Hong Kong to Macau DIY: Hassle-Free Bus Ride from HK Airport

 

Here’s a quick preface: Initially, I considered taking a ferry to Macau, but by May 2024, ferry services from Hong Kong Airport to Macau were largely suspended. After inquiring with airport staff, they mentioned that it is highly unlikely the ferry services will resume. One reason is the availability of cross-border buses via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, and another is the difficulty in finding ferry captains. However, whether the ferry service will resume in the future remains uncertain, so it's best to check online for updated information in advance!

Now, there are two main ways to take a cross-border bus from Hong Kong Airport. The first option is to clear Hong Kong customs and take a bus to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Hong Kong Port in Chek Lap Kok, followed by the cross-border bus to Macau. After going through customs and collecting your luggage, head to the Mainland/Macau Transport area, turn left after exiting, and find the bus stop labeled B4 Cheong Tat Road. There, you’ll see the bus heading to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Hong Kong Port, which takes about 20 minutes. Once you arrive, clear Hong Kong customs and purchase a Golden Bus (also known as "Jinba") ticket for HKD 65 per person. The journey to Macau Port takes approximately 50 minutes. (This route is more budget-friendly, but it may be challenging if you have a lot of luggage.) The Golden Bus operates 24 hours a day, with a night fare of HKD 70 per person.

The other option is to skip clearing Hong Kong customs and directly head to Counter E2 at the transfer desk in the SkyPier Transit Hall inside the airport. At the ticketing counter for shuttle buses, you can purchase tickets for ferries heading to various ports in Guangdong cities such as Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, and Macau. As you walk further along, you'll find the bus counters for Macau and Zhuhai.

You need to walk past the initial counters and continue further back to find the cross-border bus counters for Macau and Zhuhai. I couldn’t find it at first either, but after asking airport staff, I was able to locate it.

The only downside to this route is the cost—it's roughly double the price of entering Hong Kong and taking a bus to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Hong Kong Port on your own. However, the convenience is a big advantage, as you don't have to carry your luggage around. They’ll transfer your luggage to the SkyPier Transit Hall for you, which takes about an hour. If you only have carry-on luggage, you can head straight to the earliest bus departure without waiting for the luggage transfer. In my case, I only had carry-on luggage, but I had to wait for my family's luggage to be transferred, which made me miss one bus departure.

Once you enter, you can take the shuttle subway down to the SkyPier Transit Hall.

In fact, not many people use this route, so it’s not crowded at all, making for a relaxed and pleasant experience!

You will need to pick up your luggage and bring it to the bus!

You can then easily board the cross-border bus, which will take you directly to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Macau Port. Since you’re using this route, you skip the Hong Kong port entirely and enter Macau directly without going through Hong Kong customs. This means you don’t have to clear Hong Kong customs first before exiting to Macau; you can go straight from Hong Kong Airport to the Macau Port!

Once you arrive in Macau, you can decide what mode of transportation to take, whether it's the free shuttle bus or other options. We chose to take the shuttle bus! I’ll explain more in the next post.