Shenzhen runs genuinely free guided tours for international arrivals: one with no minimum stay at all, one for layovers over six hours. Both are real; both have tiny capacity. Here are the routes, the sign-up steps, and the official pages.
Everything here is free and guided, with multilingual commentary. The maps below show the stops in order — tap through to the Explore page for what each place actually is.
Run by the Shenzhen Culture, Media, Tourism and Sports Bureau together with Trip.com, launched 24 December 2025 for one year. Every international traveller arriving at Shenzhen Bao'an Airport can join — you do not need to be in transit, and there is no minimum layover.
Launched by Shenzhen Airport on 7 August 2026 under its “来深飞” transfer brand. Open to international and regional transfer passengers with more than six hours at SZX — international↔domestic, domestic↔international and international↔international all count. Foreign passengers need a valid visa or to qualify for the 240-hour transit exemption.
Arriving into Shenzhen and staying a while? The half-day tour has no threshold and covers everyone. Only in transit for six hours? It's the airport transfer tour. Check your remaining hours against the comparison table below first — people queue for the wrong one.
Passport, your onward or departing ticket, and — for the transfer tour — proof you qualify (a valid visa, or 240-hour transit eligibility). Staff will not hold a place while you go and find something.
For the half-day tour, go straight to the culture & tourism counter in the T3 level 1 international arrivals hall. For the transfer tour, scan the QR code as early as you can and confirm the meeting point and time. Both are first-come, first-served, and neither can be booked weeks ahead.
Ask the guide, in writing if you can, what time the tour returns to the terminal — then work backwards: three hours before an international departure, plus slack. If the answer is later than your safe margin, don't go. The tour is free; a missed flight is not.
| Free half-day tour | Airport transfer tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Any international traveller arriving at SZX — transit or not | International / regional transfer passengers only |
| Minimum time | No minimum | 6+ hours at SZX |
| Route | Lianhuashan Park → Nantou Ancient City → Talent Park | Heritage: Nantou + Talent Park · Coastal: OCT Harbour + Bay Glory |
| Duration | Half a day | About 4–6 hours |
| How to book | In person, culture & tourism counter, T3 level 1 international arrivals | Scan the QR code, gather at the meeting point; first-come, first-served |
| Documents | Passport; entry must be lawful in the first place | Valid visa, or qualifying for the 240-hour transit exemption |
Capacity is the real constraint, not the rules. These tours are small, depart on fixed times, and are not reservable in advance. Hong Kong's equivalent runs about 20 people per departure. Treat a place as a bonus, not a plan — and read the fallback section before you count on one.
Schedules, meeting points and capacity change without notice — and the "6 hours / 7 hours" figures you see quoted are booking thresholds, not your visa-free time limit (that is ten days). Confirm the details on these official pages before you rely on any of them.
The airport's own site, including its “来深飞” international transfer programme: free city tour, free showers, free accommodation and transfer vouchers.
szairport.com →The city's official English-language portal — the fastest way to check whether a tour, route or timing has changed.
eyeshenzhen.com →The government body that runs the free half-day tour with Trip.com. Authoritative for route and eligibility questions.
wtl.sz.gov.cn →If your onward leg goes through HKIA instead: three free routes of about four hours, bookable up to 90 days ahead on Trip.com. Useful comparison for what "free tour" means in practice.
HKIA free layover tour →Reporting on the airport transfer tour's first departure (7 August 2026): Shenzhen News — international transfer passengers can tour Shenzhen for free.
Every tour on this page is first-come, first-served with tiny capacity. The self-guided plans on the Explore page need no booking, no group and no guide — just a metro fare. They cover the same landmarks, on your own clock, and you can leave whenever you want.
Nantou Ancient City + OCT Harbour and the Bay Glory wheel — the airport-side pair, never more than 40 minutes from your gate.
Open plan →Lianhuashan Park, the museum, the Ping An observation deck, Huaqiangbei and Shenzhen Bay at sunset — the classic first day.
Open plan →Everything above plus a morning in Shekou and an evening that isn't a mall. The best-value day in the city.
Open plan →Want to try for a tour anyway? Go to the arrivals counter first and ask — it costs you five minutes, and if you get a place you've saved yourself the planning. If not, open the plan that matches your hours and start walking. Both outcomes are good.