Transportation in Shenzhen,Shenzhen Travel,Shenzhen Travel Guide, Shenzhen Adventure Guide, China Travel Guide

Shenzhen enjoys convenient transport routes with good air, rail and road links to most major Chinese cities. Hong Kong is also very accessible and less than a one-hour train trip.

Shenzhen's airport is rapidly becoming one of China's busiest airports. Flights to most major destinations around China are scheduled, but it's cheaper to fly from Guangzhou. You can purchase air tickets from most of the larger hotels and various agencies.

76 domestic flight routes and 5 international routes operate in and out of Shenzhen International Airport (telephone 86-755-27772000) which is one of China's busiest airports. There are daily flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and many other destinations throughout China although it is often cheaper to fly to Guangzhou. International flights go to Singapore, Bangkok and Jakarta and various other destinations. Tickets can be bought from most of the major hotels. The air ticket office for CAAC is on Shennan Rd and the office for China Eastern is on West Hongli Rd.

The airport is located 32 km west of the city and a shuttle bus operates between here and East Shennan Rd in the city centre. Shenzhen taxi drivers are notorious for trying to rip their passengers off so make sure your driver uses the meter!

To/From the Airport: Shenzhen's airport is just 36 km west of the city, past Shekou. Airport buses leave from the Hualian Dasha building on Shennan Zhonglu. The trip takes approximately 40 minutes. Bus No. 101 goes to the Hualian Dasha building from the train station. A taxi to the airport will cost about Y130.

The Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) offers the fastest and most convenient transport from Hong Kong to Shenzhen. There are also frequent local trains and high-speed trains between Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Shenzhen lies at the intersection of the rail routes between Beijing-Kowloon, Beijing-Guangzhou and Guangzhou-Kowloon and trains to Guangzhou operate frequently. The queues at the station are very long, and it is best to get your ticket through a hotel if possible. The rail line (the KCR) to Hong Kong is also extremely convenient. The train station is right on the Hong Kong Border on Jianshe Rd. It’s a massive and sprawling place so make sure you follow the signs (in English) correctly to reach your required platform.

Citybus, the Motor Transport Company of Guangdong & Hong Kong and CTS run services from Hong Kong to Shenzhen. They depart from the Landmark Hotel four times a day and terminate at China Hong Kong City in Kowloon. Shenzhen is one of the best places to head to other destinations in Guangdong or Fujian due to its comprehensive and efficient long-distance bus system. Or else, try economy buses and minibuses to various destinations - they are slightly cheaper!

An expressway runs through Shenzhen to Guangzhou and also to Shantou in the west. There are buses connecting Shenzhen with Guangzhou regularly and the trip takes about two hours. There are also long distance buses to Shantou and Chaouzhou. The long distance bus station is next to the train station and the bus station for Guangzhou is to the east of the railway station. The bus trip from Shenzhen to Hong Kong takes about 1 1/2 hours and buses leave throughout the day (telephone 82321670). These buses leave from next to the Shangri-la Hotel.

Scheduled buses from major cities to Shenzhen. Lo Wu Bus Station (to Dongguan, Guangzhou, Fujian, Shantou) phone: 86-755-8231670; Nanshan Bus Station (to different cities in Guangdong) phone: 86-755-26666978; Shekou Bus Station (to Guangzhou, Hunan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi) phone: 86-755-26693270.

By boat

13-jet-cat depart daily between Shekou and Hong Kong. Four of these go to the China Hong Kong City ferry terminal in Kowloon while the rest go to the Macau ferry terminal on Hong Kong Island, the trip takes only an hour. There are eight departures daily to the China Hong Kong City ferry terminal from the Shenzhen Fuyong ferry terminal at the airport which takes an hour and 10 minutes. There is also one jet-cat departure daily from Shekou at 11 a.m. to Macau at noon. Ferries leave every 15 minute for Zhuhai from Shekou, taking one hour. Apart from that, boat to Haikou from Shekaou, taking 18 hours are also available.

There are regular scheduled passenger liners from Shenzhen to Zhuhai, Guangzhou, Haikou, Macau, Hong Kong and Kowloon. The Shekou port (86-755-26695601-domestic, 86-755- 26691213-Hong Kong and Macau) can be reached by bus from the railway station, but we recommend taxi, and there is also a regular bus from the airport to Shekou.

City transport
Shenzhen's urban transportation consists of buses, mini-buses, taxis and luxurious double-decker sightseeing buses. The bus routes are generally very good and there are numerous taxis available. Insist your driver uses the meter however, as Shenzhen drivers are famous for ripping off their passengers!

Bus
The city bus services are cheap and not very crowded as elsewhere. From the large terminus on the north side of the Luohu Commercial City, bus Nos. 12 and 101 from the train station pass by Lychee Park. Bus No. 204 to Shekou also leaves from a station just north of the intersection of Jianshe Lu and Jiabin Lu. It takes about 15 minutes, depending on traffic.