What to see in Shenzhen
A young tech megacity, 14 minutes from Hong Kong

Picture walking around the world in a day — Window of the World is the famous miniatures park in OCT that gathers 130+ of the world's landmarks in one place: an Eiffel Tower about 108 metres tall that you can ride a lift up, the Egyptian pyramids, the Taj Mahal, the Colosseum, the Sphinx and the White House. There are shows and a parade after dark. To be honest it is kitschy photo fun rather than the real thing, but kids love it and the photo angles are everywhere. Come in the late afternoon into the evening for the best light and the night show. Allow at least a half day.

If Window of the World is the world, this is all of China in one place. Splendid China recreates the country's icons in miniature — the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Army and the Potala Palace — so you can tour the whole country on foot. Right next door is the Folk Culture Village, with replica homes of China's 56 ethnic groups, daily song-and-dance performances and a big evening show. The two parks share a single ticket and connect, so you can do both comfortably. It's ideal if you like history and culture and want to cover a lot in a half day.

For thrill-seekers this is the one — Happy Valley is the OCT group's big amusement park, packed with roller coasters of every kind, from its signature wooden coaster to the fast Bullet Coaster and plenty more white-knuckle rides. There are kids' zones, themed areas and evening shows, and in summer the Maya Water Park opens (separate ticket) for a full day in the water. Go on a weekday to dodge the queues, because weekends get packed and some rides have long waits. Allow a full day if you want to ride everything.

For Shenzhen with a bit of taste, come to OCT-LOFT — 1980s factories given a new life as the city's creative hub. The old brick buildings now hold art galleries, design studios, indie bookshops and nearly 300 specialty cafés and creative firms, with the OCAT contemporary art museum free to walk through. At weekends there's a creative market and the T Street market selling crafts and design pieces. You can wander and shoot photos for two to four hours, free to enter (you only pay for some exhibitions). It pairs perfectly with a café crawl through the district.

When you want a break from towers and theme parks, this is the city's breathing space — Shenzhen Bay Park runs about 13 kilometres along the bay in Nanshan, with a waterfront path and cycle lane for cycling, running or skating, mangroves and seabirds, and across the water the bridge to Hong Kong and Hong Kong's green hills on the skyline. You can rent a bike on site. To be honest it's a genuine locals' park — big, breezy and not a flashy check-in spot — but the sunset over the bay is lovely. Come in the late afternoon into the evening to unwind.

For a Shenzhen skyline view that costs nothing, this is it — Lianhuashan is a low hill in the Futian CBD, and a short walk up gets you to the summit with the best free CBD view in the city, looking straight down the line of the 599-metre Ping An tower and the Civic Center axis. On top stands a bronze statue of Deng Xiaoping, the man who turned Shenzhen into a Special Economic Zone, plus a kite-flying plaza where locals come to fly kites. Allow one to two hours. Go in the early evening to catch the sunset and the tower lights coming on — the night view beats the daytime one.

The thing that makes you look up — the Ping An Finance Centre is China's 4th-tallest tower at 599 metres, rising over the Futian CBD. The Free Sky observation deck is on the 116th floor (about 541 metres), with a glass floor and a 360-degree view across Shenzhen; on a clear day you can see Hong Kong out to the horizon. It's the highest, widest viewpoint in the city. Honestly, the weather is the deciding factor — on a hazy day you'll see almost nothing, so pick a clear day and go at sunset for the best of both, the city by day and the tower lights by night.

In the evening, Shekou has Shenzhen's most fun plaza — Sea World is built around the Minghua cruise ship (明华轮), a retired liner beached on land as the centrepiece. Around it is a dining-and-nightlife plaza full of international restaurants, rooftop bars and cafés that the city's expats love. The highlight is the fountain-light-music show performed every evening in front of the ship — free to watch. Nearby is the striking waterfront Sea World Culture & Arts Center. The plaza is free to wander; you only pay for food and drink. This is also near the Shekou ferry pier to Hong Kong. Come in the evening for the best of it.

If you think a tower city like Shenzhen has no sea, think again — Dameisha is the city's main public beach, on the east coast in Yantian. It has wide sand, a seaside promenade and the "Lovers" sculptures for photos. On summer weekends it gets seriously busy, tens of thousands of city dwellers coming to cool off in the water. Metro Line 8 was extended to the beach in late 2023, which makes getting here much easier. To be honest the water is OK rather than tropical-clear — come for the "sea by the city" vibe more than for snorkelling. (Xiaomeisha next door is a paid resort beach.)

Shenzhen has plenty to do in town, but its location opens up several more places — Hong Kong (香港) is the headline. The high-speed train from Futian Station to Hong Kong West Kowloon takes just ~14 minutes (carry your passport and check Hong Kong entry rules), or cross at the Luohu/Futian land borders. Guangzhou (广州) is ~30–45 minutes by high-speed train from Shenzhen North or Futian. Wutong Mountain (梧桐山) is the city's highest peak at 943 metres, a free in-city day hike with a sunrise crowd. Dapeng Fortress (大鹏所城) is a Ming-era walled town with quiet east-coast beaches, ~1.5 hr away. And Dongguan (东莞) is reachable by rail or metro.