Unfortunately, I’ve not even scratched the surface of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is such a wild metropolitan city. It has everything you’re looking for in a well-rounded vacation or expat assignment. From beaches to amazing shopping, Hong Kong really does have it all, in a multi-level vertical, compact way. But, if you’re looking for a cute and fun day trip you can head to Macau from Hong Kong quickly.

How to get to Macau from Hong Kong

The first time I came to Asia, I hit Macau. Macau was my first impression of Asia. I instantly fell in love! Macau, by big Asian city standards is small, especially compared to cities like Hong Kong and Shanghai. Although, it’s a smaller city, its relatively compact and dense. Now that I’ve wet your appetite, so to speak, here is how to get there.

The ferry’s from Hong Kong island leave from Shun Tak Center in Sheung Wan. This means you should take the Island Line (a train line…check out my post on how to get around Hong Kong for more info) to Sheung Wan station and exit D. They also leave from From Tsim Sha Tsui to downtown Macau or the China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon. The boats here either go to Downtown Macau or the Island that’s filled with bustling casinos. In other words, the Las Vegas of China, Taipa.

It’s a cute boat that goes about 40 miles an hour. It takes about an hour to get there. The ride is usually smooth. The great thing about this ferry ride is the frequency. It departs either, every 15 or 30 minutes depending on which place you catch it from.

Prices for economy class range from about HK$132-$172 or $16-$21 USD.

Although, if I remember correctly I got a round trip ticket in first class which includes a small meal and a drink and the cabin is EMPTY!

You can buy tickets at each ferry terminal.

Upon Arriving

I landed in Downtown Macau. The only time I went to Macau, I was flying from Los Angeles. I had a layover in Seoul with my final destination in Hong Kong. From here we took the train to the ferry station and the ferry to Macau. Once you arrive, you walk outside and its a crazy whirlwind of taxis everywhere.

My partner was so cranky from our travel time, which was more than 24 hours at this point, he no longer wanted to deal with anything. Since the history of Macau says it used to be a Portuguese colony, some people speak Portuguese… This means it was my turn to navigate, since I’m a Portuguese speaker. However, I found out that the people who speak Portuguese speak a very interesting hybrid of Chinese and Portuguese which is actually called Macanese.

We take a taxi ride to our hotel after struggling to speak to our driver. Fortunately my partner had a card for our hotel.

As we got into our hotel, we settled and relaxed our jet-lagged bones for the rest of the night.

I was fast asleep by 7pm.

Let me break it down for you:

How to get to Macau?

• Take the Ferry from either Shun Tak Center in Sheung Wan, Tsim Sha Tsui or China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon.
• You can choose to go to Downtown Macau or the casino island called Taipa.
• The ride lasts about an hour.
• Prices: about HK$132-$172 or $16-$21 USD.

Macau should definitely be on your list of places to see!