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Buy

thumb|right|A typical electronics market in Shenzhen.

Shenzhen is internationally best known as the epicentre of electronics. The city and surrounding urbanization are home to countless circuit board manufacturers, assembly houses, retailers, and supporting businesses. Many of them will happily give you a tour on request! You can't say you have visited Shenzhen without having strolled through its electronics markets, and filled your backpack with LED strips!

Most of the shopping is downtown: cheap markets for day-trippers from across the border, luxurious malls for the city's nouveau-riche, and the famous electronics markets.

As befitting China's main tech hub, mobile payment apps WeChat Pay and Alipay are the most popular forms of payment. It is increasingly inconvenient to pay in cash, and some shops may not have change should you decide to do so. Credit cards are not popular among the Chinese and are quickly fading into obscurity, though as of 2024, both WeChat Pay and Alipay can be linked to foreign credit and debit cards, albeit with transaction limits. Contact your bank before travel to ensure that your card will work in China.

At places in Luohu, cash or AliPay/WeChat are highly recommended. Some places charge an extra 10% for credit card purchases. The shop assistants will bring you to shops that have credit card processing machines. At shopping centers, remember to check with the cashiers to see if they accept credit cards before making purchases. There are few s…

Eat

thumb|Màocài, a tingly-spicy Sichuan dish, at a restaurant in Shenzhen thumb|Vegetarian food at the [[Shenzhen/West|Fenghuang Mountain temple]] Because Shenzhen is a migrant city, all of China's regional cuisines are represented here, with Guangdong, Hunan, and Sichuan food particularly common. Restaurants range from hole-in-the-wall establishments for homesick working class arrivals to opulent food palaces for businessmen and politicians entertaining clients. Spending ¥100 on a fantastic meal is no problem (though, you can spend ¥40 or less on a fantastic meal in Shenzhen). Treat yourself, and enjoy the wonderful food and variety of Shenzhen!

Some outer neighborhoods in Shenzhen are known for a local specialty. Probably the most famous are oysters ( shēngháo) in Shajing in the far northwest of the city (Bao'an district)—they're said to be the "milk of the ocean floor", and the local ones are delicious and high in protein.

International chains such as McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Starbucks are easy to find, especially in malls and Eat Streets (see below), and expensive foreign restaurants catering to expats are scattered throughout the city too. The biggest concentration by far is in Shekou.

As well as casual restaurants and fine dining, Shenzhen is famous for its "Eat Streets". These are agglomerations of cheap and cheerful restaurants serving food from all over China. Despite the name, they're not limited to a single street; they may be spread over a small area of str…

Drink

If you want to drink beer, Tsing Tao is a popular Chinese beer, or try Shenzhen's own Kingway Beer (), brewed in two locations in Shenzhen and available in any convenience store, bar, or restaurant. In stores such as a.best, Carrefour or Wal-Mart it will cost ¥3.50 per can, or ¥3.80 for a large bottle (you will need a bottle opener). 7-Eleven sells Kingway for ¥9, and local restaurants about ¥12-35. Bars typically charge slightly more than restaurants.

Most of the nightlife is in Futian, Luohu, and Nanshan.

Sleep

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.

Since 2024, all licensed hotels in China outside restricted areas by law must accept foreigners. However, some budget hotels may turn you away because their staff are not familiar with the registration process, or simply do not want to go through the trouble. You can try your luck by showing front desk staff the official notice in Chinese. More expensive hotels shouldn't be a problem, and they're present in both central locations and out-of-the-way districts to serve business travellers.

At Chinese New Year (usually February), prices usually double or substantially increase. Unlike other cities, however, the explosive development of hotels in Shenzhen means rooms, while more expensive, will generally still be available even at the busiest times.

Stay safe

Despite its sensationalized reputation among Hong Kong residents for being crime-ridden during the 2000s, Shenzhen's crime rate compares favorably with those of American and European cities of similar size. Violent crime is rare, and it is generally safe for women to walk down the street alone at night. Nevertheless, as always, a little common sense goes a long way.

The main crimes tourists are likely to encounter are scams and petty thefts. Pickpocketing is not as common as it used to be because the popularity of mobile payments means that many locals do not carry cash on them, but be careful in crowded shopping centres, subway trains, buses, stations and around the theme parks - keep your wallet in your front pocket.

Being scammed is not as common as in Beijing or Shanghai but be alert for people touting for business (massage, watches, shoes etc.) around the Luohu area, as they sell below-standard fakes at inflated prices. The 'touts' in Luohu bus station are not necessarily touts — there is no ticket office so they are simply there to direct you to your bus and don't require any payment — you should buy your ticket on the bus.

You will encounter beggars but they are confined to a few places. Notable among these places are border crossings, underpasses, Shekou and Christian churches. Ordinary Chinese rarely give beggars money so they concentrate in places where the punters are either ignorant or have just heard a sermon. They are not aggressive and are mostly harmless; j…

Go next

The other cities of the Pearl River Delta are easy to get to from Shenzhen. All have maintained their traditional cultures and dialects to an extent that Shenzhen has not. Dongguan, Hong Kong, and Huizhou are the closest.

Guangzhou – the provincial capital, and third largest city in China. Like Shenzhen, it's a huge city of global importance, but it's not a boom town by any means; it's been a major international commerce hub for centuries. It lacks Shenzhen's frenetic energy and dynamism but has a lot more history and a more established culture and community. It's about an hour away by train or two hours by road. Hong Kong – "Asia's World City", the former British colony with a unique mix of cultures whose prosperity and international connections made Shenzhen what it is today. It's just across the border, with a travel time of less than an hour by train. If you want to claim a VAT refund after shopping in the mainland, only Wenjindu Control Point will process them. Alternatively, you can also claim the refund if you take the ferry from Shekou to Hong Kong Island. Macau – the former Portuguese colony on the other side of the Delta, famous as a gambling destination but also boasting interesting architecture and history. It can be reached by ferry from Shekou and Fuyong (Shenzhen Airport), or by helicopter from Shenzhen Airport. If you want to claim a VAT refund after visiting shopping in mainland China, only Shekou Ferry Terminal and Shenzhen Airport will process them. Donggu…