Resources
China & Shenzhen Travel Resources
China travel resources for foreigners heading to China and Shenzhen: apps, maps, free tools, official sources and communities. Most of them work nationwide, not just in Shenzhen. No fluff, no dead links, updated monthly.
Decision tools
Built for Shenzhen visitors. Free tools we built because nothing like them existed in English.
Alipay Scan Fix Checker
QR code failed at the till? Pick the error and get the first fix before the queue behind you gets awkward.
Counter fixChina Visa Checker
Pick your nationality and see straight away whether 240-hour transit or 30-day visa-free entry covers you. 48 countries.
Free toolLive Border Wait Times
Wait times at all 6 HK–Shenzhen crossings, from Hong Kong Security Bureau data. Updates every 15 minutes.
Live dataBorder Crossing Picker
Tell us where you're starting and where you're heading — we'll tell you which crossing to use, and why.
Free toolPlan my trip with a local
Dates in, plan out: hotels with the reasoning, food near each stop, your arrival setup in order. Trip plan US$149, business days from US$299.
Paid service
Essential apps
Install these before you cross the border. Download them while you still have normal internet. They work all over China, not just in Shenzhen.
Alipay (支付宝) (opens in a new tab)
Critical. The payment app. Nothing works without it — metro, taxis, street food, convenience stores. Set it up with a foreign card before you arrive.
WeChat (微信) (opens in a new tab)
Critical. Messaging, payments, mini-programs. Your hotel, your taxi driver and the restaurant will all talk to you on WeChat.
Amap / Gaode (高德地图) (opens in a new tab)
Navigation. The only map app that works properly in China. Google Maps is blocked and Apple Maps is unreliable for transit. Amap does buses, metro, walking and taxis.
Didi (滴滴出行) (opens in a new tab)
Transport. China's Uber. Has an English interface. Needs Alipay or WeChat Pay linked.
Shenzhen Metro app (深圳地铁) (opens in a new tab)
Transport. QR code entry for the metro. No more single-journey tickets — scan your phone at the gate.
Pleco (opens in a new tab)
Translation. The best Chinese dictionary app. Its OCR camera translates signs and menus on the spot. The free version is plenty.
Maps & navigation
Getting around without getting lost. Google Maps doesn't work well in China. These do.
Amap (高德地图) (opens in a new tab)
Best for most. The default pick. Accurate Chinese addresses, live bus and metro tracking, walking directions that don't make things up.
Baidu Maps (百度地图) (opens in a new tab)
Alternative. The alternative to Amap. Better indoor maps for malls and airports. Chinese-only interface, but excellent data.
Apple Maps (opens in a new tab)
Backup only. Works behind the firewall, but transit data in Shenzhen is patchy. Fine for walking, less reliable for buses.
Internet & VPN
Staying connected behind the Great Firewall. China blocks Google, WhatsApp, Instagram and most Western apps. You need a VPN and a data plan — and that goes for all of mainland China.
Official sources
Government and official sources. For China visa policy, border hours and immigration updates, go to the source.
National Immigration Administration (NIA) (opens in a new tab)
Visa policy. Official visa policies, transit visa rules and entry requirements. The final word on China entry rules.
HK Immigration — Control Point Queues (opens in a new tab)
Border data. Official queue bands for each control point. Our live border wait times fall back to this feed when the Security Bureau feed is down.
Shenzhen Government English Portal (opens in a new tab)
Official. The city government's official site. A cross-border services guide, policy announcements and services for foreigners.
EyeShenzhen (opens in a new tab)
Official. Government-backed multilingual site with news, events and practical guides for foreigners in Shenzhen.
Communities
Ask real people who've been through it. When a guide isn't enough, these places have people who can help.
r/shenzhen (opens in a new tab)
Reddit. Reddit community for people living in and visiting Shenzhen. Good for specific, current local questions.
r/travelchina (opens in a new tab)
Reddit. The wider China travel community. Useful for visa questions, itinerary advice and first-timer prep.
NowShenzhen (opens in a new tab)
Community. The longest-running English-language Shenzhen community (since 2001). Events, jobs, flats and local Q&A.
HeyShenzhen (opens in a new tab)
Expat guide. Practical relocation guides and an active Discord for expats settling into Shenzhen.
Dolphin Union — Shenzhen Travel Guide (opens in a new tab)
Travel guide. City guide for foreign visitors: attractions, transport and practical tips for a first trip to Shenzhen.
Dolphin Union — High-Tech Experiences (opens in a new tab)
Tech guide. Seven hands-on tech experiences in Shenzhen you can try without Chinese, aimed at business and tech travelers.
Zouzou — Shenzhen city guide (opens in a new tab)
Travel guide. Multilingual China travel guide with a dedicated Shenzhen city page: neighborhoods, practical tips and itinerary ideas for foreign visitors.
Booking & transport
Book trains, flights and hotels. These work for foreigners anywhere in China and take international payment methods.
Trip.com (opens in a new tab)
Recommended. Shenzhen hotels, including China-domestic stock that Booking.com misses. The same app books trains and flights — English interface, takes foreign cards.
12306 (Train tickets) (opens in a new tab)
Official. China's official railway booking. It now has an English interface and accepts foreign passports. Book high-speed trains to Guangzhou, Hong Kong or anywhere in China.
Booking.com (opens in a new tab)
Hotels. Fine for international-chain hotels in Shenzhen. Thin on local hotels — use Trip.com for those.
For bloggers and site owners
Put the useful bit on your own site. Add a live Shenzhen border queue widget to your travel blog or resource page. If your page is about entry rules, grab the China visa checker embed instead. Neither needs an API key.
<iframe
src="https://www.shenzhendecoded.com/embed/border-status"
width="100%" height="280" frameborder="0"
title="Live Shenzhen Border Wait Times"
></iframe>Data from the Hong Kong Security Bureau. Updates every 15 minutes. Free to use with attribution.
Share it before they land
The checklist I send to friends before Shenzhen. It puts Alipay, VPN, eSIM, which border to cross and hotel registration in the order that heads off the silliest first-day problems.
Open the China travel checklist