Local Attractions
Wutong Shan
Wutong Mountain is the highest peak in Shenzhen. It is located in Luohu District at the eastern part of Shenzhen. It takes about 3 hours to hike to the top. There is no other way up or down except walking so be prepared. Refreshments can be purchased there but note that the prices rise as you do. Entry fee: around 50 RMB. Transportation:
Take Metro Line 2 to Huangbeiling Exit C, then bus M445 to Huangbeiling station (around 20 rmb round trip) from Shekou.
Bus M133 transit at Huangbeiling station①, bus M445 at Huangbeiling station① (around 8 rmb roundtrip)
Shenzhen TV Tower with Wu Tong mountain in background, Wu.tong
Fairly Lake Botanical Garden
This is a gorgeous garden full of beautiful scenery, Chinese temples, lakes and an abundance of flora. Not far from Wutong Shan in Luohu, you could easily spend all day here. Tickets are around 50 RMB per person. Transportation:
Bus 80 from Haishang Shijie Nan (Sea World South, located on Wanghai Road) station to Xia Sha①, then take bus M182 to the end.
Bus M133 from Haishang Shijie Di tie zhan (Sea World Metro) station to Xia Sha①, then take bus M182 to the end station.
Hongfa Temple (弘法寺), a Buddhist temple, at Fairy Lake, Huangdan2060
Splendid China
This Cultural Theme Park showcases scenes from all over China with a variety of traditional shows depicting the life of the dozens of Chinese ethnic groups. Tickets are 110 for children, and 220 for adults. Night time only tickets can be purchased for 85rmb. Discounts are available at their website online; however, the purchasing system is only in Chinese. Transportation:
Metro Line 2, to Window of the world Station, then transit to OCT Station at Line 1, Exit D;
Bus 79 from Haishang Shijie Nan (Sea World South, located on Wanghai Road) station to JinXiu ZhongHua①
Miniature Great Wall of China at Splendid China, Dmpendse
Happy Valley
This amusement park has rides, games, magic shows, water parks and more. Unless you love spending hours waiting in crowded lines; however, this very popular Shenzhen attraction should be avoided at all costs during holidays. Admisson is 120 for children over 1.2m, 230 for adults, and free for children under 1.2m. Transportation:
Metro Line 2 to Window of the World Exit A (upon exiting the station, walk to the corner, turn left, and walk up the road about 100 meters and you'll see the entrance on your left).
Bus 79 from Haishang Shijie Nan (Sea World South, located on Wanghai Road) station to Shijie Zhi Chuang (Window of the World) ①.
Happy Valley, 古海岸遺址
Window of the World
This theme park is a relic of when most people in China couldn't travel the world. It's a great place to see all the world's most famous places in one afternoon. There aren't many lines to wait in other than purchasing the initial entry ticket (unless you want to buy food or take their elevated tram for an interested birds-eye view of the area; however, it will surely be crowded this holiday. Tickets are 110 for children, and 210 for adults. They also have a snow & ice section you can enter and play in at 80rmb for two hours.
Metro Line 2 to Window of the World Exit K;
Bus 79 from Haishang Shijie Nan (Sea World South, located on Wanghai Road) station to Shijie Zhi Chuang (Window of the World) ①.
Entrance of Window of the World, Arman Aziz
Strolling Down Shenzhen's Coastal Promenade
This is one of my family's favorite things to do in Shenzhen. Stretching over 15 kilometers along the coast of Shenzhen Bay, this promenade has plenty of great views, fun areas for kids to play, and relaxing places to plop down to enjoy a picnic or simply take a rest. Admission is free; however, please note that although this is also a great place to ride a bike, they are not allowed on weekends or holidays. Click here for more info.
Shenzhen Binhai Promenade, Shenzhen Bay, China Merchants
LIVE MUSIC THROUGHOUT THE HOLIDAY AT TERRACE
Enjoy live music by TAS nightly from 10pm, plus, as a holiday bonus, get 2 bottles of Beefeater Gin for just 888rmb!
Day Trips
Da Fen Oil Painting Village
Have you ever wanted to have your favorite photo preserved as a large oil painting? If so, this is the place to go. See art and local artists, or get a painting made at this local attraction. There's also an art museum there and plenty of places to eat and relax.
Metro Line 2, Window of the World transit to Line1, at Lao Jie station transit to Line3 and get off at Da Fen Exit A1;
Bus 80 from Haishang Shijie Nan (Sea World South, located on Wanghai Road) station to Xiasha, transit M417 and get off at Dafen Youhua Cun.
Studio in Dafen oil painters villiage 2006, Swoolverton
DaPeng Fortress
This 600-year-old ancient walled village in Longgang is one of Shenzhen's gems in terms of historic relics. It's about 55 km from the center of Shenzhen. Unfortunately, it's not very convenient or easy to get to. There are many bus apps that can help find public transportation; otherwise, I recommend hiring a car, and possibly merging this with a trip out to the beach. Buses B756, M471, and E11 stop at Dapeng Fortress Station (大鵬所城站). All require at least 4 transfers. 8684.cn can help.
The south gate of DaPeng Fortress, Helanhuaren
Shenzhen Beaches
Although you can get to these beaches by bus, I recommend hiring a car. Dameisha is the most popular among Chinese so expect it to be crowded. The Sheraton is a great hotel right on the beach there; however, there are plenty of other smaller and cheaper ones nearby if you want to stay overnight. Xiaomeisha is just a little further than Dameisha and a bit less crowded; however, my personal recommendation is Xi Chong. The beaches are less crowded, and the views more beautiful. NOTE: There's an entry fee of 10rmb per person at Xi Chong. There are also Chinese restaurants and BBQ pits there as well as small hotels and tent rentals for overnight camping. TIP: Once you turn into the main beach road, it may be faster to walk (about 1km) then drive as traffic on that 2-lane road (the only way in or out of the beach) can ge horrific at times.
1 to 2 Day Trips
Kaiping & Dialou Villages
These unique villages, with their multi-story watchtowers from the 17th century have been designated UNESCO Heritage sites. They're not far from Shenzhen so visiting them in a day should easily be possible; even during this holiday. Transportation: Buses available from Luohu, Bao'an and Futian bus stations to Kaiping. Then bus NO. 6 to 赤坎古鎮(chì kǎn gǔ zhèn).
Dialou in Kaiping, Pacual 1er
Huizhou/ Silver Beach
Although this is a lot farther in terms of physical distance, Huizhou beaches are often faster to get to than other Shenzhen beaches due to the transportation options. Silver Beach is a very popular big and quiet beach among expats. Transportation:
Shuangyue Bay, Huizhou, 惠州軌道交通
Shunde
Shunde is famous among Chinese people for having very delicious traditional foods. if you're a foodie and interested in trying some local delicacies, then try Shunde. The most famous and traditional sightseeing spot in Shunde is Qinghui Garden (清暉園). Transportation: High Speed Train, or bus from Nanshan bus station to ShunDe Da Liang bus station, then a 15 min bus to Qinghui Garden.
East gate of Qing Hui Yuan, Zhaofeng Li
Guilin/Yangshuo
Guilin and Yangshuo are extremely popular places for both Chinese and foreign tourists so there's no way we would keep them off this list. There is a lot of information available about them online and tickets to get there are easy to get. Don't forget to try their rice noodles and beer fish!
Aerial view of Yangshuo from across the Li River, Chensiyuan
Qingyuan
This is a popular destination for teambuilding activities, retreats, and quick getaways for its beautiful scenery, magnificent lakes, ethnic cultural performances, rafting and hotsprings. Transportation:
SZ North: take G822，G1032，G1012，to Qingyuan (60 mins) (200 for round trip)
Luohu and Yinhu Futian Bus Station to Qingyuan
Included with rafting (see below)
If you book a rafting trip here using C-Trip, you can get transportation from Shenzhen included (along with insurance) for somewhere between 200-360 per person.
Rafting in Lianzhou Underground River, of Qingyuan, China Daily