Travel to Macau

Flying to Macau

Macau has its own airline, Air Macau (www.airmacau.com.mo), which operates regional flights. Visitors from outside of Asia are more likely to fly into Hong Kong and then visit Macau by ferry; Hong Kong is served by numerous airlines including Cathay Pacific (www.cathaypacific.com).

For those with plenty of disposable income, it’s also possible to arrive in Macau by helicopter. Sky Shuttle (www.skyshuttlehk.com) operates services from the Hong Kong Ferry terminal – the flight only takes 15 minutes. It also operates flights from Shenzen airport.

Notes

Macau International Airport is located on the eastern side of Taipa, the northernmost of Macau’s two connected islands. Taipa is linked to the peninsula by three bridges. From the airport, several bus services run to destinations on the islands and on the peninsula. Taxis are also easily available.

Airport Guides

Flight times

Entry is usually via Hong Kong from Europe and North America.

To Hong Kong: from London - 18 hours; New York - 21 hours.

Departure tax

Included in the ticket cost.

Travelling to Macau by Rail

There are no train services between Macau and mainland China. A light rail is currently under construction and the closest stop is the Zhuhai Railway Station. There are, however, trains to Hong Kong from Guangzhou, Dongguan, Foshan, Zhaoqing, Shanghai and Beijing.

Driving to Macau

Macau is linked by road to mainland China, with two main points of arrival. One is the Barrier Gate, also known as the Portas do Cerco which is open daily 0600-0100 on the peninsula. The other is the Gongbei Port of Entry, open 0700-0000, on the southern part of Zhuhai. The Kee Kwan Motor Road Co is a bus company that operates buses from Guangdong province between 0800-2000, which go to Guangzhou leaving every 15 minutes and Zhongshan leaving every 20 minutes.

Driving note

Macau has its own immigration rules and the crossings from mainland China are treated like international border crossings.

Getting to Macau by boat

Services run to Macau from Hong Kong, Shenzen, Wan Chai and Guangzhou. Ferries from Hong Kong dock at the Jetfoil Terminal on Avenida da Amizade, while those from the Chinese mainland arrive at the China Ferry Port on Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro (San Ma Lo).

Cruise ships

Cruise companies operating routes to Macau include Star Cruises (www.starcruises.com) and Princess Cruises (www.princess.com).

Ferry operators

There are three main departure points in Hong Kong: Shun Tak Centre (Hong Kong Island), China Ferry Terminal (Kowloon) and Hong Kong International Airport. Services from all three are operated by TurboJet (tel: +853 2855 5025; www.turbojet.com.hk) and CotaiJet (tel: +853 2885 0595; www.cotaijet.com). Most TurboJet services are to the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal in Macau, while CotaiJet mostly uses the Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal (close to the international airport).

There are also several routes from the Chinese mainland, from Shekou in Shenzen run by both TurboJet and Yuet Tung Shipping (tel: +853 2885 0272, www.ytmacau.com), Wan Chai in Zhuhai (Yuet Tung Shipping) and Guangzhou (TurboJet).