Guangzhou and Shenzhen Travel Guide: How Many Days, Trains from Hong Kong, Metro, Sights and Food

Give Guangzhou (广州, Guǎngzhōu) two days and Shenzhen (深圳, Shēnzhèn) one or two. Both are a short train ride from Hong Kong: the high-speed train from Hong Kong West Kowloon reaches Futian in central Shenzhen in 14 minutes, and most trains to Guangzhou South take about an hour. Between the two cities, the fastest train from Guangzhou South to Shenzhen North takes 29 minutes, and most take about 36–38 minutes. Getting around inside them is easy too, because both metros now let you tap a foreign Visa or Mastercard contactless card at the gates. This guide covers how to get in from Hong Kong, the trains between the cities, airports and metro, what to see and eat, the Canton Fair, and a 3–4 day plan.

How Many Days, and When to Go

The two cities feel very different, so it helps to know what each one is for.

• Guangzhou: 2 days. It is the old capital of Cantonese culture and the home of morning dim sum. You come here for food, old streets, ancestral halls, museums and the river at night. Two days covers the main sights without rushing; a third day is for eating more.
• Shenzhen: 1–2 days. It is a young, planned city of towers, wide parks and electronics markets. It has fewer historic sights, but it is the easiest gateway to and from Hong Kong. One day is enough for most visitors; take two if you want a theme park or a beach.

As for distance, Shenzhen sits right on the Hong Kong border, and Guangzhou is roughly another half hour to an hour north by train. That is why many people do the three as one trip: Hong Kong, then Shenzhen, then Guangzhou, then a train or flight onward.

Best time to go: October to December is the most comfortable stretch: warm days, less rain and lower humidity. Guangzhou's coldest month is January at an average of 13.8°C, its hottest is July at 28.9°C, and June is the wettest month, with June to August bringing about 45% of the year's rain. From about April to September expect heat, heavy showers and some typhoons; Guangdong gets more typhoon landfalls than any other province, mostly in July to September. Summer trips still work. Plan indoor backups and keep a day of slack.

Getting In from Hong Kong

Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland each have their own immigration rules. Visas for the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau are separate, so a mainland visa does not cover Hong Kong and Hong Kong visa-free entry does not cover the mainland. Under China's exit and entry law, going from the mainland to Hong Kong counts as leaving, and coming back counts as a new entry. A single- or double-entry Chinese visa is used up once its entries are used. Put those together: if your mainland visa is single-entry and you pop over to Hong Kong in the middle of your trip, you will need another way back in.

Many travelers do not need a visa at all:

• 30-day visa-free entry. Citizens of 50 countries can visit the mainland visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism, business or family visits. Each stay can last up to 30 calendar days, counted from the day after you enter. You can use it again on every entry, and there is currently no limit on the number of entries or total days, so a side trip to Hong Kong and back simply starts a new visa-free stay. See do you need a visa for China for the country list.
• 240-hour visa-free transit. Citizens of 57 countries holding an onward ticket to a third country or region can stay up to 240 hours within the permitted area. Hong Kong and Macau count as that "third country or region", so Canada → Hong Kong → Shenzhen → Thailand works. West Kowloon station, the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge port, Hengqin and Guangzhou's Pazhou ferry terminal are among the entry ports where you can use it. The Lo Wu and Futian land crossings are not on that list, so if you rely on 240-hour transit, cross by train from West Kowloon. Details are in our 240-hour visa-free transit guide.
• Greater Bay Area group entry. There is also a visa-free scheme for tour groups of two or more people organized by a registered Hong Kong or Macau travel agency, covering the mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area for a few days; the agency can confirm the current terms. It only works as a group tour that enters and leaves together, not for independent travel.

High-speed rail from West Kowloon (fastest to Guangzhou)

West Kowloon station has both Hong Kong and mainland immigration inside the same building, so you clear both in one go before boarding. You can start check-in up to 90 minutes before departure, it usually takes 30–45 minutes, and the ticket and ID check on level B1 closes 30 minutes before the train leaves. Allow more time at weekends, on holidays and if you travel on a passport. If you plan to use 240-hour visa-free transit here, leave extra time again, because the on-the-spot approval takes a while.

On 12306's timetable for Thursday 29 October 2026, there were 52 trains from West Kowloon to Futian, all taking about 14 minutes, at 68 yuan in second class. Shenzhen North had 87 trains taking 18–24 minutes at 75 yuan. To Guangzhou South there were 37 trains taking from 48 minutes to 1 hour 25, most about an hour, at 215 yuan in second class. If you pay in Hong Kong dollars, MTR converts these yuan fares at a rate it resets on the 1st of each month, so the HKD price shifts slightly from month to month.

You can buy tickets on 12306 (website and app), through appointed agents, or at the West Kowloon ticket office and machines; then use the same passport you booked with at the gates. MTR's own high-speed rail fare page lists the current HKD fares.

Land crossings into Shenzhen (cheapest)

You can also ride Hong Kong's East Rail line to the border, walk through two immigration halls, and pick up the Shenzhen metro on the other side. The Hong Kong side of Lo Wu is open 6:30–24:00, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line (for Futian) 6:30–22:30, Shenzhen Bay 6:30–24:00, and Huanggang is open 24 hours. Lo Wu lands you at Luohu, right next to Shenzhen Station, where intercity trains leave for Guangzhou East. The Hong Kong and Macau guide compares every crossing, the bridge buses and the ferries in detail.

Which to pick: for Guangzhou, take the high-speed train from West Kowloon; nothing else is close. For Futian or Shenzhen North, the train is fastest if you are near Kowloon. For Luohu, Lo Wu on foot is simple and cheap. Late at night, Huanggang is the only round-the-clock land crossing into Shenzhen.

Getting Between Guangzhou and Shenzhen

There are three main routes, and the right one depends on which part of each city you are going to. The table below shows train counts, travel times and fares from 12306 for one sample day, 29 October 2026.

• Guangzhou South ⇄ Shenzhen North: the default. On the sample day there were 170 trains, the fastest taking 29 minutes and most about 36–38 minutes, at 74.5 yuan in second class. You rarely need to book far ahead outside holidays. The catch: Guangzhou South is well south of the city center, so add a metro ride at each end.
• Guangzhou East ⇄ Shenzhen Station (Luohu): the old intercity line. On the sample day 61 intercity "C" trains ran, the direct ones leaving on the hour took 57 minutes, most others 1 hour 5 to 1 hour 20, at 72 yuan in second class. It is slower, but Guangzhou East is in Tianhe and Shenzhen Station is beside the Lo Wu crossing, so door to door it can win if you are staying in those areas.
• Guangzhou South ⇄ Futian. Fewer trains (15 on the sample day), fastest 43 minutes and most about 50, at 82 yuan in second class. Worth it if your hotel is in Futian, since Futian station is underground in the middle of the business district.

Book on 12306 with your passport, which is one of the accepted ID documents. Tickets go on sale 15 days ahead, counting the travel day. If the 12306 sign-up gives you trouble, agents such as Trip.com sell the same tickets with an English timetable and take foreign cards; this works for the cross-border trains from West Kowloon too. Our guides to booking train tickets and the high-speed train system walk through the app, seat classes and station process.

Airports and Railway Stations

Guangzhou Baiyun Airport

Terminal 1 has been closed for renovation since 7 May 2026, with all domestic airlines moved to Terminal 3, and the metro's Airport South station and the intercity Baiyun Airport South station (both for T1) are out of service. Older guides that tell you to take metro Line 3 to "Airport South" are out of date. To reach T3, take the Guangzhou East Ring intercity line to Baiyun Airport East station, which is on level B2 of the T3 transport center; you can change onto it at Guangzhou South, Pazhou or Airport North (Airport North serves T2). The other way is metro Line 3 or Line 9 to Gaozeng, exit B, then the airport shuttle bus, which takes about 15 minutes, costs 2 yuan and runs every 5–10 minutes. For Terminal 2, the same intercity line stops at Baiyun Airport North station; for metro options to T2, check the current route on the Guangzhou metro map. Check which terminal your airline uses before you set off, and allow about an hour from the airport to Tianhe or Yuexiu; confirm the time in a map app on the day.

Shenzhen Bao'an Airport

Metro Line 11 links the airport with the city, airport express buses run to seven districts including Futian for 20–40 yuan, cross-border coaches go straight to Kowloon and Disneyland in about 90–150 minutes including border checks, and intercity trains run from the airport toward Guangzhou and Dongguan. Line 11 is the simplest choice for Futian and Nanshan; allow roughly 40 minutes to an hour to the center, and check the exact time in a map app.

Guangzhou South and Shenzhen North stations

Guangzhou South is a four-line metro interchange: Guangzhou Metro Lines 2, 7 and 22 plus Foshan Metro Line 2, with the Foshan line about a 7-minute walk through the transfer tunnel. At Shenzhen North, metro Line 5 is underground below the east-side high-speed rail exit, and Lines 4 and 6 are on the elevated level above.

Both stations are also where most long-distance high-speed trains start. Guilin North to Guangzhou South takes as little as 1 hour 59 minutes, and trains from Guangzhou reach Yangshuo station in about 1 hour 49 minutes at the fastest, which makes the Guilin and Yangshuo karst landscape an easy next stop. For Beijing, Shanghai or Changsha, check 12306 for current times from Guangzhou South or Shenzhen North.

Metro and Paying for It

This is now the easy part. Guangzhou Metro has accepted foreign contactless cards at the gates since 12 October 2025, and Shenzhen Metro switched on every gate in its network on 10 September 2026. Tap the same card in and out, and the fare is charged to it.

• Guangzhou: foreign-issued contactless Mastercard, American Express, Visa and JCB cards work at gates marked with the card logo in every station, with no ticket or app needed.
• Shenzhen: all gates on all 17 lines take UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB; the card must be contactless with small no-PIN payments switched on, and a phone or watch with the card added also works.
• Other options: you can also try the transit code in Alipay or WeChat Pay after linking a foreign card (see how to use Alipay with a foreign card). If you already have a Tourist Octopus in its China T-Union version from Hong Kong, it also works on public transport in 336 mainland cities.

Two rules to know in Guangzhou: each passenger may carry luggage up to 30 kg with length, width and height adding up to no more than 1.8 metres. Every passenger and bag goes through a security check, and if you refuse or carry banned items you will be turned away. A normal suitcase is fine. Expect bag scanners at Shenzhen stations as well.

Line maps and route planning: see our Guangzhou metro map and Shenzhen metro map. the WaysChina app

What to See in Guangzhou

Two things trip people up here. First, the closing days differ: Chen Clan Ancestral Hall is closed on Tuesdays, while the Nanyue King Museum and the Zhenhai Tower museum in Yuexiu Park close on Mondays. Second, Canton Tower uses real-name tickets. The table has hours, prices and closing days.

Canton Tower (广州塔)

The tall, twisting tower on the south bank of the Pearl River is the city's main landmark. It is open 9:30–22:30, with tickets and entry until 22:00, and visits are sold in two-hour time slots. Tickets are real-name: if you do not have a Chinese ID card, register at the self-service machine in the ticket hall first (bring your passport), then buy your ticket with the printed slip. Ticket prices vary by deck and ride and are listed on the Canton Tower website and at the ticket hall; check there before you go. Go up around sunset if you can. If you only want to see the tower lit up, the riverbank on the north side around Huacheng Square gives the full view at no cost.

Chen Clan Ancestral Hall (陈家祠)

A 19th-century clan academy covered in wood, brick, stone and ceramic carving, now the Guangdong Folk Arts Museum. The roof ridges, crowded with tiny ceramic figures, are the reason to come. Entry runs 9:00–17:00 and it closes at 17:30, on every day except Tuesday. Adult tickets are 10 yuan, booked up to 7 days ahead through the museum's WeChat official account, 广东民间工艺博物馆 (Guangdong Folk Arts Museum). If booking in WeChat fails, ask at the ticket office. It has its own metro stop named after it.

Nanyue King Museum (南越王博物院)

The tomb of a king who ruled this region over 2,000 years ago, with a jade burial suit and the excavated remains of his palace. There are two sites: the tomb on Jiefang North Road and the palace on Zhongshan 4th Road. Both open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00–17:30, with last entry at 17:00. The palace site is free and the tomb site costs 10 yuan for adults. If you only have time for one, pick the tomb.

Yuexiu Park and Zhenhai Tower (越秀公园 / 镇海楼)

The city's biggest central park, with lakes, the Five Rams statue (Guangzhou's founding legend) and Zhenhai Tower, a red five-storey watchtower from the Ming dynasty that now holds part of the Guangzhou Museum. The tower is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00–17:30, closed Mondays, with a 10-yuan ticket. Combine it with the Nanyue tomb, which is just across the road.

Shamian Island (沙面)

A small island in the Pearl River that was a British and French concession in the 1800s. It is about 0.3 square kilometres, with more than 150 European-style buildings, 54 of them protected heritage buildings. It is quiet, shaded by old banyan trees, and good for an hour or two of walking. In August 2026 the city published plans for a conservation project covering the whole island, with a building period of 60 months. As of August 2026, no start date had been announced, so check whether parts are fenced off when you go.

Old streets and the river at night

• Shangxiajiu (上下九): a pedestrian street of qilou (骑楼, arcaded shophouses) near Shamian, busy with snack shops. Good for a late-afternoon walk before dinner.
• Yongqingfang (永庆坊): a separate restored block of old lanes next to Shangxiajiu, with small museums, cafés and craft shops.
• Beijing Road (北京路): the central shopping street, with glass panels in the pavement showing old road surfaces underneath.
• Sacred Heart Cathedral (石室圣心大教堂): a granite Gothic cathedral a short walk from Beijing Road.
• Pearl River night cruise (珠江夜游): boats leave from several piers along the river in the evening and pass Canton Tower and the lit-up bridges. Prices and departure times vary by operator and pier; confirm them at the pier or in the booking app on the day.

What to Eat in Guangzhou

Guangzhou is one of the best places in China to eat, and Cantonese cooking is easy for first-timers: fresh ingredients, light seasoning, not much chili. Plan at least one dim sum morning and one roast-meat lunch.

Morning tea (早茶, zǎochá)

Locals "drink morning tea" from early morning to around lunchtime: a pot of tea and a few baskets of dim sum (点心, small steamed and fried dishes). Most places give you an order sheet where you tick dishes and the number of baskets; picture menus are common. You will usually see a small per-person tea charge on the bill, which is normal and covers the tea. Go early on weekends, when families fill the big halls. Dishes to try:

• Har gow (虾饺): shrimp dumplings in a thin, see-through wrapper.
• Siu mai (烧卖): open-topped pork and shrimp dumplings.
• Cheung fun (肠粉): steamed rice noodle rolls with shrimp, beef or char siu, in sweet soy sauce. Many small shops serve them all day.
• Char siu bao (叉烧包): soft buns filled with barbecued pork.
• Phoenix claws (凤爪): braised chicken feet in black bean sauce, for the curious.

Roast meats, noodles and dessert soups

• Siu mei (烧味, roast meats): char siu (叉烧, barbecued pork), roast goose (烧鹅) and crispy pork belly over rice, sold at shops with the meats hanging in the window.
• White-cut chicken (白切鸡): poached chicken with ginger and spring onion sauce. Simple, and a good test of a restaurant.
• Wonton noodles (云吞面) and congee (粥), such as ting jai congee (艇仔粥, "sampan congee" with fish and peanuts).
• Tong sui (糖水, sweet dessert soups): double-skin milk pudding (双皮奶), mango pomelo sago (杨枝甘露) and red bean soup. Dessert shops stay open late.

In Shenzhen, the food comes from every part of China because almost everyone moved there from somewhere else; Chaoshan beef hotpot (潮汕牛肉火锅), with thin slices of fresh beef cooked for seconds, is the local favorite. If Hong Kong is on your route, our Hong Kong food guide covers the same Cantonese dishes there, and ordering food with zero Chinese helps with menus.

What to See in Shenzhen

Shenzhen is more about how a modern Chinese city works than about old buildings. Its sights are spread out, so pick by district.

Futian: museum and city center

Shenzhen Museum at the Civic Center in Futian tells the story of how the city grew from fishing villages; it is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:00 with last entry at 17:30, closed Mondays, and it has three other branches elsewhere in the city. Behind it, Lianhuashan Park (莲花山) has a short climb to a hilltop viewpoint over the Futian skyline. The Ping An Finance Centre (平安金融中心), the tallest tower in the city, has an observation deck; check its official channels for current prices and hours.

Huaqiangbei: electronics

Huaqiangbei (华强北) is a district of multi-storey electronics malls selling everything from phone cases to circuit boards. It is worth an hour even if you buy nothing. If you do buy, test the item before paying, keep the receipt, and assume brand-name goods at low prices are not genuine.

Nanshan: theme parks and the bay

Window of the World (世界之窗) has scale models of famous buildings from around the world, and Splendid China Folk Village (锦绣中华民俗村) shows miniature Chinese landmarks with ethnic-minority villages and evening shows. They are next to each other in the OCT area and each takes most of a day; good with children, less so if you are short on time. Ticket prices and opening hours change by season, so check the parks' official sites before you go. Shenzhen Bay Park (深圳湾公园) is a long waterfront promenade looking across the bay toward Hong Kong; it is best at sunset by bike or on foot. Nearby, OCT Loft (华侨城创意文化园) is a former factory area with galleries and cafés.

Further out

Dameisha (大梅沙) is a city beach in the east, crowded on summer weekends. Dafen Oil Painting Village (大芬油画村) is a neighborhood of painting studios, interesting as a slice of how Shenzhen makes things.

During the Canton Fair

The Canton Fair (China Import and Export Fair, 广交会) is held twice a year, in spring and autumn. The autumn 2026 session, the 140th, was held in three phases: 15–19 October, 23–27 October and 31 October to 4 November; the spring 2026 session ran 15–19 April, 23–27 April and 1–5 May. In both 2026 sessions, phase 1 covered advanced manufacturing, phase 2 home goods, and phase 3 lifestyle, toys and fashion. Dates for the spring 2027 session will be on the Canton Fair website; check there before you book.

• Badge: overseas buyers can pre-register on the Canton Fair website at any time of year, and first-time overseas buyers can collect a free buyer badge at offices at Baiyun Airport, Guangzhou South station, the Pazhou ferry terminal, designated hotels and the fair's Hong Kong office. Picking it up on arrival saves queuing at the venue.
• Getting there: the fair complex is at Pazhou in Haizhu district, on metro Line 8: use Xingangdong station exit A for Areas A and D, Pazhou station exit A or B for Area B, and Pazhou station exit C for Area C. Line 8 is packed at opening and closing times; leave early or walk one stop.
• Hotels: rooms near Pazhou and in Tianhe fill up and prices rise sharply during each phase, and they stay high in the gaps between phases. Book as soon as your dates are fixed; Booking.com lets you filter by distance to the complex and by free cancellation. Staying in Shenzhen and taking the train in each day is possible, but it makes for long days.
• Sightseeing: popular restaurants and taxis are busier than usual during fair weeks. Visit the museums on weekdays and book dinner where you can.

For visas, invitation letters and working in China, see our business travel guide.

Weather and Typhoons

Both cities are subtropical and humid. Shenzhen's long-term average temperature is 23.3°C, an average of 3.6 typhoons a year directly affect the city, and in 2025 it issued its highest-level red rainstorm warning on 9 days, a record. China's weather warnings use four colors, from blue through yellow and orange to red, and stations and airports show them on their screens. A strong typhoon can stop trains across the province: during Super Typhoon Ragasa in September 2025, every high-speed and regular train inside Guangdong was suspended for a full day. If a typhoon is forecast, keep your plans flexible, move cross-border travel a day earlier or later, and follow the 12306 app for cancellations. Hong Kong's own signal system is explained in the Hong Kong and Macau guide.

Where to Stay

Guangzhou: Tianhe, especially Zhujiang New Town (珠江新城), is modern and central, near Canton Tower across the river, Guangzhou East station and the metro lines to Pazhou; it suits first-timers and business visitors. Yuexiu is older and walkable to Beijing Road, Yuexiu Park and the Nanyue sites; it suits people who want street food and history. Liwan, around Shamian and Shangxiajiu, is the quietest option and close to Chen Clan Hall. Near Guangzhou South is convenient only for a very early train.

Shenzhen: Futian is the all-round choice: central, on the high-speed line to Hong Kong, close to the Futian and Huanggang crossings. Nanshan suits theme parks, Shenzhen Bay and tech business. Luohu, next to the Lo Wu crossing and Shenzhen Station, is the most practical for walking across to Hong Kong and taking the intercity to Guangzhou East, though the area is older and busier.

Prices in both cities are usually well below Hong Kong's. To compare areas on a map, Agoda lists most hotels with English descriptions; check that the hotel accepts foreign guests before you pay.

A 3–4 Day Plan

Coming from Hong Kong (3 days):

• Day 1, Shenzhen: morning train from West Kowloon to Futian. Shenzhen Museum (not on a Monday) and Lianhuashan Park, then Huaqiangbei in the afternoon. Sunset at Shenzhen Bay Park.
• Day 2, Guangzhou: train from Shenzhen North to Guangzhou South in the morning. Dim sum, then Chen Clan Hall (not on a Tuesday), Shangxiajiu and Shamian Island. Canton Tower or a river cruise at night.
• Day 3, Guangzhou: Nanyue King tomb and Yuexiu Park (not on a Monday), Beijing Road and the cathedral, a roast-meat lunch and dessert soup. Leave by high-speed train to Guilin, back to Hong Kong, or fly out from Baiyun.

Add a fourth day for a Shenzhen theme park, Dameisha beach, or a slower day of eating in Guangzhou. You can also run the plan in reverse: fly into Guangzhou, finish in Shenzhen, and cross into Hong Kong on foot at Lo Wu or Futian. For the Hong Kong part of the trip, see the Hong Kong and Macau guide.

Payments, Internet and Emergency Numbers

Paying: Alipay accepts linked UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club and Discover cards, and WeChat Pay also accepts American Express. Set up one of them before you arrive; small restaurants and snack stalls often only take QR codes. See using international cards in China for where a card alone works. Ride-hailing is covered in our DiDi guide.

Internet: Baiyun Airport has counters where you can buy a SIM card on arrival; an eSIM bought before the trip is simpler. Compare options in our SIM and eSIM guide.

Emergencies: call 110 for police and 120 for an ambulance; in Hong Kong, dial 999 for police, fire or ambulance. The US Consulate General in Guangzhou covers Guangdong, phone +86 20 3814 5775, and the British Consulate General in Guangzhou also covers Guangdong. Other countries are listed in embassy contacts and emergency contacts.

Last updated: November 2026