There are various ways to travel to Shenzhen Airport from the Netherlands. In the past I frequently flew from Amsterdam to Hong Kong and then took a taxi or bus to Shenzhen. I also flew to Guangzhou and then took a bus or train to Shenzhen. Nowadays however there are also many (in)direct flights to Shenzhen for reasonable prices.
Cheapest option to fly to Shenzhen is usually via Brussels.
Amsterdam (AMS) – Shenzhen
There are no direct flights from Amsterdam to Shenzhen, you usually transfer in Beijing (Daxing), Frankfurt or Munich (Germany), Shanghai Pudong
Airline operationg from Amsterdam to Shenzhen:
- China Southern
- KLM (with China Eastern)
- Emirates (transfer Dubai, never tried this)
- Lufthansa (with Air China)
Tips:
- check prices for Brussels – Shenzhen, this is usually cheaper, even when you have to add an international trainticket, but of course you add several hours to get to Brussels by train
- also search for flights from Amsterdam to Guangzhou and Amsterdam to Hong Kong. Especially to Hong Kong there are usually many options (direct flights with KLM or Cathay Pacific for example)
Brussels (BRU) – Shenzhen
There are daily cheap flights from Brussels Airport – Zaventem (BRU) to Shenzhen. Going to Brussels Airport is most convenient by train. For the Netherlands buy ticket via https://www.nsinternational.com/
There are direct flights which take roughly 12h, but there are also good options with one transfer in Beijing, Chengdu (Tianfu Airport), Chongqing or the Middle East (we never tried this).
Airlines operating from Brussels to Shenzhen (flying over Russia):
- Air China
- Hainan Airlines
Tips:
- if you buy an NSinternational trainticket, it might be useful to pay a little extra for a flexible ticket (+12 euro or so) on the way back, so you can board any train to the Netherlands, instead of waiting for a specific train.
Frankfurt – Shenzhen
There are direct flights to Shenzhen from Frankfurt on certain days (with Air China), otherwise you need to transfer at Beijing or Shanghai.
Airlines operating from Frankfurt to Shenzhen:
- Air China
- China Southern
- Lufthansa (with Air China)
Generic advice
- if you have a transfer in China, choose around 3 hours to be very safe (you might need to get your luggage and check in again)
- if you transfer in Beijing, you might want to visit the city as well. You can plan a multi-city trip and spend a few days in Beijing, or when you have a layover of at least 8 hours and you fly via Beijing Capital International Airport (NOT Beijing Daxing International Airport), you can also visit the city center easily. Capital airport is much closer to the city (25km), Daxing needs more traveltime (55km).
- similar if you transfer in Shanghai, it is a nice opportunity to visit the city shortly if you have 8+h transfer time
Photos Beijing Capital Airport
Photos Chengdu Tianfu Airport
