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Shenzhen’s Top 20 Must See Attractions and Things To Do

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Coming to Shenzhen? Whether to live or for a short trip, these are the top must-see attractions, shopping destinations, and things to do when visiting Shenzhen. I’ll break them up into categories starting with nature and then, history, theme parks, shopping, look-outs, and finish up with Arts & Culture.

Nature

 

At first glance, Shenzhen seems to be not much more than a modern metropolis, but a short metro/bus ride can take you to see the many amazing natural attractions it also offers. Here are five highlights

  1. Lychee Park (荔枝公园) – Address: 1001 Hongling Mid Road, Futian District  深圳福田区红岭中路1001号
  2. Shenzhen Xianhu Fairy Lake Botanical Garden (仙湖植物园) – Address: 160 Xianhu Rd, Luohu
  3. Yantian and the Dapeng Peninsula inc. Xichong Beach (深圳西涌沙滩), Daimeisha (大梅沙海滨公园), Yangmeikeng (杨梅坑) and Dongchong (深圳东涌沙滩)
  4. Phoenix Mountain (深圳凤凰山) – Address: Fenghuang Village, Bao’an District, Shenzhen 深圳市宝安区福永街道凤凰村
  5. Mt Wutong (梧桐山) – Address: Begin from Wutong Shan Village (梧桐山村)

 

History

 

Shenzhen is not a big player in the ancient Chinese history stakes, but there are several sites which are interesting

  1. Shenzhen Museum  (深圳博物馆) Address:  Civic Centre, Fuzhong Road 3, Futian District  广东深圳市福田区福中三路市民中心A区东翼深圳博物馆新馆
  2. Dapeng Fortress (深圳大鹏古城) – Address: Longgang District, Shenzhen 深圳市龙岗区
  3. Hongfa Temple (弘法寺) – Address: 160 Xianhu Rd, Luohu (inside Fairy Lake)
  4. Nantou Ancient City (深圳南头古城垣) – Address: 3109 Nanshan Dadao, Nanshan District 南山区南山大道3109号中山公园南侧(近深南大道北侧)
  5. Hakka Folk Customs Museum (深圳客家民俗博物馆) – Address: No.1 Luoruihe North Street, Longgang 深圳龙岗街道南联社区罗瑞合北街1号
  6. Chiwan Tianhou Temple (深圳蛇口赤湾天后宫) Address: 9 Chiwan 6th Ave, Nanshan District 深圳南山区蛇口赤湾六路9号

 

Theme Parks

 

Shenzhen is China’s theme park capital. The pick of them is OCT East which is massive and being near the Daimeisha area makes it a destination you could easily spend a few days at. The rest are based in Nanshan District.

  1. OCT East (东部华侨城大梅沙) – Address: Yantian District, Shenzhen 地址:深圳市盐田区大梅沙东部华侨城大峡谷售票处旁
  2. Window of the World (深圳世界之窗) – Address: 9037 Nanshan Blvd, Nanshan District 深圳南山区深南大道9037号
  3. Happy Valley (深圳欢乐谷) – Address: Huaqiao West Street, Nanshan District 深圳南山区华侨城西路侨城西街欢乐谷入口
  4. Splendid China (深圳锦绣中华) – Address: 9003 Shennan Avenue, Nanshan District 深圳市南山区深南大道9003号
  5. Shenzhen Safari Park (深圳野生动物园) – Address: 4065 Xili Lake Road, Nanshan District 广东省深圳市南山区西丽湖路4065号
  6. Xiaomeisha Ocean World (深圳小梅沙海洋世界) – Address: Yankui Road, Yantian District 深圳市盐田区小梅沙盐葵路
  7. Evergreen Resort (青青世界) – Address: 1 Qingqing Rd, Nanshan
  8. Alps World (世界之窗阿尔卑斯冰雪世界) – Address: At Window of the World, Huaqiaocheng, Nanshan 深圳市南山区华侨城世界之窗

 

 

Shopping

Dongmen

The city offers shoppers a lot of options, from wholesale markets, through to high-end luxury malls, it’s got the lot. On your first trip, here are the must-see destinations:

  1. Luohu Commercial City (罗湖商业城) – at the border, it is a multi-floor mall famous for copy goods. Address: 25 Guangchang Road, Luohu District 深圳市罗湖区广场路25号罗湖商业城
  2. Dongmen Market (东门白马服装市场) – Massive retail and wholesale shopping area focussed on fashion. Address: Renmin North Road, Luohu District 深圳市罗湖区人民北路
  3. Huaqiangbei Road (华强北商业中心) – an expansive area that sprawls northwards from Huaqiang Road Metro Station that’s famous for electronics. Address: Huaqiang North Road, Futian 华强北福田区
  4. Mix C (深圳华润中心万象城) – Large modern luxury shopping mall – Address: 1881 Baoan South Road, Luohu District 罗湖区宝安南路1881号
  5. Coco Park ( 福田星河COCO PARK) – Major modern mall and my favorite – Address: 268号 Fuha 3rd Road, Futian District, Shenzhen  – 深圳市福田区福华三路268

If I had to pick one area, I would probably choose Huaqiangbei, it’s got everything, malls, markets, wholesale, retail.

 

Lookouts & Observation Decks

Get a view of the city at one of these amazing lookouts. (2018 update: The new Ping’An Finance Centre (平安国际金融中心) in Futian has opened its 116th floor, 541m high observation deck which is a new must-do on an SZ visit)

  1. KK 100 (京基100) –  Address: 96th floor St Regis cafe, 5016 Shennan E Rd, Luohu
  2. Meridian View Centre at Diwang  (地王大厦观光中心) – Address: 69th floor of Diwang Mansion, 5002 Shennan E Rd, Luohu
  3. Shenzhen Lianhuashan Park (深圳莲花山公园) – an easy walk up to the Deng Xiaoping Statue with a view over Futian. Address: Hongli Road, Futian District 广东省深圳市福田区红荔路
  4. Ping’an Finance Center (平安国际金融中心) – Now the tallest skyscraper in Shenzhen and the 541m Freesky Observation Deck offers unrivaled views. Address: 5033, Yitian Road, Futian  广东省深圳市福田区益田路5033号

 

Art & Culture

  1. Da Fen Oil Painting Village (深圳大芬油画村) – Address: at the cross of Bujiyanhe Road and Busha Road, Longgang District 深圳市龙岗区布吉沿河路与布沙路的交叉口
  2. OCT LOFT (and the nearby OCT Art and Design Gallery) (深圳华侨城创意园) – Address: Enping Street, Nanshan 深圳市恩平街
  3. Shenzhen Contemporary Art and Urban Planning Museum (深圳市当代艺术与城市规划馆) – Address: No. 184, Fuzhong Road, Lianhua Street, Futian
  4. F 518 Idea Land (F518时尚创意园 深圳前岸国际酒店) – Address: 1069 Baoyuan Road, Bao’an District 中心区宝源路F518

 

That’s probably a bunch more than 20, but hey, more the merrier 🙂

 

Shenzhen Attraction Map

Including all the attractions mentioned and my pick for the top 5 places to stay in Shenzhen.

The St. Regis Shenzhen

5 star - amazing views from the top of KK100, Shenzhen's tallest building. A short walk to Grand Theatre station and access to line 1 and line 2.

JW Marriott Hotel Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport

five star - a short walk to Baohu station on metro line 5 and line 11 at Baoan Station

Huaqiang Plaza Hotel Shenzhen

Four star - if you are shopping at Huaqiangbei or checking out the maker scene, this hotel is a top choice. Easy access to metro line 2 at Huaqiang North station and line 1 Huaqiang Station is only five minutes walk.

Sheraton Shenzhen Futian Hotel

5 star - located right in the heart of Futian with direct access to the metro line 1 and line 4 at Convention & Exhibition Cente station. Also offers superb restaurants.

Hyatt Place Shenzhen, Dongmen

Four star - clean and modern, superb location with easy access to Loajie Metro station 

Guangdong, Shenzhen, Bao'an, 宝源路

HuaQiaoCheng, Nanshan Qu, Shenzhen Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 518053

At the Shenzhen/Hong Kong Border

Luohu, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, 518000

Futian, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, 518031

Luohu, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, 518040

盐田区深圳市广东省 China

9037 Shen Nan Da Dao, HuaQiaoCheng, Nanshan Qu, Shenzhen Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 518053

HuaQiaoCheng, Nanshan Qu, Shenzhen Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 518053

HuaQiaoCheng, Nanshan Qu, Shenzhen Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China

Nanshan Qu, Shenzhen Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 518055

Yantian Qu, Shenzhen Shi, China

Nanshan Qu, Shenzhen Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China

160 Xian Hu Lu, Luohu Qu, Shenzhen Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China

Peng Fei Lu, Longgang Qu, Shenzhen Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China

Baoan Qu, Shenzhen Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China

CaiWuWei, Futian Qu, Shenzhen Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 518040

Longgang, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, 518120

Nanshan, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

Nanshan Qu, Shenzhen Shi, China

Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, 518000

Luohu Qu, Shenzhen Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 518040

6030 Hong Li Lu, FuTian CBD, Futian Qu, Shenzhen Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China

Longgang Qu, Shenzhen Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China

 

More places to stay

 

This post was originally published on the May 2, 2016 and last updated Feb 2019.

 

 

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