Popular for weekend jaunts, visa runs, shopping trips, gambling and their airport hubs, Macau and Hong Kong are close enough to Guangzhou to feel like they're in your backyard. Whether you prefer boats, planes, trains or buses, Guangzhou residents have a bevy of options for travelling between the two Special Administrative Regions and the cities of the Pearl River Delta. Here are some of the most popular ways to get to Hong Kong and Macau.

Going to Hong Kong

1) By train  
Locomotive lovers have two options to consider for routes to Hong Kong—either to go directly into Kowloon's Hung Hom Station (clearing customs within the station), or to take a fast train to Shenzhen, and then walk across the Luo Hu border crossing and use Hong Kong's subway system to reach the final destination. The choice largely depends on where your final destination within Hong Kong is and how much baggage you would need to trundle across the border checkpoint. Frequent trains for both destinations leave from Guangzhou East Railway Station, located in Tianhe District. Some trains originate from Guangzhou's main train station before heading to Guangzhou East.   

Guangzhou East Railway StationView In Map
Add: 1 Dongzhan Lu, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 
地址：广州市天河区东站路1号
Getting there: ride metro line 1 or 3

To Hong Kong
Tel: 852 2947 7888 (HK)
Hours: Earliest from Guangzhou to Hung Hom is as 8:19, latest is at 21:32.
Prices: From 190 RMB
Website: http://www.it3.mtr.com.hk/b2c/

To Shenzhen
Hours: Earliest from Guangzhou to Shenzhen at 6:03, latest at 23:17
Prices: From 75 RMB
Website: www.gsrc.com

2) By bus
For direct access to the Hong Kong International Airport, or for a cheaper alternative than the train for arriving in Kowloon or the Shenzhen-Hong Kong border of Luo Hu, it's hard to beat taking a bus. Air-conditioned and generally comfortable if not sometimes a bit noisy, buses from several different companies and stations traverse the Pearl River Delta throughout the day. Travellers going through to Hong Kong transfer buses at the border to clear immigration. Would-be bus passengers can start their trip at one of the town's several bus stations, such as the Guangzhou Passenger Transport Station near the main train station or the Yuexiu South Bus Station. A more comfortable bus option is to start at one of the city's major hotels such as the Landmark Canton, the Garden Hotel, China Hotel or the White Swan Hotel and go directly into to Hong Kong, even as far as the Hong Kong International Airport. Tickets for these buses can be bought at the hotels' business centres or in small kiosks in their lobbies. One such bus company is CTS. For other options, passengers will need to seek out what's available at the hotels nearest them. A list of the five companies serving the Hong Kong International Airport can be found on its website.

Guangzhou Passenger Transport Station (to Luo Hu)View In Map
Add: 158 Huanshi Xi Lu, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
地址: 广州市越秀区环市西路158号
Tel: 020 8666 1297, 020 8669 2865 ext.2196, 020 8668 4259
Hours: 06:00-22:00
Price: From 60 RMB

Yuexiu South Bus Station (越秀南客运站) (to Luo Hu and Hong Kong)View In Map
Add: 2 Nandongyuanheng, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
地址: 广州市越秀区南东园横2号
Tel: 020 8383 3949
Price: From 80 RMB
Website: http://www.yxnz.com.cn  (Chinese)

CTS
Tel: 020 8337 2626 (reservations); 020 8333 6888 ext. 5384 (Guangdong CTS)
Website: http://ctsbus.hkcts.com
Hours to HKIA: 7:00-22:00
Hours to Kowloon: 5:30-20:40
Prices: From 230 RMB to HKIA; from 80 RMB to Kowloon

3) By ferry
While romantic, scenic and less of a hassle during the border control (passengers are stamped out before embarking and stamped in on the other side), there aren't any ferries to Hong Kong that leave from the central Guangzhou area. There are two options however from Panyu and Nansha Districts.  One is Nansha Harbour, which services Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and the China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon. The other is Lianhuashan Harbour, which services Central and Kowloon. 

Chu Kung Passenger Transport Co. (Panyu Harbour to Lianhuashan Harbour)
Tel: 85 2858 3876 (HK)
Hours: 8:30-18:00
Price: from 180 RMB
Website: http://www.cksp.com.hk/eng/price_list/main.html
Getting There: Shuttle buses from many hotels, including the Garden and Landmark hotels, are available; check with ticketing. Also, you can ride the No. 番148 bus to and from the Metro Line 3 at Panyu Square (番禺广场).

Turbojet (Nansha Harbour to HKIA)
Tel: 800 3628 3628 (toll-free in China)
Hours: Departs Nansha Harbour at 9:30.  Returning from HKIA at 16:00
Price: from 310 RMB
Website: www.turbojetseaexpress.com.hk
Getting There: Shuttle buses are available, for example from the Panyu Miramar Hotel (Tel. 8488 8990); you can also ride the No. 番143 bus to and from Metro Line 4 at Jiaomen Station (蕉门站).

4) By plane
At just over an hour away, Hong Kong is just a quick hop on a plane from Guangzhou, however the airport taxes and distance from the airports to either city's downtown makes this an unattractive option unless you are catching a connecting flight. Flight prices vary depending on season and carrier. Hong Kong carrier Dragonair flies twice per day from Guangzhou and China Southern has convenient afternoon flights.

Dragonair
Website: www.dragonair.com

China Southern
Website: www.csair.com/en/

Going to Macau

Former Portuguese enclave Macau, once mostly known for its genteel old colonial structures and laid-back feel, is now touted as the Las Vegas of Asia after developers have poured millions of patacas into building the CoTai Strip—a string of mega-casinos guaranteed to provide a good time. Go to Macau directly, or, via Gongbei, its border with the city of Zhuhai. The most popular way to go is by air-conditioned bus.

1) By bus
As with to Hong Kong, passengers can choose to go by bus from one of Guangzhou's public bus stations (see above) for 70 RMB per ticket. For a bit more comfort (and a few more Yuan) you can also take a bus from one of the private companies such as CTS or Kee Kwan. These buses leave from hotels throughout Guangzhou 06:00-21:00, most notably from the Landmark Canton Hotel and the Garden Hotel. Two buses daily leave from the Ocean Hotel to the Macau International Airport.

Ocean Hotel (to Macau International Airport)View In Map
Add: 412 Huanshi Dong Lu, Yuexiu District, Guangzou
地址: 广州市越秀区环市东路412号
Tel: 020 3685 9512, 3685 1885, 3685 1895
Hours: Departs the hotel at 7:45 and 14:15
Price: 150 RMB

CTS
Tel: 020 8337 2626 (Reservation Hotline), 020 8333 6888 ext. 5384 (Guangdong CTS)
Hours: 6:30-20:50 (several times per hour)
Price: From 60 RMB
Website: http://ctsbus.hkcts.com

Kee Kwan
Tel: 002 8383 7763 (reservation hotline)
Hours: 7:40-19:35
Price: From 60 RMB
Website: http://www.keekwan.com/operation/passenger_traffic/schedule.html (Chinese)

2) By ferry
Turbojet offers two weekend ferries from Guangzhou's Nansha Harbour in Panyu District to Macau.

Turbojet
Tel: 800 3628 3628 (toll-free in China)
Hours:
Saturdays: 9:00 to Macau; 10:45 returning to Guangzhou
Sundays: 14:30 to Macau; 16:15 returning to Guangzhou
Prices: from 180 RMB
Website: www.turbojet.com.hk

3) By train
Taking a train to Zhuhai and then connecting is another option, although until the extended railway is opened next year it won't be as convenient as the Guangzhou-Shenzhen route. Trains leave from Guangzhou South and arrive at Zhuhai North, which is about a 45-minute bus drive from the Gongbei border with Macau.

Guangzhou South Railway Station (to Zhuhai North)View In Map
Add: Shibi Town, Zhongcun County, Panyu District, Guangzhou
地址: 广州市番禺区钟村镇石壁村
Hours: 06:30-22:20
Price: From 36 RMB
Getting there: End of Metro Line 2

4) By plane?
Unfortunately, at the time of writing there were no major carriers flying non-stop between Guangzhou and Macau. 

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Keywords: Guangzhou Hong Kong travel Guangzhou SAR Special Administrative Region travel Guangzhou Macau travel boat plane train bus Guangzhou to Hong Kong Macau