Shenzhen's official information is good — it's just scattered across mini-programs you can't open before you land. Here's the full directory, plus the booking entries for free transit tours across the region.
Seven hours is a booking threshold, not your time limit. It's the minimum layover required to join a free guided tour at some airports. The 240-hour visa-free transit policy gives you ten full days — and Shenzhen's own free half-day tour has no time threshold at all: any international traveller arriving at Bao'an Airport can sign up.
So plan from the hours you actually have, not from a tour operator's cut-off. Somewhere between six hours and ten days, there's a version of this city that fits — see the Explore plans.
Everything below is run by a government body or a state-owned operator. The "needs WeChat" column matters: mini-programs are unusable until you have the app installed and working, which is exactly the window where you most need information.
| Channel | What it's for | How to reach it | Needs WeChat? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guide for Expats Visiting Shenzhen Shenzhen Culture, Media, Tourism and Sports Bureau |
The official bilingual visitor guide. Four sections: visa policy and facilitation, practical tips (payments, tax refund, SIM cards), transport and attractions, and upcoming events. Updated to multiple languages in 2025. | Scan the QR code on screens at the airport, ports, attractions and hotels; printed leaflets at the same locations | Yes |
| iPort (i口岸) Shenzhen Port Office |
Live port congestion, port Wi-Fi list, departure tax refund map and 14-language policy explainer, entry visa (links to NIA), live exchange rates, currency exchange locations, duty-free shops, shuttle buses, transit QR code, lost and found, wheelchair booking. | WeChat mini-program, search "i口岸" | Yes |
| EyeShenzhen Shenzhen Daily / Jingbao |
The city's first official multilingual portal — nine languages. Strong on living and working in Shenzhen, plus exit-entry, transport, checkpoints, hospitals and events. Best used as a general city reference. | eyeshenzhen.com | No |
| National Immigration Administration | The source of truth for visa-free transit, the country list, eligible ports and stay rules. Also runs the 12367 hotline and the service platform app. | nia.gov.cn · hotline 12367 | No |
| Online arrival card | File the foreigner arrival card before you fly so you can walk straight to the transit counter. Seven categories are exempt. | s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC — do this before departure | No |
| Shenzhen Bao'an Airport | Flights, terminal maps, the "来深飞" transfer brand, transit lounge and shower eligibility, ferry connections from Fuyong. | szairport.com | No |
| Shenzhen Port Office | Authoritative source for port opening hours, temporary closures, new joint inspection buildings and holiday arrangements. Published in Chinese, so use a browser translator. | ka.sz.gov.cn | No |
| iShenzhen / Healthy Shenzhen | Municipal services including hospital appointments and health records; iShenzhen offers multilingual service for exit-entry bookings and transport queries. | WeChat mini-programs "i深圳" and "健康深圳" | Yes |
Free guided tours are now standard across the region's hubs. Note how low Shenzhen's bar is: its half-day tour has no minimum stay at all. Capacity is small everywhere, so have a fallback — the self-guided plans are built for exactly that.
| City | Minimum layover | What you get | How to book | If you can't get a place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shenzhen — half-day tour | No minimum | Multilingual guided route: Lianhuashan Park → Nantou Ancient City → Talent Park. Run by the tourism bureau with Trip.com. | Sign up in person at the culture & tourism counter, T3 level 1 international arrivals hall | 6-hour self-guided plan → |
| Shenzhen — airport transit tour | 6 hours+ | Two free routes, 4–6 hours: heritage (Nantou Ancient City + Talent Park) or bay (OCT Harbour + Bay Glory Ferris Wheel). | Scan the QR code in the terminal, or register at the transfer desk; first-come, first-served | 6-hour self-guided plan → |
| Hong Kong | 7 hours+ | Three free routes of about four hours (heritage citywalk, Victoria Harbour evening, nature and outlying islands) plus three paid ones. Includes dedicated fast-track immigration in and out. | Trip.com app or website, up to 90 days ahead; limited on-site places daily. HKIA free layover tour | 6-hour self-guided plan → |
| Shanghai — Shanghai Express | 8 hours+ | Three daily routes of 5–6 hours: Yu Garden, the Bund, Pudong, and an evening river cruise. Transport, English guide and tickets included. Groups of up to ten. | Registration desk at the visitor centre between gates 6 and 7, level 1, Terminal 1; first-come, first-served | 12-hour self-guided plan → |
| Shanghai — China Eastern tour | 8–24 hours | Five routes including a Huangpu river cruise, a Disney option and Xinchang ancient town. Available to 31 December 2026. | China Eastern app or mini-program: claim the entitlement online, then register at the transfer counter, gate 7, level 1 arrivals, Terminal 1 | 12-hour self-guided plan → |
| Beijing — Beijing Express | 8 hours+ | Two daily routes: Badaling Great Wall (07:30–13:00) or the city highlights — Temple of Heaven, Qianmen Street, Tiananmen Square (13:30–21:00). | No advance booking. Trip.com counter at Terminal 3 international arrivals exit, next to Manner Coffee | 12-hour self-guided plan → |
| Guangzhou | Fixed daily departure | One 5.5-hour route at 08:30: Huacheng Square, Guangdong Museum, Yuexiu Park, Chen Clan Ancestral Hall. Cantonese lunch included. | "Transit-visa-free Tour" counter, T2 international arrivals, or email PORTVISA@GLZ.COM.CN in advance | 12-hour self-guided plan → |
Capacity is the catch. Hong Kong runs 20 people per departure; most programmes are first-come, first-served. If you don't get a place — and statistically you probably won't — use the self-guided plans instead. They're built around the same clock, need no booking, and cost you nothing but a metro fare.
See the Shenzhen routes mapped out, stop by stop →
The best official tools — iPort, the Shenzhen Guide, transit codes, tax refund — are WeChat mini-programs. They're excellent once you're set up, and completely unreachable on the plane, at 30,000 feet, with no Chinese SIM. That window is when decisions get made.
No official channel will tell you the date your 240 hours expire, whether your specific itinerary qualifies, or what a ¥1,200 purchase returns in tax. The calculators on this site do, offline, in about ten seconds.
Official guides are organised by city function — eating, shopping, transport, attractions. Yours is organised by how much time you have. Different question, different answer.
And treat this site as a starting point, not an authority. Every page carries a last-reviewed date, and the Updates log cites sources. When this site and an official announcement disagree, the announcement wins — follow it, and if you have a moment, tell us.