Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [218]
There is one daily departure to Zhaoqing (adult/child $235/117.50) via Dongguan, Guangzhou East and Foshan at 10.42am, arriving in Zhaoqing at 2.29pm. The train departs Zhaoqing at 3.10pm, reaching Hung Hom at 6.49pm.
Immigration formalities at Hung Hom are completed before boarding; you won’t get on the train without a visa for China. Passengers are required to arrive at the station 45 minutes before departure. To reach Hung Hom station from Tsim Sha Tsui by public transport, take the MTR East Rail for one stop, bus 5C from the Star Ferry pier, or the green minibus 6 or 8 from Hankow Rd.
One-way and return tickets can be booked 60 days in advance through CTS, including at CTS Hung Hom station branch ( Map; 2334 9333; 6.30am-8pm) and at MTR East Rail stations in Hung Hom, Mong Kok, Kowloon Tong and Sha Tin. Tickets booked with a credit card via the Tele-Ticketing Hotline ( 2947 7888) must be collected at least one hour before departure.
A cheaper but much less convenient option is to take the MTR East Rail train to Lo Wu (or to the Shenzhen Metro via Lok Ma Chau), cross through immigration into Shenzhen and catch a local train from there to Guangzhou. There are frequent high-speed trains (Y75 to Y101; 60 to 90 minutes) that run throughout the day.
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Sea
Regularly scheduled ferries link the China ferry terminal ( Map; 33 Canton Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui) in Kowloon and/or the Macau ferry pier ( Map; 200 Connaught Rd, Sheung Wan) on Hong Kong Island with a string of towns and cities on the Pearl River Delta – but not central Guangzhou or Shenzhen. For sea transport to/from Macau, see Click here.
CMSE Passenger Transport ( 2858 0909) runs some seven Jetcats (day/night sailing $110/145, 50 minutes) that link Hong Kong with Shekou (a port about 20km west of Shenzhen town and easily accessible by bus or taxi to the town centre) from 7.45am to 9pm daily. One of these (1.30pm) leaves from the China ferry terminal in Kowloon, while the rest (7.45am to 8.30pm) go from the Macau ferry pier on Hong Kong Island. Return sailings from Shekou are from 7.45am to 9pm.
Zhuhai can also be reached from Hong Kong on seven ferries a day ($178, 70 minutes) from the China ferry terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui (from 7.30am to 5.45pm) and on the same number of ferries from the Macau ferry pier in Sheung Wan (8.40am to 9.30pm) on ferries operated by the Chu Kong Passenger Transportation Company ( 2858 3876; www.cksp.com.hk). The 14 return sailings from Zhuhai ($175) run between 8am and 9.30pm.
Chu Kong also has ferries from the China ferry terminal to a number of other ports in southern Guangdong province, including Shunde (G class/F class/VIP class $195/220/240, 115 minutes, six sailings between 7.30am and 6pm) and Zhongshan ($195/225/245, 90 minutes, eight or nine sailings from 7.30am to 8pm).
Ferries run by Expert Fortune ( 2375 0688, 2517 3494) link the China ferry terminal with Nansha (standard/1st class/VIP class $160/210/260, five sailings daily between 8am and 3.50pm), with return sailings ($140/195/245) between 9.30am and 5.30pm. One daily ferry departs from the Macau ferry pier at 11.30am.
DEPARTURE TAX
The $15 to $26 departure tax levied when leaving Hong Kong by sea varies according to the destination and is usually included in the ticket price.
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Visas
Everyone except Hong Kong Chinese residents must have a visa to enter mainland China. At the time of writing, holders of Can-adian, Australian, New Zealand and most EU passports – but not USA ones – can get a single visa on the spot for $150 at the Lo Wu border crossing, the last stop on the MTR’s East Rail. This particular visa limits you to a