Shenzhen Bus and Rail

There are 5 land border crossings: Lok Ma Chau, Lo Wu, Sha Tau Kok, Man Kam To and Shenzhen Wan which is the new bridge across the bay..

Lo Wu is the only port for train connections and the most popular connections, operating daily from 6:30AM until midnight, so be aware that the last several trains do not go to Lo Wu. It is the last stop of the MTR East Rail Line. East Rail, which connects to downtown Kowloon at East Tsim Sha Tsui, is the only way to reach Lo Wu. As it is in a restricted area, Lo Wu Station is only for travelling to Shenzhen or beyond, so a visa or other travel document is required to travel there without being fined.

For people travelling to Futian and in particular the Free Trade Zone you may now take the train from Tsim Sha Tsui to Lok Ma Chau station -this is not the Lok Mau Chau border crossing -it is called FuTian KouAn and gets you directly to the Metro line 4 in Futian. The train follows the same route as the LuoHu one but turns off at the last station. This service only goes til 9:30 at night.

The MTR East Rail Line commuter train which connects East Tsim Sha Tsui to Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau with several intermediate stops mainly serves Hong Kong locals. It interchanges with the urban section of the MTR at Kowloon Tong Station and East Tsim Sha Tsui Terminal. For those traveling to or from Hong Kong Island, it is recommended to transfer to Cross Harbor Bus in Hung Hom Station or the Tsuen Wan Line at East Tsim Sha Tsui.

The journey from East Tsim Sha Tsui to Lo Wu takes 42 minutes and costs HK$33-36.50, first class is charged double. Trains depart every few minutes but some short trips are operated in rush hour, so check the destination screen before boarding. The train can be crowded during rush hours as it serves millions of commuters along the line as well.

For more details, check the MTR web site.

The road border crossings (such as Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang) are accessible by cross-boundary coaches from Hong Kong.

China Railway high-speed trains are available to Guangzhou, where there are more trains to the rest of China than are available in Shenzhen, not to imply Shenzhen's rail service is too limited. The CRH trains leave every thirty minutes during the day and tickets can be easily bought right before departure. Tickets can be purchased at CRH windows or at ticket machines.

Shenzhen Metro Bus

Local buses run everywhere and start at ¥2 for most trips. The longest bus trip in the city will cost ¥7. Smaller or "mini-"buses start at ¥3, they generally drop you off right at the door. The mini-buses were supposed to be phased out, but some are still operating. They have now been phased out within the Special Economic Zone but are still operating around outside of it. Most bus lines operate every 5 minutes. Be very careful of your wallet and try not to use your phone on a bus (it can get snatched out of your hand).