Gigi

Gigi

Travel blog of a traveler who tries to share her tips to help everyone organizing their own trips.

How many times have I found myself in a city and haven’t found the place I wanted to visit or realized that there were an easier way to get there ? That is why, today, I want to share my experiences with you, to ensure that such inconvenience can be avoided.

I also want to support those who haven’t taken the plunge to travel on their own yet, showing them that it isn’t that complicated, and by suggesting them some itineraries to follow.

Until now, I have already visited a dozen countries, and I don’t intend to stop here ! Of course, I’ll try my best to tell you about my travels and to give you some advice.

You want to go to visit Hong Kong and Macau, these two cities colonized by Western people and now returned to China? Come on to see my tips in order to organize your trip.

GUIDES - HONG KONG & MACAU: just down below, you can find city guides of the full itinerary:
Hong Kong: 3 days to visit the essential of Hong Kong
Macau: 2 days to explore Macau

Hong Kong - city view
Hong Kong - Lantau Island - Great Buddha Macau - Ruins of Saint Paul's
Click to enlarge images.

If you decide to travel to Hong Kong, I highly recommend going to Macau as well because it’s very easy to get there from Hong Kong, and it’s quite interesting to discover the Portuguese influence over the city.

According to me, five days are enough to visit these two cities. Three days in Hong Kong and two days in Macau. To link the two places, you’ll simply need to take a ferry for about HK$150. The crossing time is about 1 hour.

Map - Hong Kong and Macau, itinerary

Schedule

First let’s talk about Hong Kong, I think that three days are enough to visit most of the city. One day in Kowloon, which is the Hong Kong Peninsula, one day in Hong Kong Island, which is the business district, and one day in Lantau Island to go to see the Great Buddha and the fishermen village of Tai O.

Then take a ferry that will take you directly to Macau, the Las Vegas of China. Some people say that one day is enough to visit this small city but I think that two days are necessary to fully enjoy it. Begin your first day by visiting the historic district, the Portuguese heritage. And then go to see the first casinos of the peninsula. And for the second day, go to Taipa Island in order to visit all the new casinos (or to go to visit the temples or to go to the beach).

Schedule - Hong Kong and Macau, 5 days

Tips

Ferry

To take the ferry, you won’t need to make a booking in advance because ferries are leaving every 30 minutes. You’ll just need to go to the ferry terminal to buy a ticket.

Tip: there are two main companies:

  • Cotai Water Jet who travels to Taipa Island where all the new casinos are located. The company is blue colour.
  • Turbo Jet who travels to Macau Peninsula. The company is red colour.

Choose the company according to the place you want to reach. My preference is Turbo Jet because it travels to Macau Peninsula where there are more things to see and do.

To take the ferry you have two options, you can either take it from Kowloon or from Hong Kong Island:

  • from Kowloon: you must go to the « China Ferry Terminal ». To do so, get off at the « Tsim Sha Tsui » MTR station (exit A), and then turn right. At the end of the road turn right again and you should be on Canton Road. Keep going and you should see the « China Ferry Terminal ». Once inside the building, go to the first floor using the lift and search for the ticket booth of the company you’ve chosen.
  • from Hong Kong Island: you must go to the « Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal » which is located in the « Shun Tak Centre ». To get there, take the MTR and get off at « Sheung Wan » station (exit C) and you’ll be right in front of the building. Once inside, go to the third floor and search for the ticket booth of the company you’ve chosen.

Whether leaving from Kowloon or from Hong Kong Island, the fare is exactly the same.

Once you’ve bought your ticket, go to the check-in counter where you’ll be given a seat number, and then go to the boarding dock to wait for your boat.

Tip: for HK$25, you can also check your bags in if they are too big or too heavy.

Administrative part [UPDATE 2020]

EU citizens and citizens of many other countries don’t require a visa when entering Hong Kong or Macau if they don’t stay too long (click on the links down below to go to check if you need a visa or not and for how long you can stay). Moreover, it’s mandatory to have a passport that is valid for:

  • in Hong Kong: at least one month beyond the return date.
  • in Macau: at least one month from the first day you enter the city.

Tip: you can go to check on the government websites, if you need a visa or not:

  • for Hong Kong: part II on the website.
  • for Macau: sections VII and VIII on the website.

What to bring there

Adapter

Hong Kong and Macau - wall socket

In Hong Kong and Macau, wall sockets have 3 flat pins, exactly like British wall sockets.

During your stay, you’ll need an adapter. So if you’ve already been to England, you can use the one you’ve brought there back then. If not, I recommend buying one before going, that way you’ll be able to choose it (a cheap one, a convenient one …). But don’t worry, if you didn’t, you’ll still be able to find one over there. By the way, I also highly recommend bringing a triple socket, otherwise you’ll only be able to plug one device at the time (or you’ll need to buy several adapters).

Tip: the best thing to do is to buy a universal adapter. That way you won’t need to buy a specific one each time you travel to a country you’ve never been to.

Last thing to know, over there the voltage is 220V, so if you are coming from North America or from Japan, more than an adapter, you’ll also need a voltage converter. But some devices like smartphones can use voltage from 110V to 220V. So read carefully what’s written on your devices and make sure you need one before buying a voltage converter.

Thanks for reading :)

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