josep

I have several days in Hong Kong, and I am thinking I could do a day trip (or even spend a night) in Shenzhen and then back.

Would you have any tips or recommendations? Is it worth it?

As per the latest info I have, it seems I do not need a Visa (I have a EU passport) but no idea if this is true or the border crossing is an issue if not planned in advanced

Happy to get your thoughts!

maalloc

Crossing the border with an eligible visa-free passport is not a problem.

If you cross during weekdays office hours, it might take you less than 30 minutes. Just grab a blue slip before entering the Foreigners Immigration queue, check "visa free" and you are good to go.

That said, I would not go through the hassle for just one day trip. Shenzhen is "HK on steroids", people don't speak english, you might not have access to your usual online services (mail, google, etc), Visa/Mastercards can't be used anywhere, so everything will be slower and more difficult. Plus driving/riding the MTR to the checkpoints is an hour-long trip that's not especially enjoyable.

If it's your first time in China/HK and are on a short stay, I'm not sure the time and energy you will spend will be better spent in SZ than in HK.
However, if you want to discover the mainland culture, hear some mandarin and such, do cross the border. But then you know 2 days is the bare minimum

889

Remember that not all "EU passports" are eligible.

josep

Thanks to both! Very useful.

I have been many times to Hong Kong, every time spending about 2-3 nights though, and was wondering if there is anything else that `i could explore beyond the usual places I always go to.

But given your messages, it looks like a day trip to Shenzen will be too much of a hassle; perhaps I just stick to HK and see how things have changed (or not) after my last visit before Covid.

Another thought I had was to go to Macau, but again, not keen on gambling, so not sure if it’s worth the trip.

I was in Macau about 15 years ago, when all the casinos were being built, and I thought the whole island looked like a huge construction site, nothing else.
But I also read people find the old town and the new areas interesting to visit.

maalloc

I can only speak for myself, but I had a good time visiting the old town of Macau.
This Portuguese-Chinese vibe is quite unique.

If you are not into gambling, that’s pretty much the only thing to see there. It can be a (tiring) day trip, or a resting trip with a night there.

It’s marginally easier than Shenzhen given that immigration is faster, HKD can be used there, and the internet you will get won’t be filtered. But it’s still quite a rush to be in and out the same day.

:D!

You can go hiking on Coloane and they have a light rail now - at least that's what I'm going to the next time I go. I've been to the old town many times and I doubt much has changed

ElevatorEnthusiast

You can absolutely use foreign Visa and MasterCard through Alipay or WeChat, which is how most Mainland establishments prefer payment.

US HK UK flyer

Second all of this, although I'm more enthusiastic about the old town of Macau. There is nothing quite like it (think "Chinese Europe") in the world. Macanese cuisine, a fusion of Portuguese and Cantonese influences, is also quite interesting. I will say that you actually may find better food/hospitality in Taipa (the Las Vegas-like casino area on the other side of the bridges)...there is a smaller colonial old town there (a pretty unique feature relative to Las Vegas!) with a bunch of good restaurants.

For Shenzhen I've been wanting to go myself, but the lack of visa free access for my country (and therefore the need to queue a long time for an expensive border visa) and the need to set up and load all kinds of different apps is kind of a barrier. Then there's language to consider; English isn't as prevalent in Macau as HK but my understanding is it's more widely spoken than in Shenzhen.

hkskyline

You can spend a whole day exploring Macau's old town and not just the famous church and the square in front of it and also avoid the souvenir markets entirely. There are a lot of very atmospheric side streets.

Shenzhen has decent museums nowadays and very modern and spacious shopping malls that are attracting Hong Kong customers with no dining time limits or table sharing, but for both you need WeChat to pre-book tickets, scan the menu, and pay for your meal. Then you need a local map service like Baidu but you need to be able to type Chinese or pingyin because Google is banned in China.

Guangzhou is a bit more interesting and perhaps more worth setting up your apps for.