Overview & preparation
Getting around: the basic options
Use metro, DiDi, taxis or buses for the main journey. A shared pedal bicycle can cover a short final leg if your account, route and return point all work.
Before you set off
- ✓Keep your destination address available in Chinese as well as English.
- ✓Expect app, ticketing and payment requirements to vary.
- ✓A metro station can have several exits; a pickup location can differ from the address you searched for.
When you need the actual next step
- ✓Use the ride or metro action guide for booking, pickup, tickets, entry and recovery.
- ✓For a shared bicycle, check a permitted destination parking point before unlocking. After locking, confirm the order has ended; a parked bike can still be charging.
- ✓Do not accept unsolicited rides from strangers. Use recognized services and official airport or station signage.
Free sample · From the complete guide
Try this part of your Shenzhen journey
Your Shenzhen metro ride
Find the station and payment symbol
At SZX, Line 11 is inside the GTC. Elsewhere, save the Chinese station name and exit letter. At the gate, find the pad marked with your card network and the contactless symbol; do not insert the card into the yellow single-journey-ticket slot.
Tap once and keep the same medium
Tap your physical card or phone wallet; check the green/open signal. Use exactly that card or device at exit. If a bank card fails, try another supported contactless card or ask the station service centre for a ticket.
Read line direction and any business-class sign
Check the destination terminus before boarding. On Line 11, the business-class waiting area has a separate validator; a second tap is needed for that product and entails its own fare. Stay in the ordinary section if you do not want it.
Transfer and leave by the correct exit
Follow 换乘 / Transfer without leaving the paid area unless signed. Choose the destination's exact exit; Futian Station, Futian Checkpoint and Futian Railway Station are different places despite the similar names.
Visual example · The exact card-touch point
Tap an image to enlarge the original.
About this excerpt
Selected from Take Shenzhen Metro and Line 11. Guide updated October 5, 2026. App labels and local arrangements can change.
Inside the Full Guide
Included in the Full Shenzhen Guide, together with this city’s Quick Cards.
- Take Shenzhen Metro and Line 11
- Use DiDi and Official Taxis in Shenzhen
- Related Quick Cards
All three journey stages
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