How do I get around Shenzhen?

The metro reaches nearly everywhere you need and costs a few yuan a trip. Open the metro ride code inside WeChat or Alipay and scan at the gate, so you never need a physical card. For anything the metro misses, use Didi rather than hailing on the street.

Do I need a physical transport card?

No. The QR ride code inside WeChat or Alipay works on the metro and on buses. A Shenzhen Tong card is still useful as a backup for when your phone is flat.

Is it safe to travel late at night?

Shenzhen is a very safe city to move around in late. The metro stops running around 11pm, so plan the last leg by Didi.

Getting around

The metro

Sixteen lines are open and more are being built. A trip right across the city costs less than a bottle of water. Trains come every few minutes, announcements are in Mandarin and English, and station names are signed in both.

To ride, open WeChat, find the Shenzhen Metro mini programme, activate the ride code once, then scan it at the gate going in and going out. Alipay has the same thing. A screenshot of the code is useless because it regenerates every minute, so learn where the code lives before you are standing at a barrier with a queue behind you.

The lines you will use most:

Line 1 runs the length of the city, airport to Luohu, through Nanshan and Futian
Line 4 runs north into Longhua from Futian
Line 11 is the fast one to the airport, with a paid express carriage

Buses

Buses are cheaper and slower, and the routes only really make sense inside one district. The same QR code works. Amap will route you door to door and tell you which stop to get off at.

Didi

Didi is the ride-hailing app everyone uses. Set the pickup pin carefully, because in a city this dense being on the wrong side of a road costs you ten minutes. There is an English interface, and you can paste a destination written in Chinese characters straight into it.

Ignore the unmarked cars offering rides outside stations and book through the app instead.

Bikes

Meituan and HelloRide bikes are on every corner, unlocked by QR code, a couple of yuan for half an hour, and useful for the last kilometre. Ride in the bike lane rather than on the pavement, and do not carry a passenger, since you can be fined for both.

Getting to Hong Kong

Futian, Luohu and Shenzhen Bay are the crossings. Take your passport and expect a queue. Check that your Chinese visa lets you back in, because a single-entry visa does not.