China Transit Guide

Guangzhou and Guangdong 240-Hour Transit Itinerary

Published 2026-10-06 · Updated 2026-10-06

Guangzhou and Guangdong 240-Hour Transit Itinerary

Guangdong has more 240-hour entry ports than any other province, and it has the most flexible exit rule: you can leave from any open port in the province. That makes it ideal for a stopover that starts in Guangzhou and finishes in Shenzhen or Zhuhai. The catch is that many Guangdong trips involve Hong Kong or Macao, and that's where the official rules go quiet.

Check official sources before travel. Checked on 6 October 2026. Confirm eligibility with the National Immigration Administration (hotline +86-12367) and your airline.

The rules for Guangdong

Ten entry ports (NIA):

Type Ports
Airports Guangzhou Baiyun, Shenzhen Bao'an, Jieyang Chaoshan
Sea and ferry Guangzhou Nansha, Shenzhen Shekou, Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal, Zhongshan
Land and rail Hengqin, Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge, West Kowloon Station

Five of these, including West Kowloon, the bridge and Hengqin, were added in November 2025 (NIA, Nov 2025).

  • Permitted area: the whole of Guangdong, with travel to other provinces' permitted areas also allowed.
  • Exit: the NIA table says Guangdong entrants may exit from any open port in the province (NIA). So you could fly into Guangzhou and leave from Shenzhen.
  • Clock: up to 240 hours from 00:00 on the day after arrival (NIA, Nov 2025).

The Hong Kong and Macao question

Many travellers want to arrive from, or carry on to, Hong Kong or Macao. The NIA requires transit to a "third country or region" but doesn't say outright whether Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan count (NIA). MTR, the Hong Kong rail operator, says they do, giving the example Canada → Hong Kong → Shenzhen → Thailand (MTR). It's also telling that the NIA made the Hong Kong and Macao crossings 240-hour ports. Still, no government text we found confirms it, so our 240-hour checker answers check for any itinerary that starts or ends in Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan.

What that looks like in practice: one traveller on Xiaohongshu was refused a boarding pass in the US for a plan to fly into Shanghai, take the train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong and fly home from there (小红薯69D7DBE0). Commenters suggested entering at Guangzhou and leaving via Zhuhai to Macao. The Zhuhai exit fits the Guangdong rule. The Macao onward leg is the same open question as Hong Kong. For what airlines check and how to prepare, see our 240-hour check-in checklist.

The lowest-risk plan: fly into a Guangdong airport from one country and fly out from a Guangdong airport to a different country.

Getting around

  • Guangzhou Metro has accepted overseas Visa, Mastercard, American Express and JCB contactless cards at all stations since 12 October 2025, alongside UnionPay. You tap the card at the gate; no ticket or app is needed (GDToday).
  • DiDi offers an English interface, sign-up with an overseas phone number, international card payment, auto-translated chat with drivers and 24/7 English customer service, according to Guangzhou's Foreign Affairs Office. It also runs inside Alipay and WeChat as a mini program (GDToday).

More on both in our guide to metro and ride-hailing for foreigners.

A 5-day plan

Days 1–2: Guangzhou. Use the metro to cover the city. If your visit falls during the Canton Fair, book accommodation early. Guangzhou Metro timed its card upgrade for the 138th fair (GDToday).

Day 3: Kaiping. The Kaiping Diaolou and Villages were inscribed by UNESCO in 2007. The diaolou are multi-storey fortified village towers that mix Chinese and Western forms. They were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period when many Kaiping people emigrated to North America, Australasia and South Asia. Twenty of the most symbolic towers, in four groups, are on the World Heritage List (UNESCO). Allow a full day and check transport from Guangzhou before you go.

Day 4: Shenzhen. Move to Shenzhen by train and stay the night.

Day 5: leave. Fly out of Shenzhen Bao'an or Guangzhou Baiyun to your onward country. Both are open ports in Guangdong.

A 10-day plan

Add a second base. Commenters on a popular two-week itinerary video suggested a Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong loop and nearby Xiamen and Guilin as additions (Ryan). Check each against the rules:

  • Guilin is one of the 12 permitted cities in Guangxi (NIA). Travel there is allowed, but you'd then need to come back to a Guangdong port to use the Guangdong exit rule.
  • Xiamen is in Fujian, a whole-province permitted area. Same point about returning to exit.
  • Hong Kong is outside the mainland. Crossing into Hong Kong ends your 240-hour stay in mainland China. If Hong Kong is where you continue to, that's the open question above.

Leaving from a port outside Guangdong isn't addressed in the official text, and the checker answers check for it.

Checklist

  • Run your entry port, onward country and dates through the checker
  • If your trip involves Hong Kong or Macao, confirm with the NIA (+86-12367) or your airline
  • Exit from a Guangdong port
  • Add a contactless card or mobile payment for the metro
  • Install DiDi or use its Alipay or WeChat mini program
  • Book trains on 12306: see how to book high-speed trains

Traveller reports we referenced

We used these Xiaohongshu posts and their comments for real-world experience and wrote our own summary. Nothing was translated or copied, and every rule above was checked against official sources.

Sources

Sources