Shenzhen Airport is a very modern airport, located in Bao’an district in the West of Shenzhen. You can easily transfer to the Shenzhen Metro (line 11) to reach the city center. It is one of the three major airports in the Pearl River Delta region (besides Hong Kong and Guangzhou).
The metro is the cheapest and convenient way to get to/from the airport. Pay attention to the metro-operating hours (roughly 05:50 in the morning to 00:00 midnight). A metro ticket to the center costs around 10RMB. The ticket is bought when you enter the subway station.
When we took the metro in december 2025, our bags were NOT scanned at the metro station after leaving the airport.
Shenzhen taxi’s can drop you off right in front of the airport (map):
Within the airport you will also find a foodcourt with several restaurants:
Important tips:
- You cannot bring normal powerbanks (for your phone, tablet) on domestic flights anymore within China. Your powerbank must have the “CCC” certification, which is new from 2025. If you bring a powerbank without this certification, they will confiscate it when checking your bags at security. You get the option to mail it somewhere, but that is probably not convenient for most foreign travellers.
- Read flight from the Netherlands to Shenzhen to learn more about flying cheap and fast to Shenzhen
External links:
- https://www.szairport.com/szairporten/index.shtml
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhen_Bao%27an_International_Airport
Getting to and from the airport
Metro is the easiest option. Line 11 (the express line, with a dedicated first-class carriage) runs from the airport into Futian and on to Bao’an; Line 20 also serves the terminal for the convention centre area. Allow 30–55 minutes to the central districts and about 10 RMB. A taxi or Didi to the centre is roughly 100–150 RMB and takes 40–60 minutes depending on traffic.
To Hong Kong there is a ferry (SkyPier-style service) from a dock at the airport directly to Hong Kong International Airport and Kowloon, plus frequent cross-border coaches – convenient if you are connecting and want to skip the land border queues.
Good to know
- Terminal 3 is a single vast building (the ‘manta ray’, designed by Studio Fuksas); international and domestic gates are in the same terminal but different piers – leave extra time for transfers.
- If you enter visa-free or on a transit exemption, follow signs to the dedicated immigration counters and fill in the arrival card first.
- Pick up a SIM or set up an eSIM, and make sure Alipay or WeChat Pay works, before you leave the terminal – almost nothing takes cash.
- Shenzhen is one of three big airports in the Pearl River Delta (with Hong Kong and Guangzhou); fares to secondary Chinese cities are often cheaper from here than from Hong Kong.