To Macau from Hong Kong on your own. From Hong Kong to Macau for one day
Hello, dear accomplices,
So, sit back and take a look at a day in the life! Today there will be a bit of Hong Kong, a ferry crossing to Macau, an accident we had there, human bodies, a grandiose water show and panda bears...
I'll start with what we actually do in Hong Kong. My husband is here periodically on a project for the company he works for in Zurich, and I took a week off to just enjoy my free time.
On Saturday, February 2nd, we decided to explore Macau. We quickly looked at the most interesting places according to our mood on TripAdvisor, planned the route a little, and otherwise decided to act spontaneously.
It was not planned to get up early today, especially considering that I had not yet fully recovered from jet leg. Usually at home I get up around 5 am, but here I sleep until 9-10...
We live in an apartment complex in Soho in Hong Kong. The apartments here are small, but the position is excellent.
Let's check the weather first... From the view from the window, the sky is a little overcast, but the day promises to be warm! So far it's +24 in Hong Kong.
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The service in the complex is very good: the apartment is cleaned every day and there are such pleasant little things at the exit: apples today!
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Even at the entrance to the building itself, these wonderful turtles live:
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And the fish swim:
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A quick breakfast on the run with an omelette with vegetables and green tea...
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And now we are heading to the ferry departure point for Macau. It's about 15 minutes walk from us.
The apartment is located quite high. Going down is not a problem, but there are escalators to go up, which is simply incredibly convenient.
We walk down our area:
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Crossing the street:
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I really like local trams:
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Not far from us there is a restaurant serving Russian and Ukrainian cuisine! How many times have we passed by, but never got there...
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The situation with coffee in Hong Kong is worse than in Europe. Starbucks is everywhere, but there are very few good coffee shops. But one colleague recommended a very good place, we now go there periodically. I especially love the cappuccino here.
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And the guys are great with humor :)
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In Hong Kong, as in Europe, they love dogs very much and take them everywhere: to restaurants, shops...
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We cross the bridge to the last intersection:
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And now we are almost at the departure point...
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Here we quickly buy tickets in both directions. We plan to take the ferry back to Macau at 22:00. Photography is prohibited here, so just some information. Now there are a lot of people here, many like to spend weekends in Macau, where they play in casinos, have fun... Since Macau, like Hong Kong, is an autonomous territory of China, it is necessary to go through passport control.
We manage to get on the ferry, which leaves at 11.15. The sail to Macau is exactly one hour.
The ferries are very comfortable, the hour flew by very quickly, half asleep
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This is what the ferries themselves look like upon arrival...
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When we arrived in Macau, we saw a completely expected queue at passport control... You can't take photographs here, but secretly I managed to capture the extent of the disaster.
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So, the time we joined the queue was 12.20.
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We stood there for exactly 45 minutes, but when I finally got to the control, it turned out that I, as a citizen of Ukraine, needed a visa to Macau and needed to get it in a completely different window! It seems that even the border guards were surprised by this situation. I was taken to the right window, where I was given a visa to Macau for the equivalent of 10 euros without any problems or queues...
Finally we are in Macau!
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To begin with, we decided to go to one of the most famous casino hotels in Macau - the Venetian.
Directly from here you can take a shuttle bus to any hotel for free.
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The weather was simply great! Air temperature +28 degrees. We sat in the front seat, and I constantly took pictures of the views from the window:
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Endless Bridges:
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And many casino hotels, exact copies of the same ones in Las Vegas...
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So we were sitting, watching, when suddenly I noticed a small car right in front of me on the right side of the road, which seemed to want to cut off our bus! At that moment I thought that that was it, an accident could not be avoided, and the next second a rather serious collision occurred. The car was thrown very hard to the side, the car ended up on the sidewalk, knocking down a couple of poles...
All this happened before my eyes. The sudden impact threw me onto the railing in front of me. I had a camera in my hands, so my first thought was not to hit her! I was able to dodge in a second and found myself on the railing with my left hand...
As a result, after 3 weeks I still have a huge bruise and scratches on half my arm... The camera was not damaged...
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The girl driver in the car was no longer lucky... Our bus driver started shouting something to her, everyone started calling somewhere...
Less than two minutes later, the police were already on the spot.
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The police examined the scene of the accident and escorted our bus from the road to the nearest parking lot for clarification.
The girl who was sitting next to her in front volunteered to testify.
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A couple of minutes later another bus arrived to pick us up and finally take us to the hotel.
Upon arrival, the first thing we did at the hotel was have a cappuccino. In Asia, I fell in love with ordering cappuccino with soy milk, which, I agree, is very unusual, but, surprisingly, I really like it.
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And guava juice, which we fell in love with back in Malaysia.
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Then we decided to take a walk along the hotel canals. Everything here is an exact copy of the same famous hotel in Las Vegas. The same artificial sky, water channels, gandoliers and a little smell of bleach...
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Our destination is not a casino at all, we are now heading to our main destination in this hotel, namely an exhibition called "Human Bodies"
The exhibition turned out to be very educational! Near each exhibit there were detailed explanations and interesting facts about the human body.
Let's start the examination with the nervous system:
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A wonderful exhibition in the center of the hall...
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This is what the lungs of a healthy person look like:
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This is what a smoker's lungs look like:
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In a word, the exhibition was very educational, although very unusual and unique.
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We now head to our next destination in Macau, the Panda Pavilion!
But for now, I would like to find a way out of these endless halls...
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We're finally on the street...
We immediately find a taxi and for about 3 euros in equivalent we get to the pavilion with pandas! In general, a taxi here is the most convenient and fastest means of transportation. And the prices, of course... A trip by bus would cost us about 30 euro cents. But this trip would have taken much longer.
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In about 15 minutes we are already there! We read a lot of negative reviews on the Internet, many wrote that they were disappointed because pandas are always sleeping, and it is very difficult to see them awake and playing... But we decided to try our luck.
Entry into the pavilion is strictly timed, and the time spent inside is limited to one hour. Therefore, it is possible to go inside only a few times a day. We arrived here just before 15 o'clock.
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The price of the ticket was very surprising... For only 10 Hong Kong dollars you can see pandas?! This is approximately 1 euro...
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Upon entering the pavilion, it immediately became clear where the bears were!
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It turns out that at that very moment the pandas were about to be fed. At first, they were inside while the staff laid out bamboo leaves for them. At some point, the boy Kai-Kai was finally released to the delight of the audience!
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On his way to food, he wanted to play with the hanging ball:
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And in the end, he sat down right in front of the audience in such a wonderful position and began to chew leaves.
All the spectators simply gasped at this cute scene!
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The process of eating leaves turned out to be very exciting! First, all the leaves on the branch are bitten off one by one, collected into a bunch and then eaten all together with the paw!
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We decided to see what the girl Xin-Xin was doing at this time. She lives in the next pavilion. It turns out that at that moment she was also eating leaves, and in the same way as her fellow Kai-Kai!
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About an hour later we left the park and went in search of a taxi. Very quickly we caught a car and after about 20 minutes we arrived at the casino hotel, where we really wanted to watch the famous water show.
There were a lot of people here, I didn’t even really have time to take a photo. We didn't know when the show started, so we were in a hurry to find the theater. Just like in the Venice Hotel, we walked for a long time through endless halls past a huge number of shops... Eventually we got to the checkout. And as it turned out, we arrived exactly 15 minutes before the start of the show! Great! Let's take our tickets and hurry to take our seats! For those interested, one ticket for an adult costs the equivalent of 68 euros. But every cent is worth it!
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The show turned out to be very impressive!
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With stunning scenery, musical accompaniment and generally a very interesting atmosphere.
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The first rows were periodically doused with water to the delight of all the other spectators.
The most interesting thing for me was the dramatic part of the show with rain in the twilight with very emotional music.
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The performance lasted an hour and a half, and the time flew by in one breath.
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After the show, we headed to the hotel exit, where free shuttle buses depart to various points in Macau. We boarded the bus towards the historical center.
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After about 15 minutes we are already getting out of the taxi and heading to the historical part of Macau. Everything here is decorated for the Chinese New Year celebration.
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But we were already pretty hungry, so we decided to look for something from the local cuisine. Since Macau was a colony of Portugal, there are a large number of restaurants serving Portuguese cuisine, which we love very much! We wandered into one of the streets and stopped at a small restaurant.
The choice on the menu was quite good, and there were a lot of things, as we love, with fish and seafood!
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The halibut baked with vegetables turned out to be incredibly tasty! Although the dish did not look very photogenic... we ate it with great pleasure.
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After dinner, we decided to take a walk around the city, however, like everywhere else, there are a lot of shops... The European-style architecture is dotted with Chinese shops and boutiques..
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There is a lot of dried meat... which we never dared to try...
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And souvenir shops
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Ruins from the time of the Portuguese colony
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View of the city from the stairs
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After a short walk it was necessary to return to the port to catch the ferry at 22:00. We caught a taxi and were at the ferry departure point back to Hong Kong around 9:30 p.m.
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Since there was still half an hour left before departure, we decided to take a walk around and walk to the fishing pier
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Here, compared to the noisy center and areas with casino hotels, it is very quiet and deserted...
At 21.48 we were ready to board the ferry, which in an hour would take us back to Hong Kong.
On Saturday evening, there are significantly fewer people wanting to move from Macau to Hong Kong...
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An hour later we were already there, pretty tired, but happy. On the way home, a little bit of Hong Kong at night from the pedestrian bridge...
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And at home at night - matcha green tea with milk....
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And sleep!
Thank you for spending this day with us :)
Hong Kong - Macau: how to get there, what transport to use and, most importantly, why go to Macau? These questions are often asked by travelers planning their independent travel route in advance. Visiting Macau can have several purposes:
- Sightseeing of local attractions.
- Visiting gaming centers.
- Getting new impressions.
- Extension of the possibility of visa-free stay in Hong Kong.
Google Maps / google.ru
Whatever the purpose of a trip to Macau, this city leaves no one indifferent. There are not many ways to get to it from Hong Kong - ferry and helicopter. Each of them has its own advantages, however, there are also disadvantages.
About ferries
From Hong Kong you can leave for Macau from three berths:
- Senwan, or as the pier is indicated on the maps - Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal;
- China Ferry Terminal;
- SkyPier Terminal.
Each terminal is comfortable and equipped in accordance with all modern requirements. You should choose your departure point based only on your own needs.
All three berths are serviced by the following companies:
- TurboJet.
- CotaiWaterJet.
- "First Ferry".
There are no particular differences between the travel conditions and its cost. The schedule and current prices can always be checked on the carriers’ websites, but there is no particular need for this either. The ticket price does not differ depending on the place of purchase. You can pay for the trip:
- at station ticket offices;
- in self-service terminals;
- on carriers' websites;
- when boarding the ferry.
There is no need to purchase tickets in advance. The fact is that weather conditions may change and the ferry for which you have a paid ticket simply will not depart. For the same reason, you should not buy tickets online in this case.
Bee Your Guide / flickr.com
Of course, the carrier will return the money or provide the opportunity to sail at another time, but this is unnecessary trouble. These efforts will require time and moral investment, as well as a good knowledge of the English language.
As a rule, even if there are no problems with speaking English, travelers always have difficulties over time. Even if there is enough time, it is better to spend it differently than during the procedure for refunding money or reissuing a travel document.
The cost of travel in a simple cabin, that is, in economy class, is 150-170 Hong Kong dollars, or HKD. There is no point in purchasing more expensive tickets, since the difference between the salons will only be in how many seats there are in a row.
Prices for non-day flights in Economy Class are as follows:
- Business class costs between HK$280 and HK$330.
- Night flights in business class - from 300 to 440 Hong Kong dollars.
An overnight trip in economy class will cost 200-220 Hong Kong dollars. An interesting option is the “weekend ticket”. Its cost is 180 HKD. But it is only suitable for those who travel to Macau for the whole weekend - from Friday evening to Sunday evening.
As for luggage, you can take luggage with dimensions 30.5x30.5x45.7.
Central pier
Most often, travelers use the ferry service at the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal. This is due to many reasons:
- convenient location;
- fast travel to Macau;
- availability of frequent flights;
- 24-hour ferry departure schedule.
This pier is located almost in the center of Hong Kong, at the Sheung Wan metro station. This is the blue line, the so-called “island line”. There is no need to use the metro. You can get to this pier by tram or bus; all routes going in the direction of Kennedy Town are suitable. The stop where you need to get off is called the same as the pier - Macau Ferry Terminal.
shankar s. /flickr.com
High-speed ferries depart from here; they cover the distance from Hong Kong to Macau in 55 minutes during the day. Possible delay - 10 minutes. Night voyages spend longer at sea.
Ferries departure times at this pier:
- 15 minutes during the day, starting at 07:00 and ending at 24:00.
- 2 hours – at night, from midnight to seven in the morning.
Tickets are always available at ticket offices and self-service terminals. If travelers are late and have no time to figure out what and where is located in the station building, then there is no need to be nervous. You should immediately go to the pier and pay the fare directly when boarding the ship.
In general, everything on the pier is arranged very clearly, intuitively and logically. Cases about which one can say the phrase “we had difficulty getting to the ferry, could not find the exit, the passage was blocked, there are no signs in the building” cannot arise here. Information signs are everywhere and directions are illustrated with arrows.
The shop and waiting room in the pier building are open 24 hours a day. Of course, the sanitary rooms are not closed either. There is a small cafe, but its work includes a break. However, the building has vending machines for drinks and snacks. The ticket offices are closed at night, so when boarding a night flight you need to use either the terminals or pay for the fare directly on the ship.
Twang_Dunga / flickr.com
This pier has one more advantage, which has nothing to do with a trip to Macau. True, this advantage may only be relevant for those tourists who remember the times of video salons in the USSR. We are talking about films with Jean-Claude Van Damme in the title role - “Double Impact” and “Kickboxer”. Some of the street scenes were filmed in the area of this particular pier, although, of course, everything here has changed since then.
On the Kowloon Peninsula
The Tsim Sha Tsui pier, or as it is indicated on the maps - China Ferry Terminal, is located in Kowloon. The address of this port is Canton Road, building 33.
This berth is less convenient to use than the Central one. The reason is the high likelihood of confusion for those who are unfamiliar with Chinese train stations and do not fully understand English with a local accent.
lwtt93/flickr.com
The fact is that so-called “internal” ferries carrying passengers along the Zhujiang River arrive at this port. Accordingly, similar flights depart from here. That is, the station is always crowded with people, there is bustle, crowding and excitement. There are often queues at the box office. If such nuances do not cause any difficulties, and the port’s location is more convenient than the central one, then you can safely leave it.
Ferry departure times to Macau from this pier are as follows:
| Departure time from Hong Kong | Arrival time in Macau |
| 07:00 | 13:00 |
| 07:30 extension | 13:30 |
| 08:00 | 14:00 |
| 08:30 | 14:30 |
| 09:00 | 15:00 |
| 09:30 | 15:30 |
| 10:00 | 16:00 |
| 10:30 | 16:30 |
| 11:00 | 17:00 |
| 11:30 | 17:30 |
| 12:00 (seasonal, additional) | Depends on the type of ferry |
| 18:00 | 20:30 |
| 18:30 | 21:00 |
| 19:00 | 21:30 |
| 19:30 | 22:00 |
| 20:00 | 22:30 |
That is, high-speed ferries do not depart from this pier. The fare is slightly lower than on high-speed flights. On average, the difference is about 20 local dollars. There are no night flights either.
In general, the Kowloon pier is not the most convenient place to get on a ferry to Macau. However, if you wish, you can figure out everything that is happening at the station. But you should come here in advance, since there is no such clarity as at the Central Pier, Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal, here.
In an Aeroport
As a rule, tourists traveling to Macau from Hong Kong itself do not use it. The point is not only that it is further to get to the terminal than to the city ones, but also that there are few ferries departing from here to Macau - 4 during the day, there are no night flights. On weekends, starting on Friday evening, ferries depart more frequently. However, the schedule must be clarified.
Chek Lap Kok Airport, where the pier is located, has international status. Probably, in this regard, the main emphasis in the frequency of departure of ferry flights is on weekends and the departure time itself is combined with the arrival of aircraft. Many fly through Hong Kong to the “Asian Las Vegas” from Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia.
In general, if you are in Hong Kong itself, there is no point in using the airport water terminal. But if such a desire arises, you should check the schedule and prices on the carriers’ websites. There is no need to purchase tickets in advance; you can pay for the trip immediately before boarding the ship.
Where do the ferries arrive?
In Macau itself, ferries can dock in two places:
- Macau Outer Harbor Ferry Terminal - in the city itself, on the peninsula;
- Taipa Ferry Terminal - on Taipa Island.
Where exactly the ferry arrives is important for those travelers who have planned their itinerary to depart from Macau airport. The airport is located on Taipa Island.
However, no one has any particular difficulties moving from the pier in Macau to the airport in Taipa, where you can leave things in a storage room. Free buses run throughout Macau, supported by local casinos, some of them pass through Taipa Airport.
Once your luggage, if any, is left at the airport, you can walk back across the bridge and take beautiful photos of the panoramic views, or take the bus again. Of course, there are also taxis between Macau and the airport in Taipa.
Video: Travel Hong Kong - Macau.
About helicopters
Not the cheapest, but the most exciting and fastest way to get from Hong Kong to Macau on your own.
The helicopter stays in the air for 20 minutes. There is no special hassle before boarding. A standard migration card is filled out. The cost of the flight is HKD 4,300 one way. On weekends and holidays prices become higher. The difference is 500-600 Hong Kong dollars.
revistaaerea.com
This is not a charter or air travel on a private helicopter. Transport helicopters fly from Hong Kong to Macau every day. If you have free funds in your budget and want to find out what a transport helicopter is, you need to purchase tickets for a regular flight at a suitable time.
There are 20 such flights per day. The first helicopter departs from Hong Kong at 10:30, and the last at 22:59. On weekends, 4 additional flights join regular flights, and on holidays there are many more.
You can check the flight schedule, cost and find out other information related to helicopter flights on the portal www.skyshuttlehk.com, that is, the Internet resource of the airport from which flights take place.
Although a helicopter is not the most budget option for getting from Hong Kong to Macau or returning from Macau to Hong Kong, this method of travel is in high demand. On weekends and holidays there may not be enough tickets for everyone, regardless of the availability of additional departures. Therefore, when choosing this way to get to Macau, you should book your seat in advance, as opposed to departing by ferry.
Today we will talk about an independent trip to Macau (Aomen), an administrative region of China. This is a special region of the Republic of China, located on the shores of the South China Sea. It covers the entire Macau Peninsula and the islands of Taipa and Coloane. Macau is considered a state within a state, with its own legislation and currency.
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Since the 15th century, this part of China was a Portuguese colony for several centuries. And only a year before the millennium, in 1999, the PRC regained this territory, giving it only for lease until 2049. The Portuguese brought European culture, religion, education and crafts to these lands, and this trace remains to this day. In Macau, the traditions of China and Europe are closely intertwined - in local customs, in language and, of course, in architecture.
Some kind of double code of life prevails here - Buddhist temples welcome believers along with Catholic cathedrals, not only the population speaks two languages, but also street names are written, a culinary riot of aromas of both Chinese and Portuguese cuisine reigns. But first things first.
How to get there
Macau welcomes guests from both the Chinese mainland and the sea. From the capital of China, tourist routes can follow the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao high-speed highway. You can also get here by air. Macau International Airport, located on Taipa Island, has many connecting flights. Of course, compared to neighboring Hong Kong, the passenger traffic of Macau Airport is much more modest, but it is the main air hub on routes to Southeast Asia.
However, the largest flow of tourists to Macau comes from Hong Kong by sea. The piers from which boats depart to Macau are located both on the mainland of Hong Kong, in the Kowloon area, and on Hong Kong Island. If tourists may need the help of a guide to find the required pier in Kowloon, then the subway line takes them directly to the pier in Hong Kong. To do this, you need to take the metro to Sheung Wan, find the exit to the Ferry and follow the signs towards the TurboJet ticket office. A boat ticket to Macau will cost approximately 120 HKD. Sea speedboats depart from Hong Kong Pier twice an hour and the journey takes about 50 minutes.
Right at the pier in Macau, tourists are greeted by many pretty girls and boys with various signs - these are barkers in hotels and casinos.
Entertainment and excitement center
Historically, Macau has always been a center of trade, attracting Chinese and Portuguese merchants. From here there were trade routes to India and East Asia. This was the only place in China where Europeans lived. They brought here not only culture, but also all sorts of vices - gambling, drunkenness and robbery.
By the 20th century, when it had already experienced a boom in trade, robbery, theft and fraud had disappeared, Macau left gambling in its heritage and turned into the Asian Monte Carlo - a center of entertainment and excitement. The center of business and trade by this time had moved to neighboring Hong Kong and retained this status to this day. It was thanks to these changes that Macau was able to maintain its unique patriarchal way of life and a relatively leisurely pace of life by Chinese standards.
Tourists arriving in Macau via Hong Kong will inevitably feel the difference between these districts of the same country. One gets the feeling of moving from the capital to the province. The differences are in everything – in the language of communication, the cuisine, the layout of the streets.
Macau residents will never call themselves Chinese. They are Macanese! True, few people now communicate in Portuguese; they mostly hear the Guangdong dialect of Chinese. Many people also understand English. But if the trip to Macau is not spontaneous, then it is better to prepare in advance or print out in Chinese the names of the places you plan to see. Then local residents will be able to help in their search.
Excursions
At all points of arrival in Macau, tourists are greeted not only by crowds of casino touts, but also by many local residents vying with each other for guide services. Prices are immediately at the maximum – 2000 HKD. As the tourist becomes disinterested in this service, the tariff instantly drops to 1000 and 500.
You can negotiate an acceptable price and significantly reduce the time spent searching for attractions on your own on the map. But don't rush. The mainland of Macau is small, and it is quite possible to get around it in one day. And what a “tourist” pleasure you can get from walking along the old streets, trying to recognize in the faces of passers-by an indigenous Chinese or a descendant of Portuguese settlers!
How to get to the city center
You can get to the city center either on foot or by bus. It is not difficult to understand bus routes, since travel patterns and fares are indicated at each stop. The movement of many of them is looped, so on the way back you can get off at the same stop where you got off.
The Hong Kong dollar in circulation here is practically equal to the national currency, the pataca, so you don’t even have to worry about exchanging money. True, when paying in dollars, the tourist will still receive change in patacas. Bus fares must be paid only with coins and placed in special boxes (cash desks) at the entrance.
Guests arriving in Macau for the first time already know about small but useful bonuses prepared for hotel guests and casino visitors. These are free buses to various destinations in Macau. Having a decent appearance and not being burdened with suspicious luggage, tourists can easily use this method of moving around the city.
What to see and do
Largo do Senado Square
First of all, everyone heads to the central square Largo do Senado - the heart of Macau and the venue for all public events. The architectural ensemble of the square takes travelers back to the colonial era. The colorful old streets leading to the square surprise you with an abundance of souvenir shops and street food vendors. On holidays, by the way, local goodies are distributed on the streets for free. Walking along the pavement in the central part of the city, every tourist will notice the characteristic feature of the paving slabs under their feet. These are paving stones with marine motifs - waves, ships and sea inhabitants. A piece of Portugal on Asian soil.
The historical sights of the central part of the city also include the Cathedral of St. Paul, or rather its ruins, left after a terrible fire in the mid-19th century. Despite the fact that only a small part of the cathedral remains, the ruins look very impressive, and the imagination immediately completes the complete image of the seat of Catholicism in Asia. The preserved main staircase and facade of the St. Paul's was included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list in 2005.
Approaching the historical hill, lines of tourist groups flock into a homogeneous mass, in which everyone is already subordinated to a single flow. It’s good if the trip to Macau takes place on weekdays. On weekends and holidays, the number of tourists increases significantly, mainly due to the Chinese themselves coming from the mainland. Prices for everything, naturally, jump from 1.5 to 2 times.
Macau is very popular among the Chinese themselves. Firstly, because gambling is prohibited in China, and secondly, Macau is in itself an exotic place for the Chinese, an island of Europe in Asia. The flavor of colonial influence is supported by several other historical attractions. Tourist routes always include visits to the Church of St. Dominic, the Temple of A-Ma and Fort Monte.
Having examined the historical center and focusing on the remaining time, guests of Macau have to think through their further route. You can go to the casino, admire the architectural features of famous hotels, visit museums, or take part in some entertainment show. Macau seems very ambitious. It’s as if he’s trying to convince everyone around him that “I’m the best, the best”!
Show City of Dreams
The City of Dreams show is the most spectacular global performance that can only be seen in Macau. The symbiosis of theater, dance, acrobatics and even underwater stunts leaves all spectators, without exception, indescribably delighted. Genre is difficult to define. This is a fairy tale with amazing scenery and characters, and a circus with acrobats, trapeze artists and diving.
Bikers flying overhead who do not use insurance are also surprising. This is a transforming theater, the stage of which can turn into a huge swimming pool. The duration of the performance is 85 minutes, and it is held every day at 17:00 and 20:00. Cost from 500 to 2000 HKD.
So it’s customary to talk about the famous Macau Tower in superlatives. It is visible within a radius of several kilometers, and offers the best views from there. But the main attraction of the tower for tourists is its bungee, the highest in the world among urban buildings. The jumping area is located at an altitude of 233 meters, where 200 of them can be flown in free fall. There are so many daredevils that you will have to stand in line. The cost of this pleasure is 1000 HKD. But not everyone, having already risen to the start, dares to overcome this milestone.
You can try to overcome your fear by walking along the parapet around the tower, which is 1.5 meters wide. There are no railings or fences. Fortunately, insurance is available. This is another unique attraction that will take 500 HKD out of a tourist’s pocket.
Any tourist guide calls Macau a city of celebration and excitement. Even if you don’t want to place a bet, it’s worth checking out the casino. It should be noted that none of the visitors ignores the Venetian Casino Hotel. The easiest way to get here is by taxi or the hotel's free shuttle bus.
Show City of Dreams
), without spending any special money or time on it, using the Hong Kong-Macau ferry. It’s just as easy to sail back and forth from Macau to Hong Kong. Since Macau is famous for its gambling and casinos, many Hong Kongers go there for a weekend or even a day.
Hong Kong-Macau ferry schedule and return
Travel time- about an hour. The ferry travels very quickly.
Ticket price— 150-160 HKD for regular economy class. Others cost more.
Several ferries operate between Hong Kong and Macau. The most popular are TurboJet and Cotai Water Jet, there is also First Ferry, but I couldn’t find its website.
Ferries run every half hour from 7 am to 12 midnight. There are also several night ferries. Also, when you look at the schedule, pay attention to the specific place of departure and place of arrival, because there are different terminals, both in Hong Kong and in Macau, and accordingly, the schedule will differ depending on this. More on this below.
Ferry schedule Hong Kong - Macau
Terminals in Hong Kong and Macau
There are three terminals in Hong Kong with ferries to Macau:
— Kowloon Peninsula (China Ferry Terminal) next to Tsim Sha Tsui MRT station
— Hong Kong Island (Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal) next to Sheung Wan Station
— Chek Lap Kok International Airport (SkyPier).
There are two terminals in Macau:
— On the Macau Peninsula (Macau Outer Harbor Ferry Terminal)
— On Taipa Island (Taipa Ferry Terminal)
My ferry sailed from the Kowloon Peninsula to the Macau Peninsula, so I then took a bus to Taipa Island to Macau Airport (direct bus), left my things in the luggage room at the airport (there was a flight from Macau in the evening). And after that, I took the bus again (bus numbers are in Google Maps) and went again to the island of Macau, where I walked around the city and looked at the casino. It would have been more convenient to sail straight to Taipa Island, but there was no ferry that suited me in time, they go there much less often.
All sorts of Chinese delicacies in the Kowloon seaport
In this article we will look at Macau, how to get there by ferry from Hong Kong, and also look at the three piers in Hong Kong from where ferries depart and the two main companies that provide transportation in the direction Hong Kong - Macau.
How to get from Hong Kong to Macau
Just an hour's drive from Hong Kong is the city of Macau, a mega-resort and gambling hub of China, which also has interesting historical sites. First of all, tourists are attracted to Macau by large casinos and hotels. This is the new gambling capital of the world. Macau is home to 5 of the world's 10 largest casinos. There's also plenty to see in Macau, with the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of San Ma Lo and Guia Fortress being popular among tourists.
Getting to Macau by ferry is the most popular way to travel between Hong Kong and Macau. It's convenient, fast enough, and, of course, it's the cheapest way. There are two piers in Hong Kong from which you can get to Macau. You can also get to Macau from the airport.
Macau: how to get there from China Ferry Terminal Pier
Address: 33 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
How to get there: MTR Tsim Sha Tsui, exit A1. When exiting the metro, walk along Haiphong Rd. and turn right onto Canton Rd. The pier will be a little further on the left side of the road.
The China Ferry Terminal Pier is located in the Tsim Sha Tsui area, about a kilometer north of the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Terminal. To get to the pier, you can walk to Harbor City Mall, or take a taxi to 33 Canton Road.
Macau: how to get there from Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal Pier
How to get there: MTR Sheung Wan, Exit D.
The Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal Pier is located near the IFC Towers in the Shun Tak Center on Hong Kong Island. Landmark - Star Ferry terminal and IFC Mall.
Main companies - carriers Hong Kong - Macau
Macau is a popular tourist destination from Hong Kong. There are two main ferry operators to Macau from Hong Kong: TurboJet and CotaiJet. With their help, you can get to Macau by ferry from Hong Kong within an hour.
Hong Kong-Macau ferries of two companies depart from each pier. Over the past few years, almost half of Hong Kong-Macau ferries have stopped operating, so I advise you to choose one of these two.
Macau: how to get there on TurboJet
The TurboJet ferry to Macau from Hong Kong departs the piers every 15 minutes on weekdays and weekends. This Hong Kong - Macau ferry only goes to Macau Ferry Terminal.
The Hong Kong-Macau TurboJet ferry journey time is approximately 55 minutes. They depart from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal pier. Arrive in Macau to the area where the largest casinos and hotels are located, such as Lisboa and MGM.
TurboJet prices are the same for adults and children, but vary depending on the time of day and weekdays/weekends.
For some reason, prices back from Macau are lower than there. Apparently, there are more people who want to go to Macau than back :)
Day (weekdays): HK$164-HK$153 (return)
Day (weekends and holidays): HK$177 – HK$166 (return)
Night (every day): HK$200-HK$189 (return)
How to get from Hong Kong to Macau: CotaiJet
The CotaiJet ferry from Hong Kong to Macau arrives at Taipa, one of the Macau islands. Therefore, CotaiJet in Macau may be more convenient for those visiting Macau hotels located on Taipa Island. The travel time of the Hong Kong-Macau CotaiJet ferry is approximately the same as the TurboJet - one hour. The CotaiJet ferry from Hong Kong to Macau operates every 30 minutes from 6:30 am.
CotaiJetService prices
Day (weekdays): HK$165 – HK$154 (return)
Day (weekends and holidays): HK$177 – HK$167 (return)
Night (every day): HK$201 – HK$190 (return)
Sky Pier - Macau - Hong Kong ferry from the airport
The third pier, from which you can get from Hong Kong to Macau, is located right at Hong Kong International Airport and is called Sky Pier.
Address: Hong Kong International Airport, Tung Chung, Lantau, Hong Kong.
These are not all the ways to get from Hong Kong to Macau. But these are the most popular. You can also travel from Hong Kong to Macau by helicopter. But read about this method in the following articles.
