4 Days Guangzhou Shenzhen Explorer Tour by Bullet Train
Feel the Similarity and Difference between the Two Modern Metropolises
Feel the Similarity and Difference between the Two Modern Metropolises
You may be curious about why putting Guangzhou and Shenzhen together? Here are the reasons! Guangzhou and Shenzhen, situated in the core position of Pearl River Delta, neighboring Hong Kong to the south, is about 137 kilometers away well linking by high speed train within 1 hour.
Guangzhou and Shenzhen have been ranked among one of the four biggest cities in China, after Beijing and Shanghai. They both feature in "modernity", "creativity" and "industrial cluster", with super skyscrapers stretching to the sky, bringing incredible GDP numbers. A visit to "City of Rams" and "Silicon Valley of China", you can witness the fast development of China and see the future of China.
Slow down your pace to taste the differences, and you may find Guangzhou is more livable than Shenzhen. Guangzhou has a history over 2200 years, well kept the amazing Lingnan culture in its unique way. It is low-key, warm and close to you. While, Shenzhen belongs to a City of Migrants where you can feel the power of a young city embracing different kinds of culture, offering opportunity to the hardworking and ambitious, creating miracles of Shenzhen Speed. Let’s see, explore and taste!
Day 1 Guangzhou Arrival
Flight / Train to Guangzhou
Ni Hao! Welcome to Guangzhou, the third largest city in China. Upon arrival, you will be met by your local guide at the arrival hall of the airport or train station. Then, be escorted to check in your hotel in downtown by a private comfortable car. The rest of today is on your own to explore this modern metropolis. If you want to explore nearby, feel free to get some practical suggestions from your tour guide.
Arrival Ideas: Guangzhou is a large international city with great transportation connections including many international and domestic flights to and from. Furthermore, high speed trains are quite convenient from most domestic cities including Hong Kong (about 1 hour), Shenzhen (0.5-1.5 hours), Guilin (2.5-3.5 hours), Guiyang (4-6.5 hours), Beijing (8-10 hours), Shanghai (7-8.5 hours), Chengdu (9-10 hours), Xian (8-9 hours), Hangzhou (6-7.5 hours), and so on.
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
Day 2 Guangzhou (B, L)
Yuexiu Park - Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall - Chen Clan Ancestral Hall - Shamian Island - Huacheng Square
After breakfast, your local guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. Start to explore the old and new Guangzhou City from Yuexiu Park, the largest city park in Guangzhou. Stroll leisurely in the verdant park to see the Five Rams Statue from which you will savor the interesting legendary story of the five rams and know why Guangzhou is called the “City of Rams”. Then, continue to appreciate a five-storey ancient structure in red - Zhenhai Tower which was changed as Guangzhou Museum. Have a brief learning about Guangzhou’s over 2000 years’ history and if you like, climb up the tower to get a bird’s-eye view of Guangzhou City. After the morning stretching with fresh air, move your steps to the nearby Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall which was built in memory of the great revolutionist Sun Yat-sen. Enjoy the Chinese and Western combining styled octagon-shaped main building in bright red and blue from outside. Enter the hall to know Dr. Sun deeper with excellent exhibitions of his biography and contribution to the country and people, and get a simple learning about the contemporary history of China in the 18th - 19th centuries. Before leaving, admire the 5.5-meter tall bronze statue of Dr. Sun outside in the yard and show your respect to this world famous great Father of the Nation in China.
In this afternoon, visit the must-see Chen Clan Ancestral Hall which is regarded as the largest, most beautifully decorated and best preserved traditional ancestral temple in Guangdong Province. Roam among the tranquil houses and courtyards built during 1888-1894 to discover its architectural origin and find out whether it was an ancestral hall or an academy for the Chen Family in Guangdong initially. Since it is famous as the “Pearl of Lingnan Architectural Art”, you will taste the super exquisite colorful decorations of vivid patterns of various flora and fauna, figures and immortals to feel the highly skillful construction and decoration of Lingnan people and know their typical folk culture and best wishes of harvest and prosperity in ancient China. Later, be transferred for about 10 minutes’ driving to see the quite different Shamian Island where over 150 European styled old buildings from the colonial period from 19th century are well preserved for a nice savory. Take a relaxing walk in the strongly exotic street block in emerald and imagine the past life and changes of Guangzhou told by those historical remains.
After the exploration, be transferred to the urban central axis in Zhujiang New Town to see the modern cityscape of Guangzhou at Huacheng Square. Have a leisure stroll between the glittery skyscrapers and peculiar shaped modern buildings to feel the fast development of this metropolis, including Guangzhou IFC Tower, CTF Finance Center, Guangdong Museum, Guangzhou Grand Theater, etc. Most importantly, appreciate the slim outline of the iconic Canton Tower on the opposite bank of Pearl River.
After the tour, be escorted back to your hotel.
Day 3 High Speed Train from Guangzhou to Shenzhen (B, L)
Ping'an Finance Center - Shenzhen Museum - Splendid China Folk Village
After breakfast, drive about 2 hours to Shenzhen. Your amazing Shenzhen tour starts. First, you will see the modern face of Shenzhen by getting atop the 600-meter tall skyscraper - Ping’an Finance Center. It is the tallest building in Shenzhen, the second tallest building in China and the 4th tallest building in the world. Reach Free Sky at 116th floor to catch a panoramic view of Shenzhen as well as overlook Hong Kong in far distance. Afterwards, be driven to Shenzhen Museum for a better understanding about this migrant city turning from a fishing village to the first-tier class metropolis in China within 40 years. Enjoy many informative displays and learn the history from ancient times to modern life.
In this afternoon, be transferred to Splendid China Folk Village to have a glimpse of vast China and experience the colorful culture of ethnic minorities of China. Walk and recognize the iconic sites in Splendid China Miniature Park which is composed of 82 reproductions of beautiful scenery, grand architecture, historical sites and traditional dwellings of China. You won’t miss Forbidden City, Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, Potala Palace, Mogao Caves, Li River, Leshan Giant Buddha, Stone Forest etc. Traveling across China within short time, you’ll be enchanted with China’s profound history, culture, natural beauty, palaces, temples and pagodas in one go. Then, take a stroll at China Folk Culture Village to explore 27 different ethnic villages built with the proportion of 1:1, experience brilliant culture, unique folk customs and hospitality of the ethnic groups. Watch interesting performances at their villages at the scheduled time. If your time allows, enjoy the fantastic performance called “New Oriental Neon Costumes” at Impression China Theater at 17:00, and “Dragon and Phoenix Dance” at Phoenix Square at 19:30.
After the tour, be escorted to your hotel for a good rest.
Day 4 Shenzhen Departure (B)
Flight / Train off Shenzhen
After breakfast, your guide and driver will escort you to the airport / train station to catch the flight / train to your next destination or home. Service ends!
Shenzhen-Hong Kong Departure Ideas: Shenzhen borders Hong Kong in the south well linked by high speed train, metro, or coach/bus. There are 10 checkpoints you can select to leave for Hong Kong from Shenzhen. If you need more info, please feel free to contact our professional travel consultants.
1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel
and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your
traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of
currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 6.85. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change
according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.
Hi Mr Wang,
Thanks! I had a weekend away to Xi’an, China to celebrate my birthday. It was an exciting weekend and it was certainly something off the beaten trail for most of my friends. The itinerary you have suggested provided good coverage of the city’s rich history. From the fascinating Terracotta Army to the City Walls to the sacred Mount Hua, to the Muslim Quarter to the Drum & Bell Towers, there’s an interesting story from every historical era in Xi’an. I managed to hike up Mount Hua from North Peak to West Peak, but I didn’t get to do the dangerous plank walk as it was closed.
The hotel Eastern House was very accessible too with food places within steps and its proximity to the Drum Tower is a plus. The room was very clean and comfortable.
At this point, I have to quickly mention our amazing tour guide Betty Jiao Yan who was assigned to us as part of our private tour package. She made our time feel so very special and I wonder if Xi'an would have been as awesome without her. She had such a positive and caring nature and when we had to say goodbye, we felt very sad. It was strange to miss a guide after only knowing her for 5 days! Luckily we still keep in touch on WeChat. Our driver Mr Ma was very polite, punctual and accommodating, making our travel a pleasant experience
Anne
Hi Jack,
Thanks. The Harbin and Snow Town trip was excellent and very enjoyable. We are now in Japan skiing, and will send our feedback upon our return on 31st Jan.
Best wishes
Leong
Hi Rita,
From my end, everything is remarkable! Jane is amazing! She really make us feel welcome.
All the hotels were amazing too! My parents also very impressed.
I will definitely reaching out again, next time when I visit China. There’s many more places I want to visit.
Best regards,
Jefry
Dear Rita,
We are home. Thanks for arranging this nice trip. Everything worked out nicely except the smoking room problem in Chengde.
Thanks again.
John
Hi Rita,
In response to your enquiries, we had a wonderful experience with the tour arrangements in both Guilin and Yangshuo. Both the tour guide and driver were very professional and handled the arrangements well.
I am surely recommending any friends or relatives who are interested in travelling to China in future to use China Discovery. Also, will be looking at other destinations for ourselves too.
Thanks once again for the wonderful experience.
Kwan
We are one of the few China travel agencies who have kept active and received lots of feedbacks and reviews during pandemic years
"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.
Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.
Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!
After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.
Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.
We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.
Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.
Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.
Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!
Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!
Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.
Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!
In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!
The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.
If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.
Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.
We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.
The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.
There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.
All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
Yuexiu Park Five Rams Statue
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Guangzhou
Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family
European Styled Historical Architecture at Shamian Island
Huacheng Square - To See Stunning Guangzhou Skyline and Canton Tower
Ping'an Financial Center
Splendid China Folk Village
Shenzhen Museum
To witness the fast development and feel the high technologies of Shenzhen, it is a good idea to spend 1 to 2 days here. Parts of travelers choose to do a day tour from Hong Kong, while some travelers choose to do a day tour from Guangzhou. Or, you can add Shenzhen into a Greater Bay Area tour (Hong Kong - Macau - Shenzhen - Guangzhou).
Since May 1, 2019, Guangdong Province has been implementing 144-hour visa-free policy for nationals from 53 countries. The qualified travelers can enter Guangdong via its three airports - Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport, and exit via the province’s 32 ports. Learn more about 144-hour visa-free policy >>
Shenzhen does offer Visa on Arrival for special visitors, so whether you can get it depending on your own situation. Shenzhen Visa on Arrival (VOA) is also called Shenzhen Port Visa, which merely allows foreigners to apply for visa at the certain entry ports on arrival, visa application procedure and appropriate visa fees are still needed.
5-Day Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Tourist Visa is a special type of VOA visa for Shenzhen, and tourists may also apply for Group Visa at the border to visit Shenzhen with other cities in China. Most foreigners are eligible for the 5-Day Shenzhen Visa, but citizens from the following 25 countries are NOT allowed to apply for the Shenzhen SEZ Port Visa, they are: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Cameroon, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Uganda, Yemen. Travelers can choose Shenzhen Boa’an International Airport, Luohu Port, Huanggang Port, Shekou Port and Futian Port to apply. Know more about how to get Shenzhen 5-day visa on arrival >>
Flights, high speed trains and ferries are plenty that you can choose your way best suit for you and your group. Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport is about 45 kilometers northwest of city center of Shenzhen.
● At present, it has flights to/from 27 international cities & regions, 108 domestic cities and 4 cities in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan area. Travelers can take international flights from/to Hong Kong, Taipei, Macau, Sydney, Auckland, Melbourne, Seoul, Cheju, Phuket, Los Angeles, Frankfurt, Singapore, Bangkok, Hanoi, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Milan, and so on to Shenzhen. Besides, there are many flights linking Shenzhen with many domestic cities of China, including Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Lijiang, Lanzhou, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Tianjin, Luoyang, Zhangjiajie, Guiyang, Zhengzhou, Urumqi, Taiyuan, Hohhot, Harbin, Haikou, etc. Taking flight to Shenzhen is quite convenient and time-saving.
● Taking high speed train to Shenzhen is a very popular way to reach Shenzhen, with great comfort and convenience. No matter you travel within Guangdong Province to Shenzhen or from other destinations all over China, Shenzhen is well linked by train. You can go to Shenzhen from Guangzhou (0.5 hour), Hong Kong (14 minutes), Zhuhai (2 hours), Shanghai (8-11.5 hours), Beijing (8-11.5 hours), Guilin (3 hours), Yangshuo (2.5 hours), Guiyang (5-5.5 hours), Xian (9.5 hours), Xiamen (3-3.5 hours), Changsha (3-3.5 hours), Wuhan (4.5-5 hours) and more cities in China.
Several best ways are provided to travel between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, including high speed train, metro, coach/bus or private car.
● By high speed train: The most convenient and fastest way to go between. Travelers can take high speed train from Hong Kong West Kowloon Railway Station to Shenzhen Futian Railway Station or vice versa. Travelers need to be checked your valid documents at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station no matter you leave or enter Hong Kong. The high speed train journey takes only 14 minutes.
● By metro: Travelers can take Hong Kong MTR East Rail Line to arrive at Luo Wu Station. Then, go through the immigration at Luohu Port (06:30-24:00) to enter Shenzhen. It is suitable for independent travelers.
● By coach/bus: There are some cross-border buses serving from many stations in Hong Kong to Huanggang Port, including Wan Chai, Prince Edward, Kam Sheung Road, and Hong Kong International Airport. However, crossing this Huanggang Port by cross-border buses, you need to get off the bus when arrive at the port and go through the clearance procedure with all your luggage and belongings. After your customs clearance, come out from the customs building and get on the bus to Shenzhen.
● By private car: If you go with China Discovery, we’ll normally use Huanggang Port or Shenzhen Bay Port to go through the immigration.
Most travelers choose Luohu District and Futian District to stay in Shenzhen. Luohu District is the city center of Shenzhen, close to Shenzhen Railway Station/Luohu Port. Futian District settles in the middle of Luohu District and Nanshan District. It is very suitable for travelers who want to take high speed trains at Futian Railway Station. Many hotels ranging form high-end one to budgets one can be found in these areas.
China’s Greater Bay Area covers Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong Province (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing). Among all the cities and routes, Hong Kong - Macau - Shenzhen - Guangzhou is the most popular way to see all the highlights in the bay area, taking about 8 days.
Different people come to Shenzhen for different reasons. No matter you are businesspersons, family with kids, layover transiting, Shenzhen has something to offer. To travel beyond Shenzhen, you can head to Guilin, Zhangjiajie, Shanghai,Xian, Beijing and other destinations in China. Please feel free to tell us any idea you are thinking about, and our professional travel expert from China Discovery will help you plan your Shenzhen Guangzhou China trip with sincerity and rich experience and knowledge!
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