Shenzhen for five nights--help!

My wife, 18-month-old daughter, and I will be in Shenzhen for five nights in early December, and we're not sure what to do with the time after the first day or two. We booked five nights at the Hyatt Place in a rush--we needed to get the accommodations set in order to get our Chinese visa--and now we're not sure what to do with the time. We like adventure, and we're interested in seeing the countryside, but we're not sure how much there is for non-business travelers to the city. We go to Guangzhou afterward, and we feel better about that.

(We're in Hong Kong for a month, so we don't need to come back here, and we'd go to Macau but we only have a single-entry visa for China.)

Thanks for your help!

Shenzhen isn't really a tourist destination.
Are you going there from HK? If so, maybe you do not need a visa as you can get a 5-day visa at the border (only valid in Shenzhen).

I also wouldnt know what to do in Shenzhen for 5 days. Cheap(for hong kong) shopping, massage, spas only go so far.

There are some ammusement parks, but I am guessing your 18month old wont be too interested.

There are some parks, but I imagine you would find much better/less crowded in HK or further inland.
Fairy Lake Botanical Gardens is supposed to be the best urban park in the city.

We like adventure, and we're interested in seeing the countryside

And you booked 5 nights in one of China's largest and most modern cities?

So you are only staying in Shenzhen because you have a booking? You don't have to follow the itinerary that you gave to get your visa. Once you have it you can go anywhere. Surely the Hyatt will allow you to change your booking? Maybe they have hotels elsewhere that you can book instead.

Thanks for the responses. Violets, you just addressed my next question—what if we don’t go to Shenzhen (and go to Beijing instead, for example)? The Chinese authorities don’t track your accommodations through your visa/we wouldn’t need to report the change?

Thanks!

what if we don’t go to Shenzhen (and go to Beijing instead, for example)?

Then you go to Beijing and get to see one of China's great sights

The Chinese authorities don’t track your accommodations through your visa/we wouldn’t need to report the change?

No they dont. You do have to register wherever you stay or stay in approved hotels, but they dont track you against where you said you were going to stay in your visa.

You could have made bookings on something like Booking.com just to get the visa then cancelled for free. Didn't even have to be where you are actually going. Standard advise to anyone who asks before applying for the visa.

Shenzhen is a soulless city. There is nothing worth spending 5 days there for I wouldn't spend half as long there and I have numerous friends (Including 3 ex girlfriends) that live there now. There are, however, a few places within easy day-trip distance that might make it bearable (Kaiping/Guangzhou/etc).

When you say that you intend to go to Guangzhou after Shenzhen I assume that you mean that you have applied for and been granted an full tourist visa and you haven't just applied for that strange Shenzhen only visa. If that is the case; then you can now rip up the itinerary you gave the Chinese embassy and go where you like. I can't say for sure but I suspect doing the same would not be so simple with a Shenzhen only visa as there must be some sort of noticeable difference.

If you are in Hong Kong for a month before entering the Mainland, you can easily go to Macau from there and re-enter HK without an issue (Unless you hold one of a VERY small number of passports that restrict your HK access).

Shenzhen is a soulless city. There is nothing worth spending 5 days there for I wouldn't spend half as long there and I have numerous friends (Including 3 ex girlfriends) that live there now. ...

You don’t mean Shenzhen is good for dumping my girlfriends, 3 times?

Shenzhen is a soulless city. There is nothing worth spending 5 days there for I wouldn't spend half as long there and I have numerous friends (Including 3 ex girlfriends) that live there now. ...

You don’t mean Shenzhen is good for dumping my girlfriends, 3 times?

No. I mean that it's the place that women seem to want to go after they dump ME. :(

Shenzhen is not that bad, actually. it is not a tourist city and it is just a very new city, but you can find something to do. and in december the weather will be not too hot, like spring. I raccomand you to take a walk at Shenzhen bay park, it is near the sea, starting from the Mangrove seashore ecology park, the park is very nice and not too crowded during the week...you have a little daughter, so take a sun umbrella with you if you go there.
There are some very tuorist places, like Window of the world and very close to it there is Splendid China folk village, and then Sea world and Oct harbour...the last tow have many westrn restaurant and there are just turist..but at night they are nice because of the lights and there are some fountain and light shows.
Very famous is also the painting village of Dafen, and if you like modern art you can take a look at the OCT-Loft.
Actually Shenzhen is a very green city, there are many parks, and many mountains..but I didn't visit them yet. The Zhongshan park is very nice and in front of it you can find the Dutch flower market, anice flower market but kind of funny coz it is in european style.
Not so far from Shenzhen there is the Dapeng fortress, I haven't been there yet, but it is in my plan. It is an old village that must be interesting to visit.
There are also some Hakka village, like in the Pingshan district.
I hope this can be useful for you, remember that Shenzhen is a typical very big city, so it takes time to go around, so 5 days can be not that long time for visit it ^^
have a good day and good trip
Monica

Just so other are clear-

You can book accommodations/reservations for the purpose of the Visa Application, then once you get your Passport Back, cancel them do what ever you want. If you stay in a AirBnB, you will need to register as a foreigner at a local police station. But if you stay at any hotel, they take your info and pass it on the authorities and and you don't have to do anything.

I don't see any need to stay in that city longer than needed. Maybe get a flight to Shanghai or Beijing, check C-Trip.

US Citizens can now got a 10 year Visa, 60 days per stay, for almost the same cost as a single visit Visa. Same for Chinese citizens visiting the USA. My father in Law just got his USA 10 year Visa, to visit us in Chicago and also tour the country at his whim. The difference for Chinese is they have to update their info for Chinese authorities every 2 years.

Also, if you are just passing thru China, you get a 72 Hour Visa on Arrival at some of the major cities, Beijing, Shanghai, but Goungzhou not sure...

The visa, once you get it, allows you to go just about anywhere in China (except Tibet among others). Shenzhen does not compare at all with a place like Beijing.

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