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ITINERARIES

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Why you can trust SCMP

ITINERARIES

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With six districts covering over 2,000 sq km, Shenzhen is pretty spread out. If you!|ve ever spent hours in traffic driving from Longgang Township to the airport, you will appreciate what !?a trip across town!? really means. Luckily, we!|ve slogged from place to place so that you can plan your time better. While the following itineraries aren!|t meant to be done in any particular order, they offer a clue as to how you could pack in your days most efficiently.

YANTIAN: BEACHCOMBING, SEAFOOD, AQUARIUMS AND AIRCRAFT CARRIERS

Yantian is one of the smaller districts. Even so, one day isn't enough to properly check out the Minsk, hit the beaches and visit the Seaworld - you could spend your entire day at either Dameisha or Xiaomeisha beach and consider it time well spent. For visitors coming in from Hong Kong, it's best to get up early and check in at one of the hotels by the beach (see Page 6 for details). Spend the morning basking on whichever beach suits your fancy, and have lunch along the shore at one of the many fine seafood restaurants. Plan to spend the afternoon at the Seaworld Aquarium (across from Xiaomeisha beach), where the Ukrainian diving team will be performing three shows a day until October 10. In the evening, head down to the Yantian street seafood market to watch the sun set on the water.

On the second day, plan on spending at least four hours exploring the Minsk aircraft carrier in the morning. But avoid the top deck (where many of the best performances take place) during the heat of midday, as its reflective surface heats up like a frying pan. As big as the Minsk looks from the outside, it's vastly bigger on the inside. The rest of the day could be spent relaxing on the beach before driving back to the city, which is just half an hour away. Serendipity!

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SHEKOU AND NANSHAN: SPAS, BARS, AND THEME PARKS

There are two ways to do this area: as a couple (or a group of like-minded friends), or as a family. In the first option, you could easily spend two days in Shekou and never see the rest of Shenzhen. Start by taking a 50-minute ferry from Central to Shekou, and then a short taxi ride to the Matzu Temple . Aim to get to the Evergreen Resort for a dip in the pools before lunch. (The resort's mid-autumn food festival, from September 28 to October 1, is not to be missed.) Enjoy the spa facilities in the afternoon and later head down to the Seaworld Plaza for dinner and drinks.

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