Shenzhen Shekou, China
Frequently Asked Questions
At the Prince Bay terminal in the Shekou district, a home port opened in 2016 and built for the largest ships, with two berths. Formalities are handled efficiently there.
Yes, and that is rare in China. The Sea World Culture and Arts Centre is a five-minute walk away, with design and architecture exhibitions; the adjoining square comes alive late in the day, terraces full and fountain shows in the evening.
Stay on the Shekou side: an exhibition at Sea World, a meal by the water and a walk along the landscaped waterfront fill half a day pleasantly, without the traffic risk of a run into the city.
Thirty to forty-five minutes from the port, depending on the hour. This is where you take the measure of the vertical city: towers to the horizon, stacked malls, immaculate urban parks. Leave a generous margin for the return, as traffic varies widely.
A fortified town absorbed by the urban grid over the decades, where old lanes sit beside new-generation cafés. The contrast between those alleys and the neighbouring skyscrapers tells Shenzhen's story better than any statistic.
Because less than half a century ago it was a fishing town facing Hong Kong. The creation of the Special Economic Zone in 1980 turned it into a metropolis of several million, one of the fastest-growing cities in modern history.
The neighbouring ferry terminal links Shekou to both in roughly an hour. Watch the border formalities and your all-aboard time, though: this is not an outing to improvise.
The yuan. Mobile payment rules the city and assumes a local account: bring cash in small notes or a card accepted locally, particularly for taxis.
Not much, outside tourist areas and the expatriate-friendly Shekou district. Translation apps help a great deal, and an address written in characters simplifies every taxi ride.
October to December, when the subtropical air turns dry and mild. Summer is hot and wet, with a typhoon risk from June to September: light clothing and an umbrella are then essential.
