How to get from Shenzhen airport to the city centre
Take Metro Line 11 from Airport Station (ζΊεΊη«). It costs CNY 2-10 one way in the ordinary carriage. Contactless Visa and Mastercard cards issued abroad, with small-amount no-PIN payment switched on, now work at every gate lane on the Shenzhen metro, so you can tap in without buying a ticket. When the metro has stopped, the choices are the night Airport Express buses, public bus M592, a taxi or online ride-hailing. We can also arrange a private car from the airport.
Shenzhen airport metro: Line 11 times and fare
Line 11 is also called the Airport Express. You board at Airport Station in both directions. The airport lists these times from Airport Station:
| Direction | First train | Last train |
|---|---|---|
| To Gangxia North (ε²ε¦εη«) | 05:52 | 00:02 |
| To Bitou | 06:30 | 00:04 |
| Partial route, to Airport North only | Not listed | 01:05 |
| Partial route, to Songgang only | Not listed | 00:45 |
The page adds that these times are subject to the Shenzhen Metro schedule, so treat the last trains as a guide and confirm them with Shenzhen Metro if you land close to midnight. Bao'an, Nanshan, Houhai and Futian stations are on the Gangxia North side of the line.
Board at the right station. The airport lists Airport Station and Airport North Station as two different stations. You want Airport Station, the first stop on both lists. Airport North is the second stop towards Bitou. The airport page gives no walking directions from the terminal to the station and does not say whether the station is inside the Ground Transportation Center (GTC).
Line 11 fare and business carriage
The airport lists CNY 2-10 one way for the ordinary carriage and CNY 6-30 for the business carriage. It does not give a fare to a named station such as Futian. Shenzhen Metro's fare rules work like this for the ordinary carriage: CNY 2 for the first 4 km, then CNY 1 per 4 km up to 12 km, CNY 1 per 6 km from 12 to 24 km, and CNY 1 per 8 km beyond 24 km. The business-carriage price is the ordinary fare plus a business-carriage fee, and is at most 3 times the ordinary fare.
Single tickets for the business carriage are sold at Line 11 station service centres and at dedicated machines at Futian and Airport stations. The ticket notes also say the highest single fare in the ordinary carriage across the network is CNY 15.
Day passes, children and seniors
- One-day pass CNY 25 and three-day pass CNY 75 are sold at Airport Station, among other stations. They are not refundable and do not cover the Line 11 business carriage.
- Children under 1.2 m or under 6 ride the ordinary carriage free, with ID. Children 1.2-1.5 m or aged 6-14 (with valid ID) pay half and must buy a child ticket at a station service centre or some self-service machines.
- People aged 60 and over ride the ordinary carriage free with listed documents. Shenzhen Metro's fare rules name a Chinese passport and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan documents; they do not mention foreign passports, so do not count on the free ride.
Can you pay for the Shenzhen metro with a foreign bank card?
Yes. Shenzhen Metro's news item of 22 September 2026 says that from 10 September 2026 all gate lanes on the whole network (17 lines, 432 stations) accept international bank cards by tapping. It names UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB, and cards from more than 200 countries and regions. The trial began on 30 June 2026.
- The card, or the phone wallet that holds it, must be contactless with small-amount no-PIN payment switched on.
- You do not need to change cash or buy a local transport card.
- International cards can also be tapped at the business-carriage validators for the Line 11 business carriage.
- Ticket machines were upgraded to take international cards for tickets, supplementary fares and exception handling.
- Two-language guides stand at 30 hub stations, including Airport Station and Gangxia North Station.
The news item says the system converts the exchange rate and charges the card automatically. It does not say what fee your own bank adds, so do not assume there is none. For cash and payment in general, see is cash accepted in China.
Shenzhen airport bus: Airport Express routes, fares and tickets
Buy tickets and board at Gate 17 of the GTC, at the Shenzhen Airport Express service counter next to Gate 17. You can also buy through the WeChat Official Account called Shenzhen Airport Express. The stop is named West Platform of the GTC. The airport's Airport bus page does not say where Gate 17 is relative to the arrivals hall. It also does not say whether the counter takes cash, Visa or Mastercard, or whether the WeChat account works for foreigners.
Routes from the airport, as listed (fares in CNY):
| Line | Last stop listed | Fare | Hours | Every |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA1 Futian | Science Museum Metro Bus Transfer Station | 25 | 22:30-05:00 next day | 20-30 min |
| A10 Futian Port | Futian Port City Terminal (two stops only) | 25 | 07:00-21:00 | 60 min |
| A3 Nanshan | Shenzhen Bay Port Parking Lot A | 20 | 00:00-04:00 only | 60-120 min |
| A4 Longgang | Longgang City Terminal | 35 | 07:00-04:00 next day | 20-30 min |
| A5 Pingshan | Yanzihu International Convention and Exhibition Center | 40 | 07:00-04:00 next day | 20-40 min |
| A2 Longhua | North Station West Square Emergency Parking Lot | 25 | 00:00-04:00 | 30-60 min |
| NA6 Guangming | Xinghe Tiandi Bus Station | 20 | 00:00-04:00 | 60 min |
| NA8 Buji | Rongchao Huayuan | 25 | 00:00-02:00 | 30-60 min |
| NA9 Yanluo | Yanluo Sub-district Stability and Security Comprehensive Management Center | 20 | 01:30-04:00 | 30-60 min |
| NA11 Bao'an Xixiang | Pingzhou Metro Station | 10 | 00:00-04:00 | 30-60 min |
The A3 trap: the page lists the A3 Nanshan Line only for 00:00-04:00. It is not a daytime route. The A3 stops are West Platform of the GTC, Heliport, Guimiao New Village, Binhai Zhichuang, Shenzhen Bay Sports Center and Shenzhen Bay Port Parking Lot A.
Going the other way, the airport says to buy tickets on the WeChat Official Account Shenzhen Airport Express and wait at specific bus stations. The return list calls the airport stop New Terminal of Shenzhen Airport.
Shenzhen airport to Futian Port and the Hong Kong border
Airport Express A10 goes to Futian Port City Terminal for CNY 25, with only two stops: the GTC West Platform and the terminal. It runs 07:00-21:00 every 60 minutes. In the other direction, A10 runs from the Futian Port City Terminal First and Last Bus Stop to the airport for CNY 25, 08:00-22:00 every 60 minutes. The airport page gives no border-crossing hours and no onward fares in Hong Kong. For those, see Hong Kong Shenzhen border crossings.
Shenzhen airport taxi and Didi pick-up points
Taxis pick up at Gate 13. Online ride-hailing (apps such as Didi) picks up at Gate 15. The airport lists both services as 0:00-24:00. The airport's taxi and online car-hailing page shows its taxi price table only as a picture, so the text has no taxi fares. We give no taxi or Didi price: use the meter, or the price shown in the app before you confirm.
Public bus from Shenzhen airport
Public buses board outside Gate 16 on the 2nd floor of the GTC.
- M592 to Ping'anju Bus Station: CNY 2, 24 hours. Every 20-30 minutes from 00:00 to 04:00, every 5-30 minutes from 04:00 to 24:00.
- M590 to Shenzhen Airport Ferry Terminal: CNY 2, 07:00-21:30, every 25-30 minutes.
The Bus page also lists M387 (CNY 2.5), A7 (CNY 10) and M527 (CNY 2-5). Their hours differ by direction and the column headings are unclear, so they are not repeated here. The page does not say how to pay on these buses.
Landing late at night: what still runs into the city
- After the last Line 11 trains: the NA1 Futian Line starts at 22:30 and runs to 05:00. Most other night lines run 00:00-04:00, and A4 and A5 run 07:00-04:00 the next day (see the table above).
- Last night bus: the page says its departure time is adjusted flexibly to the arrival time of the latest flight to Shenzhen.
- Round the clock: M592, taxis and online ride-hailing.
Before you reach immigration, see the China arrival card page. If you carry power banks, the rules for flying are in power bank rules for flights and trains. The airport's Subway, Airport bus and Bus pages give no journey times and no luggage rules for the metro or buses.
For what to do once you are in the city, see our Shenzhen travel guide.
