Cheap flights from London to Shenzhen

September is the cheapest month on this route, so if your dates can move, start there. Fares rise around Chinese New Year and the autumn holiday week in China, when many people travel home, and again over Christmas and New Year in the UK. Midweek departures from London tend to cost less than Friday and Sunday flights, and early or late departures are usually quieter. Book a few months ahead for peak periods; in quieter weeks you can often leave it later and still find a reasonable fare. The price calendar on this page shows what each month is doing.

The carriers selling this route are full-service airlines rather than low-cost operators: Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Beijing Capital Airlines, Tianjin Airlines, Finnair, ITA Airways and Etihad Airways all appear on the city pair. Some sell direct seats; others route you through their own base, which adds hours but often cuts the fare. What you get on board depends on the fare family rather than the airline name, so a hand-baggage-only ticket on a full-service carrier looks very different from a flexible one. Check the baggage allowance, whether a meal is included and whether seat selection is free before you compare totals.

Flights land at Shenzhen airport, which sits outside the city centre. Plan the last leg before you land: the metro and taxis are the usual ways in, and the road journey gets slow at peak hours. Immigration can take a while when several arrivals land close together, so keep your first evening loose. If you are flying on to another Chinese city, check whether the ticket covers the connection or whether you collect your bags and check in again. Have your visa or entry paperwork ready before boarding, because it is checked at the London end.

Currency

CNY (¥)

Power sockets

Type A, C, I · 220 V

Language

Putonghua

Emergency number

110, 119, 120

Driving side

right

Calling code

+86

Internet domain

.cn, .中国

Population of Shenzhen

17.5 M (2020)

Time zone

UTC+08 (Asia/Shanghai)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check the airport code on your ticket, because London departures can leave from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton or London City.
• Read the baggage allowance on your fare, because a hand-baggage-only ticket on a full-service carrier will not include a checked bag.
• If your trip is two separate tickets, leave a long gap between flights, since a missed connection is not protected.
• Sort your visa or entry paperwork before you book, and make sure the name on the ticket matches your passport.
• Compare your dates against September, the cheapest month on this route.
• Look at total journey time, not just departure time, because a one-stop routing can add many hours.