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Setup Guide

First 72 Hours in Shenzhen

A practical first 72 hours checklist for Shenzhen: phone, payments, accommodation registration, apps, transport, food, internet, apartment search, and first-week setup.

First 72 Hours in Shenzhen guide image

What to do in your first 72 hours in Shenzhen

Your first 72 hours should not be a random collection of errands. It should be a controlled setup sequence.

The goal is simple: make yourself functional enough to eat, move, pay, communicate, receive deliveries, and start solving longer-term tasks.

Before arrival

  • Download WeChat and Alipay.
  • Prepare passport, visa, hotel or apartment address, and arrival details.
  • Bring backup cards and some cash.
  • Install a map app you can use in China.
  • Prepare translation tools.
  • Save offline copies of key addresses in English and Chinese transliteration if available.
  • Decide whether you are using hotel, serviced apartment, or private apartment.
  • Make a plan for temporary accommodation registration.
  • Bring a travel eSIM or roaming backup for arrival.

Day 1: get stable

1. Check into accommodation

If you stay in a normal hotel, the hotel usually handles guest registration through its system. If you stay in a serviced apartment, private apartment, or friend’s home, confirm whether registration is handled for you or whether you must complete it yourself.

2. Test payments

Test Alipay and WeChat Pay with a small purchase. Keep backup cash and card options until you know what works reliably.

3. Get food working

Find nearby restaurants, convenience stores, supermarkets, and delivery options. Do not spend your first day trying to optimize. Get one reliable method working.

4. Confirm transport

Test metro, taxi, and Didi or equivalent ride-hailing setup. Save your accommodation address.

Day 2: get connected

1. Phone number plan

If you are staying longer than a short visit, start the Chinese phone number process. Many local services work better with a Chinese number.

2. App setup

Install and test:

  • WeChat;
  • Alipay;
  • Didi or ride-hailing access;
  • Meituan or food/delivery apps;
  • Taobao or JD, if staying longer;
  • map app;
  • translation app;
  • airline and rail apps if travelling domestically.

3. Banking questions

If you need a Chinese bank account, prepare your documents and check requirements with specific branches. Do not assume every bank or branch has the same process.

Day 3: build your base

1. Apartment search or confirmation

If you are staying longer, start area selection and apartment shortlisting. Do not sign a lease before understanding commute, furnishing, repair responsibility, deposit, agency fee, and registration implications.

2. Internet plan

If moving into an apartment, ask which providers serve the building, what installation timeline looks like, and whether the previous tenant left equipment.

3. Practical local routine

Create a daily map:

  • closest supermarket;
  • pharmacy;
  • gym;
  • metro station;
  • reliable coffee/work spot;
  • hospital or clinic options;
  • printing/copy shop;
  • package pickup point.

Mistakes to avoid

  • assuming your foreign card will work everywhere;
  • not carrying backup cash during the first week;
  • using a private apartment without checking registration;
  • buying furniture before confirming lease details;
  • overcommitting to a district before testing the commute;
  • depending on hotel Wi-Fi for serious work;
  • failing to save addresses in a format drivers can use.

Need help with the first week?

Next step: Book the Shenzhen Landing Package