Shenzhen: free museums, priced parks
Shenzhen splits cleanly in two. The public half — the Shenzhen Museum (free, no reservation, walk in through security), Lianhuashan Park and the whole coastline — costs nothing. The commercial half, the OCT parks at 世界之窗 station, is priced like a business: ¥220 at Window of the World, ¥228 and up at Happy Valley, with none of the government senior policies that apply at public sites. Plan one of each and the day works.
Free admission with no reservation — visitors enter through security screening alone. Regular hours (restored 2026-09-01) are Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 with no entry after 17:30; closed Mondays for maintenance. Four venues: Jintian Road Hall (history & folklore, 0755-88125550), Tongxin Road Hall (ancient art, 0755-88132247), Shenzhen Reform & Opening-up Exhibition Hall (0755-82738315) and the Dongjiang Guerrilla Headquarters site (0755-25100385). During National Day 2026 (Oct 1–7) the Jintian Road and Tongxin Road halls ran extended hours 9:00–20:00 (last entry 19:30) while the other two venues kept 10:00–18:00; all four venues closed for maintenance on Sep 28 and Oct 8. Capacity limits apply when a hall nears its instantaneous maximum, so entry can be paused at peak times.
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深圳博物馆官网公告（shenzhenmuseum.com：2026-08-30停止暑期延时开放公告、2026-09-27国庆节期间开放公告） ⚠️ 与北京/成都/广州多数博物馆“免费但需实名预约”不同，深圳博物馆官方明确“通过安检即可入馆，无需预约”——对外国游客最友好，直接走安检进馆。⚠️ 周一闭馆维护，且节假日前后也可能加闭馆日（如2026年国庆前9月28日周一、节后10月8日周四闭馆维护）。⚠️ 四处场馆分馆运营、时间不同步：国庆延时仅金田路馆与同心路馆，改革开放展览馆与东江游击队指挥部旧址保持10:00-18:00——按场馆查时间，别按“深圳博物馆”一个时间跑。⚠️ 暑期曾有延时开放，2026-09-01起恢复常规；官方会另行公告调整。⚠️ 场馆地址：金田路馆福田区金田路4001号；同心路馆福田区同心路6号；改革开放展览馆福田区福中路184号（当代艺术与城市规划馆4-5楼）；东江游击队指挥部旧址罗湖区南庆街13号。Reviewer notes (conflicts, traps, old values)
The park's official site lists reference prices: full-day ticket ¥220 (any visitor; staying inside after dark covers the night session, all eight zones), night ticket ¥120 (entry after 18:00 only), and concession full-day ticket ¥110 for children, seniors and other qualifying groups; student, youth, college-student, parent-child and birthday half-price tickets are sold on the official mini-program (cross-check on Ctrip: student ¥168, youth ¥168, and ¥110 senior tickets specifically labelled for HK/Macau/Taiwan and overseas visitors). The park stresses that ticket types and final prices are set by the official WeChat mini-program on the day and may change for holidays and event windows — the autumn 2026 'Whimsical Season' event runs Sep 25–Nov 22. Opening times are around 9:00–9:30 to 21:30 with last entry about 20:30 (one official listing shows 9:00–22:30; event days differ).
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深圳世界之窗官方网站（szwwco.com 票务信息页） ⚠️ 官方自述价格为“参考价”，最终以“深圳世界之窗购票中心”小程序当日为准——世界之窗是市场化运营主题公园，档期价浮动（如2026年9月25日-11月22日“奇思狂想季”活动期）。⚠️ 双源分歧：深圳游客中心（shenzhentour.com）挂成人票210元/半价110元，官网与本地宝（2026-10-12更新）为全日220元/儿童长者110元/夜场平日120元、周末150元——取官方现行220元并记录210元旧值。⚠️ 夜场票120元仅18:00后可入园，想白天+夜景买全日票更划算（不出园可续玩夜场）。⚠️ 携程设有“全日票（港澳台及境外游客）”专属票种：老人110元、青少年168元、学生168元——外籍/境外游客有对应票种，购票时选对人群。⚠️ 咨询0755-26608000转8105。Reviewer notes (conflicts, traps, old values)
List price for the land-park full-day adult ticket is ¥260; prevailing online prices are about ¥228 on regular days and ¥240 on holiday dates, with night-session tickets around ¥159 (promos from ¥130–149). Shenzhen's official culture-and-tourism smart platform lists: full-day adult ¥220 (promo), child/senior full-day ¥120 (children 1.2–1.5 m or seniors 65–70), college-student full-day ¥185 (explicitly including foreign students enrolled at Chinese universities), birthday half-price ¥115, two-person full-day ¥430; free entry for children under 1.2 m and seniors 70+. Hours are 9:30–22:00 with the night session from 18:00. Entry is by swiping the registered ID document (a QR code alone is not accepted), and the land-park ticket does not include the separate Maya Water Park.
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深圳市文体旅游智慧服务网（szwen.cn 欢乐谷票务政策页）；南山区文化广电旅游体育局2026年活动发布（全日票228元/夜场159元）；携程及本地宝票价（挂牌260元、平日228元、节假日240元） ⚠️ 价格多源：挂牌260元（本地宝2026-02/2026-06引“原价260元”）vs 线上平日228元、节假日240元 vs 政府智慧平台优惠票220元 vs 本地宝2026-10更新“成人240元起”——记录全部，读者面值取“线上平日约228元、节假日240元、挂牌260元”。⚠️ 大学生票185元明确含“外籍在中国高校就读留学生”（政府平台原文），是在华外籍留学生少有的明文优惠。⚠️ 夜场/全天票仅含陆公园，玛雅海滩水公园需单独购票且不通用（本地宝2026-10-02：水公园成人平日130元、周末150元）。⚠️ 刷证入园：预订时预留的身份证件需现场刷，仅二维码不可入园（OTA购票规则）——外国游客购票时确认护照是否可作预留证件。⚠️ 免票：1.2米（含）以下儿童、70周岁（含）以上老人；残疾人士按深圳市政府及集团规定执行。Reviewer notes (conflicts, traps, old values)
Shenzhen attraction tickets at a glance
Official published prices. Where a season boundary exists it is named in the catch column — boundaries differ from site to site across China, and an official "off-peak" window can still be a crowded one.
| Attraction | Ticket (official) | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Shenzhen Museum (four venues) | Free; no reservation | Closed Mondays; four venues, different hours |
| Window of the World | ¥220 full day / ¥120 night (from 18:00) | Official mini-program price is final; event surcharges |
| Happy Valley | ¥228 online weekday / ¥240 holiday; night ¥159 | Student ¥185 incl. foreign students in China; water park separate |
| Lianhuashan Park | Free; open 6:00–23:00 | Best free CBD-axis view; last entry 22:30 |
Lianhuashan Park's Deng Xiaoping statue plaza looks straight down the city's central axis at the whole Futian skyline, it is free, and it stays open to 23:00. Take the metro to Lianhuashan and skip the paid observation decks entirely.
Getting around
The museums and civic centre sit in Futian (Civic Center station); the OCT parks — Window of the World, Happy Valley, Splendid China — share one stop in Nanshan, an easy ride on Line 1. Dameisha beach is the classic half-day east, Xichong the better one if you have a full day.
Cross-border trips are part of Shenzhen's geography: Hong Kong is one metro-and-train hop away, which is why so many itineraries treat the pair as one destination.
Entry swipes the registered ID document. A QR code alone is refused at Happy Valley — foreign visitors should confirm passport registration when booking. The ¥185 student ticket explicitly covers foreign students enrolled at Chinese universities, one of the few discounts in China that names foreign nationals. Window of the World quotes "reference prices" — the official site defers to the WeChat mini-program for the final price, and the ¥120 night ticket only admits after 18:00.
A day count that works
- Day 1: Shenzhen Museum in the morning, Lianhuashan Park at sunset, Futian in the evening.
- Day 2: Window of the World in the evening (night ticket) or Happy Valley as a full day.
- Day 3: Dameisha or Xichong beach — or cross into Hong Kong.
Shenzhen guides on this site
The first Shenzhen guide is in production — the fact library for all 4 documented sites above is already verified.
The full attractions index shows which guides are live and which are in production.
Frequently asked questions
- Which Shenzhen museum needs no reservation?
- The Shenzhen Museum — all four venues — is free and walk-in through a security screening, which makes it the rare major Chinese museum with no booking. It closes Mondays (plus occasional maintenance days around holidays), and the venues keep different hours, so check the branch you are visiting.
- Do foreign students get discounts in Shenzhen?
- At Happy Valley, yes: the ¥185 college-student ticket explicitly covers foreign students enrolled at Chinese universities. Almost everywhere else — Window of the World, the OCT parks generally, city museums — concessions are tied to Chinese-issued ID cards, and foreign adults pay full price.
- Is the Window of the World night ticket worth it?
- The ¥120 night ticket admits from 18:00 and covers the park's lit-up scale models and shows, which is when the place looks best. Full-day entry is ¥220. Prices are officially "reference prices" confirmed by the mini-program, and seasonal events can shift them — check the day before.
Page last reviewed: 2026-10-17.