 to the airport, and get off at Airport East Stop.
By Bus
Passengers can take the No. 330 bus or a bus number beginning with 5 and 6 to the airport. Besides, there are 10 air shuttle bus routes running between the airport and the city center.
The shuttle buses start at 07:30 from Bao’an International Airport to Hualian Mansion, which is close to Shenzhen Railway Station. There is a shuttle bus to Hualian Mansion every 20 minutes from the airport. And the shuttle buses leaving for the airport from the downtown keep running from 06:20 to 21:00 every day. Its interval time is about 15 minutes with a 35-minute journey. We suggest passengers take a shuttle bus to the airport 2 hours in advance.
The airport buses can reach a lot of places in Shenzhen. For example, No.327 can reach Futian Water Park from the airport. No.355 Bus runs between Bao’an International Airport and Shekou. No.602 bus is convenient from the airport to Baocheng District. Travelers can take a K568 bus from the railway station to the airport. The ticket is from 2 to 35 CNY, depending on the distance of your journey.
By Taxi
The taxi fee from Shenzhen Railway Station to the airport is about 100 to 110 CNY, with a 40-kilometer trip. It usually takes about 35 minutes without a traffic jam.
Travelers can take a taxi to the city center in Shenzhen. Usually, the taxi fee is about 130 CNY to the area near the World Trade Mansion or Luohu, including 20 CNY highway tolls.
Shenzhen Bao'an Airport - Hong Kong
By Bus
The bus station in the Airport has high-ranking shuttle buses to Hong Kong Airport, Kowloon, Wan Chai, and Hong Kong Disneyland. The direct buses to Wan Chai and the Mong Kok are from 08:20 to 23:30. The buses to Hong Kong Disneyland begin at 08:20 and end at 11:00 every day. The buses leave for Hong Kong every 20 minutes with a ticket of 110 CNY to 200 CNY. The buses to Shenzhenwan Border, Kowloon Tong, and Taizi Road leave from the airport every 30 minutes from 09:55 to 21:25 every day.
By Ferry
Passengers can also take a ferry to Hong Kong and Macau in Airport Fuyong Dock near the airport. The journey to Hong Kong is about 40 minutes, and it takes about 70 minutes to Macau.
Travel to Shenzhen By Train
There are 4 railway stations in Shenzhen, however, Shenzhen Railway Station and Shenzhen West Railway Station are the main railway stations to offer railway service in Shenzhen.
Shenzhen Railway Station
Shenzhen Railway Station is at the Hong Kong Luo Hu border crossing area. It is an important terminal for tourists or travelers because it is at the main border crossing into Hongkong and hundreds or thousands of non-Chinese cross the Luo Hu border each day. It is well equipped with a frequent hi-speed bullet train to Guangzhou and is the southern terminus of the conventional Guangshen Railway between Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
The eastern terminal of the Shenzhen Metro Line 1 (subway) is conveniently located in the station’s main plaza below ground. On or under this big plaza there is a local bus station, a regional bus station, a taxi station, and the bullet train station.
On the southern side of the plaza in front of the railway station is the big Luohu Immigration Border Crossing building. After passing through the Chinese passport-check building, crossing the bridge into Hong Kong, and going through the Hong Kong passport checkpoint, you walk directly into the Lo Wu Station for the Hong Kong MTR and can go to most towns in Hong Kong. (You have to buy a ticket and board. It isn’t an option to go directly back into China.)
There is also another Shenzhen city bus station and another long-distance bus station just outside the Shenzhen Railway Station southeast of the plaza. All these transportation modes in the easy walking distance make the station convenient for travelers if you know where these facilities are and how to navigate around the area.
How to Get there?
Travelers can take Bus N2, N5, No.7, 12, 17, 25, 101, 102, 205, 106, and 206 to Shenzhen Railway Station.
Guangzhou to Shenzhen Bullet Train
The new CRH bullet trains leave about every 5 minutes during peak hours, and every 10 or 20 minutes at other times. It is one of the heaviest used intercity routes. There are about 120 CRH trains every day from the Guangzhou Railway Station and the Guangzhou East Railway Station. The trains stop at both train stations in Guangzhou.
The trip to Guangzhou takes about an hour or less, and the top speeds are usually a little more than 200 kilometers per hour. The trains may stop quickly in Dong Guan, a city that lies between Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
The CRH train’s ticket office and waiting rooms are on the eastern side of the plaza, between the conventional long-distance train station and the border check-point building. But it is strangely not well marked, and people often complain that it is difficult to find. From the front of the conventional train station, walk about 100 meters or so south along the eastern side of the plaza on the ground level.
The ticket windows are in a small area, and the waiting rooms are adjacent to it. Once you get a ticket (about 75 RMB for a regular ticket or about 80 or 85 for first-class) you can wait in the adjacent waiting rooms. You’ll only need to wait for a few minutes. The ride is quiet and comfortable with soft cushioned seats. A bottle of water is provided.
Shenzhen West Railway Station
Located at the junction of Yueliangwan Street and Xuefu Road, Shenzhen West Railway Station is another important railway station in Shenzhen. Over 20 trains stop at the railway station every day, and there are more temporary trains stopping there during the Spring Festival and other holidays. Trains in Shenzhen West Railway Station mainly leave for the direction of Huaihua, Yueyang, and Xinyang and also can reach Wuchang and Hefei.
How to Get there?
Passengers can take No.20, 31, 36, 229, and 234 Bus to Shenzhen West Railway Station. Travelers in Futian and Luohu areas can take No.229 and 234 to reach the railway station.
Getting around Shenzhen
Shenzhen has a modern city transport net, made up of buses, subways, and taxis. Passengers in Shenzhen can enjoy a fast and convenient transport service downtown.
Public Bus
There are over 200 bus routes running through the whole city. The departure interval for every bus is as short as 5 minutes. Usually, buses in Shenzhen start at 06:30 and end at 22:30. The ticket for a standard bus is from 1 CNY to 7 CNY per person, depending on your journey. The transport fee for an air-conditioned bus is 2 to 10 CNY for an adult. Most buses in Shenzhen are self-service buses. Public buses, whose numbers start with N, extend their service to 2:00 in the morning. 5 tourism buses in Shenzhen are available to all the attritions in the city.
Subway
Shenzhen has 5 subway lines running through the city center. The subway keeps running from 06:30 to 23:00 daily, however, it may extend its work hours to 24:00 during the holiday including New Year, the Spring Festival, May Day, and Chinese National Day.
Ticket: The basic ticket is 2 CNY for the first 6 stations, later its additional fee is 1 CNY for every four stations. Subway Line 1, which is from Luohu Railway Station to The Window of the World, costs 5 CNY totally.
There is a map of the Shenzhen Subway.
Taxi
Visitors can get a taxi at most places except no-parking areas. The taxis are divided into 3 types with green, yellow, and red colors, green taxis can only drive out of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. And Shenzhen boasts its outstanding taxi drivers with good English and rich travel knowledge.
Taxi fee
Within the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone
The basic taxi fee is 10 CNY for the first 2 km, then an additional fee is 2.4 CNY per kilometer from 06:00 to 23:00. You need to pay for 30% empty return fee when the journey is over 25 kilometers. If you want to keep a taxi waiting for you, the fee is 0.8 CNY per kilometer.
Out of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone
Green taxis start at 6 CNY within 1.5 kilometers, then 2.4 CNY and 30% empty return fee for each kilometer between 06:00 and 23:00. Red and yellow taxis have the same charge as the ones in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. The waiting taxi charge is also 0.8 CNY per kilometer.