How to Get from Hong Kong to Macau

-From the Expat Living Here

To get straight to it, you basically have two options: By Sea (the classic TurboJet/Cotai Water Jet ferries) or By Land (the mega-bridge via the “Golden Bus” or direct cross-border coaches). Plus, a couple of wildcard luxury options if you’re throwing cash around. 

If you’re on Hong Kong Island or on Kowloon side, you’ll want to take a ferry. But if you’re coming from Hong Kong Airport or you’re on Lantau Island, taking the mega bridge will make most sense.  

Personally, I love taking the bus when I’m coming from the airport but other than that, I take the ferry every time. Plus the bus is a smoother ride.

Why does this Chicago girl know about Hong Kong to Macau transit?

The world’s largest water show handed me a job as an acrobat years ago, and since then I’ve lived in this quirky but fantastically interesting European-Chinese blended special administrative region of China *deep breath* called Macau.

I live in Macau but get over to Hong Kong about once or twice a month. Between me, my fiancé, and my cast mates, I know someone in Hong Kong for some reason or another every single weekend. I’ve taken every route (except helicopter but maybe one day) to get to Hong Kong.

So if you have any questions, I’m your gal. 

Option 1:

The Classic TurboJet & Cotai Water Jet Ferries

The Vibe: The tried-and-true, traditional route. Great if you’re staying near Hong Kong Island or Tsim Sha Tsui and want a quick, direct trip straight onto the water.

Key Details:

• • • • Travel Time: ~55 to 60 minutes.
      • Cost: ~$175 to $220 HKD per way (weekends/night sailings cost a bit more).
        • Main Departure Point (HK): Hong Kong–Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan (MTR Sheung Wan Station).
        • Arrival Terminals (Macau):
          • • Taipa Ferry Terminal: Ideal for Cotai Strip mega-resorts (Venetian, City of Dreams, Morpheus) and the airport. (Primary operator: Cotai Water Jet)
          • • Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal: Ideal for old Macau side, historic downtown, Senado Square, and Ruins of St. Paul’s. (Primary operator: TurboJet)

Consensus For The Ferries

Pros: If you’re already on Hong Kong Island, it’s simple. You buy your ticket, sit down, close your eyes, and boom! You’re in Macau in an hour. You can even buy a ticket and hop on an earlier ferry if there’s space.

Cons: Motion sickness is real. It’s not always a bumpy ride, but when it is you might be scanning for the nearest life jacket or puke bag. Also ferries stop running around 10:30 PM.

There are two areas you can get dropped at from the ferries. Taipa or Macau (Outer). I know it’s confusing because both are technically in Macau. But if you want to wander Old Taipa or the casinos like Venetian, The City of Dreams, The Wynn, or MGM, make sure you get your ticket to Taipa. 

Cotai Water Jet is the company I always use because they have the most ferries that go to Taipa, and that’s where I live!. TurboJet operates to Macau Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal side and Taipa but has fewer ferries to the latter.. But if you’re like me and accidentally take a ferry to Macau (Outer) for your first time here, no worries because taxis in Macau are very cheap. It’ll just cost you about 15 minutes and about $10 in the car.

Option 2:

The HZMB “Golden Bus”

The Vibe: You get to ride the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge (Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge). It’s smooth as butter, runs 24/7, and costs a fraction of the ferry price.

Key Details:

• • • • Cost: ~$65 HKD/MOP per way. (Remember you can’t pay in MOP if you’re coming from HK.)
      • Travel Time: ~35 to 45 minutes on the bridge itself, but factor in a total transit time of 1.5 to 2 hours, including local connections.
      • How it Works: You take public transit/MTR/city bus to the HK HZMB Port near the airport, buy your ticket, clear HK immigration, board the double-decker shuttle bus (Golden Bus), cross the bridge, clear Macau immigration at the Macau HZMB Port, and then grab a local bus or free casino shuttle to your final destination.

Consensus For The HZMB “Golden Bus”

Pros: Stupid cheap. Zero risk of seasickness. Runs day and night continuously, so you never have to stress about missing the last ferry.

Side Story: My boyfriend once saw the rare pink dolphins that  live in the Pearl River Estuary while he was riding this bus at dawn! I’ve yet to see them but I’m hoping one day.

Cons: Can be annoying with the transfers. There’s a lot of getting off and on with luggage, which is not ideal.

We constantly use this option when we take quick weekend trips around Thailand, Vietnam, or Japan. The flights usually get us in after the last ferry, but it doesn’t matter because the Golden Bus is really easy from the airport. They are always reliable with timing, but it can be a bit of a headache to go through the lines at immigration on the Hong Kong side at the port, then again at the port on the Macau side.

Remember, if you’re coming in through the airport and decide not to take the airport shuttle (they run less often) that means you’d need to go through immigration 3 times. 1. Entering Hong Kong 2. Exiting Hong Kong 3. Entering Macau

Option 3:

Cross-Boundary Direct Coaches (Point-to-Point)

The Vibe: The ultimate middle ground between convenience and price.

Key Details:

• • • • Cost: ~$160 to $180 HKD.
      • Travel Time: ~110 minutes total.
      • How it Works: Operators like ONE Bus, HK-MO Express, or Eternal East pick you up in downtown Hong Kong (Prince Edward, Jordan, or Tsim Sha Tsui) and drive you straight across the bridge to major hotels in Macau (Sands, Venetian, Grand Lisboa, etc.). You only step off the bus briefly to walk through customs at the border.

Consensus For Cross-Boundary Coaches

Pros: Extremely hassle-free if you are carrying heavy luggage or traveling in a group. Drops you directly at major resort doors.

Cons: Subject to traffic on both ends of the city, making travel times slightly variable during rush hour. They also run hourly, whereas the HMZS bus runs every 15-30 minutes.

I’ve personally never taken one of the cross-boundary coaches, but they seem easy enough! 

But I would prefer to split the price of a private car with my friends than go with the tour group. You never know if you’ll get held up at immigration and if you are, you can say bye bye to the bus. With a private car, they’ll wait.  Plus it’s easier to manage and you can choose the time. With enough people in the car, it’s affordable. Unfortunately the affordable prices are done via WeChat with the taxi drivers we (in the cast) know. 

Please send me a message or drop a comment if you would like the contact of one of these drivers!

Option 4:

Luxury Options (Private Car vs. Helicopter)

Private Alphard / Cross-Border Taxi:

• • • • Cost: The internet likes to say they are around $3,000+ HKD. I know people in the cast who have done it for cheaper…
      • Best for: People who have run out of travel patience. (No judgement.) Families with tons of luggage, or circus performers traveling with massive equipment. Direct door-to-door without changing vehicles. A huge PRO because dealing with the immigration halls can be really annoying when you’re dragging your overweight bags through the escalator blockers. 

Sky Shuttle Helicopter:

• • • • Cost: ~$4,300+ HKD per seat.
      • Travel Time: 15 minutes flat!
      • The Vibe: Leaving Sheung Wan and landing at the Macau Outer Harbour Terminal like James Bond. But also…you’ll land on Macau (Outer) side. Slightly less than ideal… Just saying.

One day. One gosh darn day, I will take a helicopter to Macau. Probably not today. Probably not tomorrow, folks, but hopefully before I move back to Chicago.

Quick Tips Before You Head to Macau

1. Passport & Immigration: You are crossing an actual border—don’t forget your passport! Check if your nationality requires a visa for Macau (most Western passports get 30 to 90 days visa-free on arrival).

2. Currency: Hong Kong Dollars (HKD) are accepted almost everywhere in Macau at a 1:1 rate, but Macau Patacas (MOP) are not accepted in Hong Kong. If you pay in HKD in Macau you will get MOP back.

3. Free Casino Shuttles: Once you arrive at either Macau Ferry Terminal or the HZMB Port, leverage the free casino buses. You don’t need to stay at the hotel to ride them!

My mom always takes the Free bus offered by City of Dreams because she knows that’s where I work, but there are many other options! She also prefers the ferry route to anything else. Oddly enough, she is convinced the waves soothe her stomach, not make her lunch come back up.  

Final thoughts on How to Get to Macau from Hong Kong

Don’t stress too much if you’re nervous about the transit. There are plenty of options and lots of opportunities to get your butt over here. I’d choose the ferry over anything else, but I also enjoy the bumpy ride. It lulls me to sleep ;). 

If you end up taking a point-to-point direct coach, please let me know! I’d love to know the details and how people fare with it.