Where to stay in 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.

In 1980, Shenzhen was a market town on the Hong Kong border with 30,000 people. (Contrary to the quite widespread myth, Shenzhen was not a fishing community.) Then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping designated the city the first of China's Special Economic Zones (SEZs). This was part of the "Reform and Opening Up" policy to revitalize China's economy after its stagnation in the previous decades. The plan was to create a sealed off enclave to experiment with market reforms and performance incentives without posing a threat or risk to the established political and economic system elsewhere in China.

All four areas have a variety of restaurants, numerous hotels, a smattering of museums and art galleries, and huge free parks for hiking or relaxing. Shenzhen's Special Economic Zone originally included only the central districts of Nanshan, Futian, Luohu, and Yantian, but in 2010 it was expanded to include the entire city. These four central districts, located along the border with Hong Kong, remain the urban core of Shenzhen and are home to most of the city's main attractions. This area is still referred to by residents as 关内 guānnèi, "within the border", even though the border controls between these districts and the rest of Shenzhen were removed with the expansion of the SEZ.

Most tourists visit Shenzhen on a day trip from Hong Kong, but there are also plenty of options should you wish to spend the night here. Attractions in Shenzhen are spread out, so if you want to be able to see different parts of the city, look for lodging near a centrally located metro station (ideally in Futian or Luohu). If you're taking a longer trip and want to get out and explore the far-flung corners of the city, you may want to move around and find lodging in different districts—fortunately, there are plenty of hotels all over Shenzhen, so whatever you're interested in, you can surely find a place to sleep nearby.

Getting in

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. This visa gives you enough time to see Shenzhen's most interesting sights, fit in some off-the-beaten-path exploration or a couple of business meetings, and get a taste of what mainland China is like without the hassle of a full visa.

Getting around

Shenzhen is big and spread out, so places can be further apart than they look on a map. When estimating travel time within the city, don't just eyeball it—check a map app to see how long it'll take to get somewhere. Shenzhen Metro (深圳地铁) is the most convenient and easy-to-understand method of transport in Shenzhen. Fares are ¥2-15, depending on how far you're traveling. Trains come every 3 minutes or so and the metro runs until 23:00. Stations are announced in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. There is a relatively high standard of public courtesy on the Shenzhen Metro.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.