Hong Kong has excellent transport links from all over the world by air, and from mainland China also by high-speed trains, boats or buses.
By air
The city is served by one of the world's largest international airports , Hong Kong HKG, which replaced the under-capacity Kai Tak Airport in the city centre in 1998.
Very frequent services run to all the metropolises in the East and South Asia region (on average 6-15 times a day) as well as to all major cities in mainland China.
The busiest routes outside Asia are to Los Angeles, Australia, London and Frankfurt.
As most developed countries in the world don't need a visa to travel to Hong Kong (unlike travel to mainland China), Hong Kong Airport is the true international gateway to the city. Direct flights from here go to every continent except South America.
Transportation Macau <-> Hong Kong
A frequent destination for travellers from Hong Kong is nearby Macau, which, like Hong Kong, enjoys Special Administrative Region status. This eliminates the visa requirement for travellers from most countries around the world.
There are various ways to get between Macau and Hong Kong, which we'll summarise in the table below.
| Types of transport | Price | Travel time | Frequency | Stops Hong Kong | Stops Macau |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferry | From 175 hkd | 60 minutes | 15-30 minutes | Sheung Wan, Kowloon | Outer Harbour, Taipa |
| Direct bus | 160 hkd | 120 minutes | 60-120 minutes | Jordan Station | Sands Hotels, Venetian, Londoner |
| HZMB Bus | 65 hkd | 45 minutes (outskirts of the city) | 5-15 minutes | HZMB Port at the airport | HZMB Port |
| Helicopter | 4 300 hkd | 15 minutes | 30 minutes | Sheung Wan | Outer Harbour |
With the frequency and length of connections, you can easily make a day trip from Hong Kong to Macau.
Boats from Macau to Hong Kong
Boats are the most common form of transport, providing the fastest and by far the most convenient way to get from the city centre to the city centre.
There are two different shipping companies on the route between Hong Kong and Macau, but they use similar boats and sail at the same prices. So there is no difference in comfort, speed or price.
The shipping companies differ mainly in their departure times and the routes they take. In fact, you can use two different ports in Hong Kong and Macau.
The sailing time does not differ and is about 60 minutes for all route combinations.
Detailed information, ticket prices and departure times can be found in the separate chapter Ferry.
Direct buses from Macau to central Hong Kong
A slightly cheaper and relatively comfortable alternative to the ferries are direct buses from the centre of Hong Kong's Kowloon district to the centre of Macau and Taipa Island, where the largest casinos are.
Transport is provided by One Bus. Official information, timetables and online ticket booking can be found on the website: onebus.hk.
Ticket prices and timetables
Buses run on average once an hour and the total journey time including border checks is around 120 minutes.
The first bus from Hong Kong to Macca leaves at 8:00 am and the last bus leaves at 6:00 pm.
On the other hand, the first bus from Macau to Hong Kong leaves at 11:05am and the last bus doesn't leave until 9:05pm.
Ticket prices vary on weekdays and weekends, and also according to the time of travel.
- 160 hkd - Weekdays before 18:00
- 180 hkd - weekends, holidays and weekdays after 18:00
On-site payment can only be made with cash or the mobile apps WeChat, Mpay or Union Pay.
Where are the bus stops?
Direct buses from downtown to downtown are convenient, especially for travel from Kowloon.
Hong Kong
The only bus stop within Hong Kong is called Jordan. However, it is not located directly by the metro station of the same name.
- 505 Canton Road (google.com/maps)
- Jordan Subway Station - 350 metres
- Austin Metro Station - 150 metres
- Battery Street Jordan bus stop
- search.kmb.hk - Lines 3C, 8, 11, 14, 36B, 46, 49, 81, 95, 203E, 287P, 287X
- citybus.com.hk - Lines 20A, 79P, 970, 970X, 971
Macau
Within Macau, buses stop at three major hotels.
- Sands Macau
- Public transport buses - lines 3A, 8, 12, 17, 17S, 60
- Londoner Macao
- Public transport buses - lines 15, 21A, 25, 26, 26A, 51X, 56, 73S, MT4
- Venetian Macao
- Public transport buses - lines 15, 21A, 25, 26, 26A, 51X, 56, 73S, MT4
For detailed information on travelling around Macau, please refer to the Macau Transport Guide.
What are the immigration controls?
During your trip, you will make two stops at border crossings.
Each time, you must disembark, take all your luggage (including large suitcases) and walk through the huge border crossing buildings into the transit zone.
The driver will always tell you on alighting which stop the bus will be waiting at after immigration control.
After passing through immigration control, always follow these signs to guide you to the appropriate stops.
- In Macau "Tourist Bus"
- In Hong Kong "Cross-Boundary Bus"
HZMB shuttle bus (Hong Kong - Macau and Zhuhai)
The cheapest transport between Hong Kong and Macau as well as the Chinese city of Zhuhai is provided by the so-called HZMB buses, named after the bridge they cross.
This line is also often called the ZHMB bus line, based on the colour of the vehicles. "Golden Bus".
The buses connect the two border crossings at either end of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge and tunnel system, which at 55 km is the longest bridge over the open sea.
The HZMB Shuttle Bus therefore does not go into the centre of Hong Kong or Macau. You must therefore add the cost of transport from the centres of both cities to the ticket price.
How much do tickets cost and where to buy them?
Fares are the same on both routes to Hong Kong: from Macau and Zhuhai.
Prices differ between day and night (24:00-5:59).
| Route | Daily fares | Night fares |
| Hong Kong <-> Macau | 65 hkd | 70 hkd |
| Hong Kong <-> Zhuhai | 65 hkd | 70 hkd |
In total, including transport to/from downtown Hong Kong and to/from downtown Macau, the price will be approximately 100 hkd to 130 hkd depending on the mode of transport chosen.
You can buy tickets in several different ways.
- Online at the official website: hzmbus.com
- At a vending machine after passing through immigration control - payment is possible with cash, Octopus or Macau Pass and via mobile apps WeChat, M Pay, Alipay, Union Pass
- Manual tills after passing through immigration control - payment possible by all the above mentioned methods + VISA or Mastercard
Timetable and journey times
Buses on both routes (Macau and Zhuhai) run 24/7.
Frequency during the day is about 5 minutes, early morning and later evening 10-15 minutes and overnight 15-30 minutes.
The 55km journey over the HZMB bridge takes approximately 45 minutes.
Transportation to HZMB HK Port
The Hong Kong side of the border crossing is called HZMB HK Port and is approximately 30 km from the city centre and 1.5 km from Hong Kong HKG Airport.
The journey from the city centre to the border crossing takes approximately 45-60 minutes. Only buses run directly to the border crossing.
Detailed information about connections can be found on the website: hzmb.gov.hk/en/local-public
Quick connection by buses of line "A"
The fastest way to get to all parts of Hong Kong is by using the "A" bus lines, which also serve as a shuttle service from central Hong Kong to the airport.
Depending on the destination, the ticket price varies between 45 hkd and 49 hkd.
Local buses + MTR metro
The cheapest transport to the city centre is a combination of bus and metro. Both bus lines run to the same metro line, the "Tung Chung Line" going to Kowloon and downtown Hong Kong.
- Bus B6 to Tung Chung Metro Station - price 5,10 hkd, frequency 15 minutes
- Bus B5 towards Sunny Bay subway station - price 6,10 hkd, frequency 20-30 minutes
The MTR Tung Chung Line subway goes to the city centre every 7 minutes and fares to Hong Kong cost 23,60 hkd from Tung Chung station or 21,50 hkd from Sunny Bay station.
The most convenient way to pay for tickets in Hong Kong is with the Octopus Card, which can be purchased at places such as the 7-Eleven mini-market in the arrivals hall.
Transport to HZMB Macau
There are two bus routes from the Macau border crossing to the centre.
- 101X - towards the centre on the main island of Macau (Praca Ferreira Amaral)
- 102X - towards the centre on the main island of Macau, Taipa Island and Henqin border crossing
Both lines run on average once every 10-15 minutes.
Fares cost 6 mop and can be paid in Hong Kong dollars for the same amount. You can only pay in exact cash.
Therefore, it is much more convenient to pay with the city card Macau Pass, which you can buy at the mini-market in the arrival hall of the border crossing.
For detailed information on travelling around Macau, see our guide to Transport in Macau.
Border crossing facilities
Both border terminals are housed in huge modern buildings, which house basic facilities for travellers.
On both the Hong Kong and Macau sides, there are mini-markets selling packaged food, which also sell transport cards for local public transport.
There are also ATMs or toilets in each terminal.
Metro to Mainland China (Shenzhen)
The cheapest way to get to the border city of Shenzhen in mainland China is by subway.
From both downtown Hong Kong and Kowloon, take the light blue "East Rail Line" to one of the two termini.
Half the subway trains go to Lo Wu station and half to Lok Ma Chau station. Both termini are right on the border with the People's Republic of China. The price from downtown is around 50 hkd.
Clear signage guides you through the major pedestrian border crossings. You first pass through Hong Kong customs, cross a 150-metre long bridge over the river and then go through Chinese immigration control.
On the other side, the Shenzhen subway lines connect.
| Hong Kong | Shenzhen |
| Lo Wu Station (East Rail Line) |
Luohu Station (Green Line 1) |
| Lok Ma Chau Station (East Rail Line) |
Futian Station (Red Line 4 + Pink Line 10) |
Trains to Mainland China
If you're heading to mainland China, the fastest and clearest service is by high-speed trains. The exception is the city of Zhuhai, which is quicker to reach by ferry or bus, see information above.
All trains run to "West Kowloon" station, located right in the centre of Hong Kong's Kowloon district.
Only modern high-speed services run to Hong Kong.
For timetables, including online ticketing, visit: highspeed.mtr.com.hk.
To view tickets to/from Hong Kong, enter "hkw" in the search box and select "hkwestkowloon".
- Shenzhen - 5-7 times per hour, ticket cost 82 hkd
- Guangzhou - 1x per hour, ticket cost 236 hkd
- Shanghai - 1x per day, ticket cost 983 hkd
- Beijing - 1x per day, ticket cost 1 300 hkd
- Xiamen - 3 times a day, ticket cost 335 hkd
Helicopters Macau <-> Hong Kong
You can also fly to Hong Kong in style from Macau by helicopter.
A regular service with a frequency of 30 minutes is provided by Sky Shuttle. The flight takes approximately 15 minutes.
Heliports can be found at the following locations:
- Hong Kong - at the boat dock to Macau (Sheung Wan)
- Macau - at the wharf on the main island (Outer Harbour)
A one-way ticket costs 4 300 hkd and can be booked at: ticketing.skyshuttlevacation.com.