Private Shenzhen Tech Tour
- Duration3 hours
- Daily
- Private
- Pickup available
- Fair, honest prices
- Real people, not bots
- Confirm, then pay
- Secure payment
Overview
This private Shenzhen tech tour shows you the city that turned from fishing villages into China's hardware capital, through experiences rather than museums. With your own bilingual English-speaking guide, you ride in a driverless robotaxi, watch your snack arrive by delivery drone, try humanoid robots, exoskeletons and new gadgets at an innovation centre, and visit the flagship stores of leading Chinese tech brands. The full-day option also includes an hour in Huaqiangbei, the giant electronics market, and a robot showroom where robots make coffee and play the piano. A taxi picks you up from your address, fare included. Only your party joins, the guide translates and helps with every app, and the pace follows your curiosity, ideal for families with older children, couples and friends.
Highlights
- Ride in a real driverless robotaxi through the Nanshan tech district
- Order a snack on a phone and watch it land by delivery drone
- Hands-on robots, exoskeletons and 3D printers at an innovation centre
- Flagship stores of leading Chinese phone, drone and electric-vehicle brands
- An hour in Huaqiangbei, the giant electronics market
- Robot showroom where robots make coffee and play the piano
- Your own bilingual guide, translator and app helper for the day
- Taxi pickup from your address, fare included
Full Description
Shenzhen: from fishing villages to China's hardware capital
In 1980 Shenzhen became China's first Special Economic Zone, a cluster of farming and fishing villages across the river from Hong Kong. Within a few decades it grew into a megacity of more than seventeen million people and the place where much of the world's electronics is designed, prototyped and built. Today its Nanshan district is home to the headquarters of major phone, drone, gaming and electric-vehicle companies.
Is Shenzhen worth visiting for a day or two? For anyone curious about technology, absolutely: nowhere else can you ride a driverless taxi, receive food by drone and buy components in a market the size of a small town on the same afternoon. A private Shenzhen tour with a bilingual guide removes the hardest part, which is the language and the Chinese-only apps.
Robotaxi ride in the Nanshan tech district
Shenzhen is one of the cities leading the trial of fully driverless taxis on public roads. Your guide books the ride on a local app, and you sit back as the car without anyone at the wheel signals, brakes, changes lanes and handles traffic lights on its own, while a screen shows what its sensors see in real time.
The ride lasts around 15 to 30 minutes depending on the route and availability, through the wide avenues of the Nanshan high-tech area. Your guide explains how the system works, where the cars are allowed to operate and how locals use them every day. It is the moment most guests film from start to finish, so have your phone ready.
Drone delivery at Shenzhen Bay Talent Park
Shenzhen is a pioneer of the so-called low-altitude economy, and in parts of the city meals and drinks really arrive from the sky. At Shenzhen Bay Talent Park, a landscaped waterfront park with views across the bay towards Hong Kong, your guide helps you order coffee, a snack or a dessert on a phone, then you watch the drone approach and land at the delivery point.
After the landing you can relax in the park, with its lakes, sculptures and the bamboo-shoot-shaped skyscraper rising behind the skyline. Allow about 45 minutes here, including time for photos by the water. The drone delivery is included, and your guide is happy to film the arrival for you.
Innovation centre and tech flagship stores
At an innovation centre in Nanshan you get hands-on time with the latest gadgets and prototypes: humanoid robots, chess-playing robots, AI glasses, wearable exoskeletons that help you lift and walk, laser engravers and 3D printers. Live demonstrations and the guide's clear explanations make it fun even for those who are not engineers.
The route continues to the flagship stores of leading Chinese tech brands, where you can try foldable phones, the latest drones and electric cars packed with smart features. Nothing has to be bought and there is no forced shopping; the guide simply helps you compare and understand what is on show. Expect about two hours for these stops together.
Huaqiangbei electronics market and the robot showroom
Huaqiangbei, in Futian district, is often called the largest electronics market in the world: whole multi-storey buildings packed with stalls selling phones, cables, chips, drones, LED lights and every component an inventor might need. It grew from an industrial zone of the 1980s and still supplies start-ups and makers around the globe. Your guide helps you navigate the floors and bargain for tech souvenirs during about an hour here.
The full-day route ends at a robot showroom dedicated entirely to robots, where machines brew coffee, play the piano and robotic dogs respond to commands. It is a favourite with children over six and with anyone who wants to see what home robots may soon look like. Allow about 45 minutes.
Itinerary
- Taxi pickup from your addressYour guide arranges a taxi to collect you from your address in the pickup area and meets you at the first stop; the fare is included.
- Robotaxi rideA driverless taxi ride through the Nanshan high-tech area, about 15 to 30 minutes.
- Drone delivery at Shenzhen Bay Talent ParkOrder on the phone, watch the drone land and enjoy your snack by the bay, about 45 minutes.
- Innovation centreHands-on time with robots, exoskeletons, AI glasses and 3D printers, about one hour.
- Tech flagship storesPhones, drones and electric vehicles of leading Chinese brands, about one hour.
- Huaqiangbei electronics marketA guided look around the giant electronics market for gadgets and souvenirs, about one hour.
- Robot showroom and end of tourRobots making coffee and playing the piano, about 45 minutes; the tour ends here, about six hours after the start.
What's included
- Private English-speaking bilingual guide
- Robotaxi (self-driving car) ride
- Drone food delivery experience with a snack or dessert
- Hands-on visit to an innovation centre with robots and new gadgets
- Visits to flagship stores of leading Chinese tech brands
Not included
- Tips
- Personal purchases
- Optional add-on experiences
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Is this right for you?
Great for
- Families with children — a child price for ages 6–17
- Travellers without a car — hotel pickup is included
- Couples, families and friends who want a private tour, just your group
- A half-day plan — about 3 hours
Not suitable for
- Children under 6 years
- People over 70 years
Meeting point
Your guide arranges a taxi to pick you up from your hotel or address within the pickup area in Shenzhen at your chosen start time (10:15, 11:00, 12:00 or 14:30); the fare is included and the guide meets you at the first stop. Please send us your address and keep WhatsApp active after booking. The tour ends at the last stop and the return transfer to your hotel is not included.
Important information
- Start times are fixed and the tour cannot be extended for late arrivals, so please be ready at pickup on time.
- If you are arriving the same day from Hong Kong or another city, choose a later start time to allow for border or travel delays.
- Carry your passport: it is needed at the border and is often required for bookings in China.
- Keep WhatsApp active for contact on the day; many Western apps are blocked in China, and a roaming data plan usually keeps them working.
- Mobile payment apps are used for almost everything in Shenzhen; set one up before you travel if you plan to shop, and carry some cash.
- Wear comfortable shoes; you will be on your feet for much of the day.
- Personal purchases, tips, optional add-ons and the return transfer to your hotel are not included.
- Shenzhen has halal (qingzhen) restaurants run by Hui Muslim families; ask your guide for one nearby if you plan a meal after the tour.
Good to know
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers to what travellers ask us most, before they book.
Is this a shared or a private tour?
It is private: your bilingual guide is only for your party and you are never grouped with other travellers.
Can we change the itinerary or the pace?
Yes, within the time of your option. You can spend longer at the innovation centre or in Huaqiangbei and less elsewhere; tell your guide what interests you most.
How many people can join?
Only your own party joins. Please tell us the exact number of travellers, including children, when booking so the guide can arrange the robotaxi and taxi rides for your group.
Is the price per person or per group?
Prices are per person, with a lower price for children aged 6 to 17. The booking panel on this page shows the current price of each option.
Is hotel pickup included?
In this full-day option, yes: a taxi picks you up from your address within the pickup area and the fare is included. The return to your hotel is not included. Other options start at a meeting point in the Nanshan high-tech park.
What is included?
Your private bilingual guide, the robotaxi ride, the drone delivery with a snack or dessert, the innovation centre, the tech flagship stores, Huaqiangbei electronics market, the robot showroom and the taxi pickup.
How long is the tour, and are there shorter options?
The full-day option lasts about six hours. There are also private options of about 4.5 hours (with Huaqiangbei) and 3 hours (the essential route), with or without taxi pickup, and a full-day option starting in Hong Kong.
Is it suitable for children or travellers with reduced mobility?
Children from six years usually love the robots and drones. The tour is not recommended for children under six or travellers over 70, and it involves standing and moving between stops for several hours.
What should I bring?
Your passport, a charged phone with WhatsApp, comfortable shoes and a way to pay for any gadgets you want to buy.
What is the best time of day or season?
Late-morning and early-afternoon starts are the most popular. Shenzhen is warm all year; October to December is the most comfortable, while summer is hot with rain showers, and most stops are indoors.
Can we join from Hong Kong?
Yes. Choose the full-day option from Hong Kong: your guide meets you at West Kowloon Station, helps with the train and border, and escorts you back afterwards. Train tickets are not included in that option.
How do I book and confirm?
Choose your date, start time and option in the booking panel on this page and complete the booking. Our team confirms on WhatsApp within minutes and arranges the pickup with you.
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