Originally published on 5 July 2023

So you made it to Hong Kong. Now what. You have two main options:

1. By sea: hydrofoil ferry  🚢

2. By land: bus  🚌

Which one should you choose? Well, it largely depends on where you are starting from in Hong Kong.

• Airport arrival
• Hong Kong island
• Kowloon / Tsing Yi

Airport Arrival

You are keen. You want to go straight to Macau from the Hong Kong airport.

A. Shuttle bus "Golden Bus"

Going by bus has the added appeal of traveling on the longest bridge-cum-tunnel sea crossing in the world: the 55-km Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB). The "Golden Bus" (as the shuttle bus is known) is also the cheapest option. Full price tickets cost HK$65 (~US$8.3) during all hours except from midnight to 5:59 a.m. when the ticket price is HK$70 (~US$9). Concession tickets cost half the price. To take the bus, you first have to leave the airport and get to the HZMB Hong Kong Port by either taxi or bus (~10 min). Note that you can also opt to take the bus shuttle directly from inside the Hong Kong airport, but the fare will be much higher. This option will be explored in the next section.

Once you get there, you can buy a bus ticket from one of the ticket counters or self-service ticket machines. The buses are fairly frequent with departures every 10-20 min from 7 a.m. to midnight, then once every hour from 12:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.

The journey takes about 40 min to reach the Macau Port. If you plan to visit any casino or resort, you can take the free shuttle bus to either ferry terminal in Taipa and Macau Outer Harbour, and from there you can take another free casino shuttle bus.

B1. Airport bus shuttle

Although not the cheapest, taking the HK Airport Direct bus is the most convenient option to get to Macau from the Hong Kong airport. Just follow the signs inside the airport terminal that read "Mainland/Macao Ferries" and "Bonded Bus".

There is one bus every hour from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. The journey takes about 45 minutes. A one-way adult bus fare costs HK$280 (~US$36). For more up-to-date information (such as baggage size restrictions and bus schedule) , you can check out the operator's official website here.

B2. Airport ferry

Another painless ways to get to Macau is to take the Turbojet ferry direct from the airport terminal. The journey takes about 70 min.

So why is this the least common way to get to Macau? It is because there are very few available sailings. I'm talking about just a handful of sailings per week here. There used to be multiple daily sailings pre-Covid travel restrictions so who knows, the schedule might improve as global travel picks up again. You can check the latest sailings schedule on Turbojet's official website here.

Cotai Water Jet also used to run services on the airport to Macau (Taipa) route, but the service has been suspended since the Covid pandemic. Check out their website when you travel in case they resume services for this route again.

C. Downtown ferry

If the last two methods do not work for you, you can take the ferry from the downtown ferry terminal in Sheung Wan, which is on the main Hong Kong island. An economy ticket costs HK$160 (~US$8.3). To get there from the airport, you can:

1. Take the A11 bus, and get off at the "Macau Ferry, Connaught Road Central (港澳碼頭, 干諾道中)" stop. Go inside the Shun Tak Centre and you can find the ferry ticket counters on the third floor. The bus is quick, comfortable and relatively cheap at HK$42 (~US$5.4). The journey usually takes about 35 min. You can check out the bus timetable here (direction to: North Point Ferry Pier).

2. Take a taxi to the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal (香港上環港澳碼頭). It will drop you off at Shun Tak Centre and you just need to go up to the ticketing area on the third floor. The taxi fare is around HK$350 (~US$45) and the journey takes about 30 min.

3. Take the Airport Express train to Hong Kong station, then either walk via the footbridge (~15 min) or take a taxi to the ferry terminal. I would pick the bus over this option since the train costs more than double the price and it is not even a direct way to the ferry terminal. This is really more an option if you cannot take the bus for whatever reason, or if you know or expect heavy road traffic coming out of the airport.

It is fairly easy once you get to the ferry terminal. You buy a ticket, go through the ticket departure area, pass immigration, go to the boarding gate counter to pick an assigned seat on the ferry, then wait to board.

After boarding the ferry, you can sit back and relax. You will arrive in Macau in about an hour.

Hong Kong island

You decide to spend some time in Hong Kong before heading over to Macau. That's great! Not only can you catch up on some rest and experience the amazing city that is Hong Kong, you can more accurately (and confidently) plan ahead for your trip to Macau too.

A. Downtown ferry

This one is a bit of a no-brainer. If you are based in Hong Kong island, the most efficient way to reach Macau is to take the downtown ferry from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan. Just take a taxi or Uber your way there. If you wish to use local public transport, you can go on the MTR underground train, get off at Sheung Wan station and then take Exit D; plenty of local buses also stop by the Shun Tak Centre, which is where the ferry terminal is located.

Read more about the downtown ferry in the Airport Arrival section above.

B. Non-franchised direct bus via HZMB

If you are starting from Hong Kong island, you should only consider this option if you want to see the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) or if you suffer from seasickness. This direct bus is not the same as the "Golden Bus" shuttle (which only departs from the HZMB Hong Kong Port). It departs from various spots on the Kowloon side and travels to Macau via the HZMB. Depending on the route, the bus will take you straight to major casinos after you have passed through immigration at the HZMB Macau Port. Excluding the time it will take you to get from Hong Kong island to the departure point in Kowloon, the journey will take around 1.5 to 2 hours depending on traffic.

Read more about the direct bus in the Kowloon / Tsing Yi section below.

C. Shuttle bus "Golden Bus"

There really is no reason to consider this option when you are starting from Hong Kong island unless you want the cheapest option. First, you can get to the HZMB Hong Kong Port by airport bus (or a combination of MTR train and local bus). You can check out the bridge's website for local transport links. From there you can take the Golden Bus. My family has done this in the reverse direction from Macau to Hong Kong island. It took them almost 3 hours because of the multiple connections and bad traffic. Hence, I do not recommend it.

But if you must, you can read more about the Golden Bus shuttle in the Airport Arrival section above.

Kowloon / Tsing Yi

If you are not fixed on riding the downtown ferry to Macau, being based in Kowloon gives you other good options due to its relative proximity and easier connection to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB).

A. Non-franchised direct bus via HZMB

Hong Kong-Macau Express and One Bus both run buses from various pickup points in Kowloon direct to major Macau casinos. Well, kind of, direct. You will need to get off the bus at the HZMB Hong Port to pass through immigration, get on the bus afterwards, then get off again once you arrive at the Macau Port to go through immigration checks before jumping on to the connecting bus where it will take you to the designated Macau casinos. Each time you get off the bus, you have to take all your luggage with you. So this is something to bear in mind if you are traveling with more than just a day or overnight bag.

Tickets cost the same as the ferry at HK$160 (~US$8.3). The journey from pickup to the casino takes around 1.5 to 2 hours.

If you travel with One Bus, the pickup point is at Jordan, near The Jade Plaza at 505 Canton Road (廣東道 505 號 (近玉器交易廣場)).

Hong Kong-Macau Express has more pickup points at (1) Prince Edward (ChinaLink, Shop A, 695 Shanghai Street 太子上海街 695 號), (2) Kowloon Station (Elements mall, 1/F, Cross boundary bus station 尖沙咀柯士甸道西 1 號圓方商場 1 (火區) 過境巴士站), and (3) Tsim Sha Tsui (China Hong Kong City, 1/F, 33 Canton Road 廣東道 33 號 中港城 1 樓公共運輸交匯處).

B. Shuttle bus "Golden Bus"

For those who are staying in areas nearer to the Hong Kong airport like Tsing Yi or have good transport links to the HZMB Hong Kong Port, the Golden Bus is a great option. A number of airport buses stop at the HZMB Hong Kong Port. You can check the bridge's website to get more information.

This is the cheapest option and the buses are more frequent than the direct buses that depart from Kowloon. You are also free from the pressure of having to make the connecting bus at each end of the bridge in 20 minutes! The downside is you have to find your own transport at the Macau Port to reach your final destination in Macau.

For more details on the Golden Bus, you can read the Airport Arrival section above.

C. Downtown ferry

Do not discount the ferries! This is the default option if you are traveling with lots of bags or difficult-to-carry bags. No lugging around at checkpoints, no time pressure to catch connecting buses, and you can still see the HZMB bridge from the sea! This is relatively pain-free, especially if you are closer to the ferry terminal, in Tsim Sha Tsui for example. Another plus for the ferries is you will arrive at the ferry terminal in Macau with easy, free shuttle buses waiting to pick you up to transport you to the major casinos in town.

Read more about the downtown ferry in the Airport Arrival section above.