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China

Shenzhen

A fishing village turned tech hub on Hong Kong's doorstep. On the intercity railway, your passport is the ticket.

Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX)

Metro Line 11 runs straight from the airport into the city. The last city-bound train leaves at 00:02, and after that four night Airport Express coach routes still cover the city.

Updated on August 24, 2026

  • Until Dec 31, 2026

    Overseas card tap-to-ride is still a trial

    Tapping in with an overseas card is a trial that started at the end of June 2026, and it works only at gates carrying the acceptance sticker. Each station opened with two of them; the plan is every line by the end of August and every gate within the year.

How to ride

  1. 1
    Pick the metro or an Airport Express coach
    Line 11 is quickest for Futian and Nanshan; the Airport Express coaches cover Longgang, Pingshan, Guangming and the night hours.
  2. 2
    Board Line 11 towards Hongling South
    That is the city-bound direction; trains towards Bitou head north to Bao'an and Shajing instead.
  3. 3
    Tap through the gates
    Shenzhen Tong, a QR ride code or a single ticket all work; an overseas card only at gates with the acceptance sticker.
  4. 4
    Stop at the customer service centre with big bags
    Bags over 20kg need a luggage ticket, and the counter's card terminal takes overseas cards.
  5. 5
    Buy Airport Express tickets at door 17
    Buy before boarding. Coming back from the city, the official route is the WeChat account, not a counter.
  6. 6
    Board at the taxi or ride-hailing doors
    The taxi rank is outside door 13 on level 2 of the GTC; ride-hailing waits by door 15 on the south side. Both run 24 hours.

Fares

Single fares12

Metro Line 11, ordinary carriage (one way)
No airport surcharge - it is the ordinary distance fare; about CNY 7-8 to the city centre.
2〜14 CNY ≈ $0.3–2
Metro Line 11, business carriage (one way)
Only Line 11 has one. It needs its own ticket, sold from a dedicated machine at Airport station.
6〜30 CNY ≈ $0.9–5
Airport Express coach, Guangming (A6)
09:00-04:00 from the airport, one flat fare all the way to the Guangming city terminal.
20 CNY ≈ $3
Airport Express coach, Futian Checkpoint (A10)
Runs to the Hong Kong land border, 07:00-20:30 from the airport, about every 90 minutes.
25 CNY ≈ $4
Airport Express coach, Longgang (A4)
07:00-04:00 from the airport, every 20-30 minutes, calling at Ailian metro station.
35 CNY ≈ $5
Airport Express coach, Pingshan (A5)
07:00-04:00 from the airport, but the gap between coaches runs from 20 minutes to three hours.
40 CNY ≈ $6
Airport Express night coach, Futian and Luohu (NA1)
22:30-05:00, through the city centre past Diwang Tower and Hubei to Huangbeiling.
25 CNY ≈ $4
Airport Express night coach, Longhua (NA2)
00:00-04:00, ending at the west plaza of Shenzhen North station; the T302 covers the reverse at dawn.
25 CNY ≈ $4
Airport Express night coach, Buji (T308)
00:00-04:00 by way of Yinhu and Shenzhen East station, ending at Dafen metro station.
25 CNY ≈ $4
Airport Express night coach, Bao'an and Nanshan (T314)
00:00-02:30 every 30 minutes, a loop through Nantou Old Town and Hi-Tech Park and back to the airport.
15 CNY ≈ $2
City bus M590 (airport to the ferry pier)
Link to the pier for Hong Kong and Macao sailings; 07:00-21:30 from the airport, 07:30-22:00 from the pier.
2 CNY ≈ $0.3
Cross-border coach to Hong Kong
The fare depends on the destination; about two hours, and you clear immigration yourself.
120〜170 CNY ≈ $18–26

Estimates use exchange rates as of November 3, 2026

Line 11's business-class car; it needs its own ticket, sold at a dedicated machine. Taken Jun 2019 © Sparktour・CC BY-SA 4.0

Payment

Tap to ride Line 11 gates that carry the acceptance sticker
VISAMastercardJCBAmex銀聯
The trial only opened at the end of June 2026
Phone wallet Unverified
Media reports say phone wallets work, but no operator rule says so
Card payment at machines
DiscoverVISADinersMastercardJCBAmex
The counter's card terminal sells tickets, Airport station included
Card payment on board The readers on the city buses that serve the airport
銀聯
The official list of physical cards stops at UnionPay; no global brand appears
IC card
Shenzhen Tong takes 5% off the ordinary-carriage metro fare
App tickets
Airport Express tickets are sold through the WeChat account
QR ticketing
Ride codes need a Chinese app, and they carry no metro discount
Paper tickets
Singles from machines or the counter; business ones need the dedicated machine
Cash
City buses take cash and give no change; the metro machines are unconfirmed

Quick facts

Hours
City-bound 05:36-00:02
Fares from
2 CNY+

Heads-up

  • Tickets back to the airport come from WeChat

    Leaving the airport you can buy an Airport Express ticket at the counter beside door 17. Going the other way the official channel is the WeChat account, and you wait at the ordinary bus stop for your pick-up point.

Timetable

Operating hours City-bound 05:36-00:02
Check the official site for the latest times and service status
Editor Naotaka