Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [274]
Sky Shuttle ( in Hong Kong 2108 9898; www.skyshut tlehk.com) has a helicopter shuttle linking Macau with Shenzhen five times a day from 9.45am to 7.45pm (11.45am to 8.30pm from Shenzhen) for HK$2400 (HK$2490 from Shenzhen). The trip takes 15 minutes.
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Land
Macau is an easy gateway by land into China. Simply take bus 3, 5 or 9 to the border gate (Portas do Cerco; Map; 7am-midnight) and walk across. A second – and much less busy crossing – is the Cotai Frontier Post ( Map; 9am-8pm) on the causeway linking Taipa and Coloane, which allows visitors to cross over the Lotus Flower Bridge by shuttle bus (MOP$4) to Hengqin in Zhuhai. Buses 15, 21 and 26 will drop you off at the crossing.
If you want to travel further afield in China, buses run by the Kee Kwan Motor Road Co ( Map; 2893 3888; 7.15am-9pm) leave the bus station on Rua das Lorchas. Buses for Guangzhou (MOP$77, 2½ hours) depart about every 15 minutes, and for Zhongshan (MOP$38, one hour) every 20 minutes between 8am and 6.30pm. There are many buses to Guangzhou (MOP$77) and Dongguan (MOP$100) from Macau International Airport.
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Sea
TurboJet has 10 departures daily to the port of Shekou in Shenzhen between 9.45am and 8.45pm. The journey takes 60 minutes and it costs between MOP$171 and MOP$271. The same number of ferries come back from Shekou between 8.15am and 7.30pm.
Yuet Tung Shipping Co ( 2857 4478) also has ferries connecting Macau with Shekou. The boat departs from Macau at 10am, 2pm, 4.30pm, 6.45pm and 8.15pm and takes 1½ hours; it returns from Shekou at 8.15am, 9.45am, 11.45am, 3.45pm and 6.30pm. Tickets (one way/return MOP$155/227) can be bought up to three days in advance from the point of departure, which is pier 11A ( Map ) in the Inner Harbour. A departure tax of MOP$20 applies.
There is a boat that leaves for Jiangmen (one way/return MOP$62/103) daily at 3.20pm and returns at 9am. The journey takes 70 minutes.
Ferries also leave from the same pier for Wanzai (one way/return MOP$12/20) on the mainland, crossing the Inner Harbour. Departures are every half-hour between 8am and 4.15pm, returning a half-hour later.
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MACAU TO ASIA PACIFIC
Air Macau and other budget airlines like AirAsia (www.airasia.com) and Viva Macau (ZG; Map; 2871 8883; www.flyvivamacau.com; 12th fl, AIA Tower, 251A-301 Avenida Comercial De Macau; 9am-6pm) have frequent service to destinations including Bangkok, Jakarta, Kaohsiung, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Osaka and Taipei. There are also flights to Ho Chi Minh City, Kuching, Manila, Okinawa, Penang, Sydney and Tokyo. Jetstar (3K; in Hong Kong 800 962 808; www.jetstar.com) and Tiger Airways (www.tigerairways.com) operate flights to Perth and Singapore. The departure tax for adults is MOP$130 and for children aged two to 12 it’s MOP$80.
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CAR & MOTORCYCLE
The streets of Macau Peninsula are a gridlock of cars and mopeds that will cut you off at every turn. A Moke (a brightly coloured Jeep-like convertible) can be a convenient way to explore the islands, as can a motorbike.
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Hire
Happy Rent A Car ( Map; 2872 6868; fax 2872 6888; Room 1025, arrivals hall, Macau ferry terminal) has four-person Mokes for hire for MOP$500 a day. Avis Rent A Car ( Map; 2872 6571; www.avis.com.mo; Room 1022, Ground fl, Macau ferry terminal; 8am-7pm), which also has an office at the Mandarin Oriental hotel car park, hires out cheap Suzuki Vitaras for MOP$700/850 per day on weekdays/weekends.
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