The Best Day Trips from Hong Kong

Escape the harbour for a day and you’ll discover a Hong Kong that most visitors never find. The outlying islands are quieter, greener, and genuinely surprising. The New Territories hold some of the best country parks in Asia. Macau — one hour by ferry — feels like a different world entirely. And mainland China, with Shenzhen and Guangzhou now easier to visit than at any point in recent history, is closer than you might think.

None of these require much planning. All of them reward the effort.

The Outlying Islands

Hong Kong comprises over 260 islands, most of them uninhabited. The ones below are accessible, rewarding, and easy to reach from Central Ferry Piers — the cluster of terminals on the waterfront west of the Star Ferry. Tickets can be bought at the pier or paid with an Octopus card.

A practical note on ferries: there are two types — ordinary and fast (hover) ferries. The ordinary ferry takes longer but has open deck space and better views. On weekends and public holidays the islands are popular with Hong Kong families; go on a weekday if you can, and leave early.

Escape to Lantau — Hong Kong's largest and wildest Island

Bigger than Hong Kong Island itself and mostly untouched country park, Lantau offers a Hong Kong that bears almost no resemblance to the city you arrived in. The visitors who stick to the airport corridor never see it. Those who venture inland find one of the most rewarding days available anywhere in the region.

The Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery at Ngong Ping are the obvious draw: a 34-metre bronze seated Buddha visible from considerable distance, reached by the Ngong Ping 360 cable car from Tung Chung (a scenic 25-minute ride with views over the airport and South China Sea) or by bus from Tung Chung MTR. The monastery dates from 1924; the Buddha from 1993. Both are worth seeing; the monastery’s vegetarian restaurant is better than expected. The cable car sells out on weekends — book online in advance.

Tai O is the more memorable destination. A traditional fishing village on Lantau’s remote western tip, it sits on stilts above a tidal inlet and has changed less than almost anywhere else in Hong Kong. The narrow lanes are lined with stalls selling dried seafood, shrimp paste, and fish maw — specialist ingredients for Cantonese cooking that make excellent, inexpensive, and aromatic gifts. A boat ride through the waterways gives a different perspective on the stilt houses. The former police station, a colonial-era building on a small hill, has been converted into the Tai O Heritage Hotel — worth visiting even if you’re not staying.

Boat operators will offer guaranteed dolphin-sighting tours. The Chinese white dolphin does inhabit these waters, but sightings are unpredictable. Do not pay a premium on a guarantee — the chance of seeing one on any given day is perhaps one in ten.

Getting to Tai O from Ngong Ping: bus 21 (30 minutes). From Tung Chung MTR: bus 11 (50 minutes). From Mui Wo (Lantau ferry terminal): bus 1 (60 minutes).

Best approach: Combine Big Buddha/Ngong Ping in the morning with an afternoon at Tai O, returning from Tai O to Tung Chung by bus. Or reverse it: take the morning ferry from Central to Mui Wo (the Lantau ferry terminal) and travel across the island by bus to Tai O, then Ngong Ping, then cable car back to Tung Chung.

Getting to Lantau: MTR to Tung Chung, or ferry from Central Pier 6 to Mui Wo (approximately 55 minutes ordinary, 35 minutes fast ferry). Ferry runs roughly hourly.

Discover Lamma — the Island Most Visitors Put at the Top of Their List

Take the ferry for 30 minutes, walk across the island through sub-tropical hills and fishing villages, and arrive at a waterfront seafood restaurant on the other side. It is one of the most satisfying days Hong Kong offers, and it costs almost nothing

The walk between the two villages takes about an hour along a well-marked trail, passing beaches, a wind turbine, and views out across the South China Sea. It is not demanding; the gradient is gentle and the path clear. It is the most painless introduction to Hong Kong’s surprisingly excellent hiking.

Lunch at Sok Kwu Wan — prawns, steamed fish, clams in black bean sauce — is one of the better meals you’ll have in Hong Kong for the money. Get there by noon on a weekday to secure an outdoor waterfront table.

Getting there: Central Pier 4 to Yung Shue Wan (30 minutes) or Sok Kwu Wan (35 minutes). Ferries run roughly every 30–60 minutes. The classic approach is to arrive at one village and leave from the other — check return ferry times before you set off.

Cheung Chau — Incense, Fishing Boats, and Buns

Cheung Chau is the most densely populated of the outlying islands and the one with the most distinctive character. The harbour is full of brightly painted fishing boats; the narrow streets behind the waterfront are navigated by bicycle and trolley rather than car; the temples are active and atmospheric in the way that matters. The main street market sells everything from seafood to joss sticks to Hello Kitty merchandise without any apparent sense of contradiction.

The island is compact enough to walk across in 20 minutes, but the back streets reward aimless wandering. The Pak Tai Temple — dedicated to the deity of the sea — dates from 1783 and is the focal point for the Bun Festival held each spring, when towering towers of lucky buns are constructed in the temple forecourt and locals compete in the Bun Scrambling Competition, racing up the towers in the small hours.

Outside festival season, Cheung Chau is simply a pleasant few hours on an island that hasn’t tried too hard to be anything in particular.

Getting there: Central Pier 5 to Cheung Chau (55 minutes ordinary, 35 minutes fast ferry). Ferries run approximately every hour.

Peng Chau — The Quiet One

Smaller, quieter, and fewer visitors than any of the above. Peng Chau has no famous attractions, which is precisely the point. A single main village, a handful of restaurants, a small temple, and walking paths to the island’s modest peak with views across to Lantau. Take it or leave it — but if you have already done Lamma and Cheung Chau, Peng Chau offers an entirely different register.

Getting there: Central Pier 6 to Peng Chau (55 minutes ordinary ferry, or stop-off on the Lantau/Mui Wo route).

New Territories: Sai Kung and Beyond

The New Territories — the large landmass between Kowloon and the mainland border — contains most of Hong Kong’s country parks, some of its most striking coastline, and the country town of Sai Kung, which has developed a well-deserved reputation as the best place in the city for seafood.

Sai Kung Town and the Clear Water Bay Peninsula

Sai Kung town is about 45 minutes from Kowloon by bus or taxi and has the feel of a seaside town that knows it’s good. The waterfront is lined with seafood restaurants of every size; the harbour has traditional wooden boats; the market street behind sells the usual mix of vegetables and dried goods and slightly confusing tourist souvenirs.

The main reason to come is seafood. You’ll be shown to a tank, invited to select your fish or shellfish, and then watch it cooked to order. The standard is high. Saturday lunch can be busy; a weekday morning arriving at noon is more pleasant.

Beyond town, the Sai Kung Peninsula and High Island Reservoir area contain some of Hong Kong’s most dramatic scenery — hexagonal basalt columns (geological formations of considerable rarity and beauty, protected as part of the Hong Kong Geopark), sea kayaking, and the string of beaches accessible only by kaito (small sampan water taxis from Sai Kung pier).

Getting there: MTR to Choi Hung Station, then Minibus 1A to Sai Kung town. Or MTR to Diamond Hill, then bus 92.

Cross to Macau — One Hour Away, a Completely Different World

Board a ferry in Hong Kong and an hour later you step off into a city that looks like southern Portugal, operates in Cantonese, and happens to be the world’s largest gambling economy. Macau is one of the more extraordinary places in Asia, and it is entirely accessible as a day trip

What Macau Is

The Portuguese arrived in the mid-1500s and stayed until 1999, leaving behind a layer of Baroque churches, cobbled squares, and Macanese cuisine — a hybrid of Portuguese and Cantonese that is unlike anything else. The Historic Centre of Macau was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. The Ruins of St Paul’s, the Grand Lisbon Hotel, and the pastel-painted government buildings of Senado Square could be transplanted to southern Portugal without anyone noticing, except for the Chinese signs on every other building and the casino shuttle buses running every ten minutes.

The casinos are real, they are vast, and you do not have to enter one if you would rather not. Equally, if you want to, they are there.

What to see

Senado Square (Largo do Senado) is the heart of the historic centre — a wave-patterned mosaic piazza surrounded by colonial buildings in yellow, green, and pink. It is impossible not to spend time here.

The Ruins of St Paul’s are what remain after a fire in 1835 destroyed the 17th-century Jesuit church, leaving the ornate stone facade standing alone above a long staircase. The facade itself is extraordinary — Chinese motifs worked into European Baroque stonework.

A-Ma Temple is the oldest temple in Macau, dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu. It pre-dates the Portuguese arrival and gives Macau its name (A-Ma-Gao, the Bay of A-Ma).

Taipa Village on the Cotai strip retains its pre-casino character: old streets, traditional restaurants, and a contrast to the main island that is worth the short taxi or bus ride.

Macanese food — bacalhau (salt cod), African chicken, Portuguese egg tarts — is worth eating specifically here rather than waiting for Hong Kong. The egg tarts from Lord Stow’s Bakery in Coloane Village are widely considered the best in the world.

Practicalities

Visas: Most nationalities enter Macau visa-free for 30 days. You will need your passport — Hong Kong and Macau run entirely separate immigration systems. Fill in the arrival card on the ferry to save time at the gate.

Money: Macau has its own currency, the Pataca, which is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar at a near 1:1 ratio. HKD is accepted universally; Patacas are not accepted in Hong Kong. Change back any Patacas before you return.

Ferry — getting there: Turbojet and Cotai Water Jet run frequent services. Two departure points in Hong Kong — the Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan (Hong Kong Island) and the China Ferry Terminal at Tsim Sha Tsui (Kowloon). Two arrival points in Macau — the Outer Harbour Terminal (convenient for the historic centre) and the Taipa Terminal (for Cotai strip casinos). Sailings run from early morning to late at night. Journey approximately 60–70 minutes. Book ferry tickets in advance during weekends, public holidays, and Golden Week. Night sailings from 18:30 carry slightly higher fares.

Free casino buses meet all ferry arrivals and run to major resorts — useful for getting across the Cotai reclamation without paying for a taxi.

Staying overnight: Macau is perfectly viable as a day trip but genuinely rewards an overnight. Hotel prices on the Macau side range from budget guesthouses to casino hotels offering heavily subsidised rates (they want you in the building). If you’re interested in the casinos or want to see the historic centre without day-trip crowds, a night here makes sense.

Mainland China: Shenzhen and Guangzhou

Hong Kong sits at the edge of the Pearl River Delta — one of the most densely populated and economically active regions in the world. Shenzhen, a fishing village 40 years ago and now a city of 18 million, begins immediately north of the border. Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, is under an hour away by high-speed train. Both are straightforward to visit, but the border crossing requires some preparation that a trip to Macau does not.

The Critical Distinction: Hong Kong and Mainland China Are Separate Immigration Zones

This is the single most important thing to understand. Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” arrangement means that crossing the border from Hong Kong into mainland China is a full international border crossing with separate passport control on both sides. Your Hong Kong visa-free status — whether as a visitor or a resident — does not carry over. You will need either a Chinese visa or to qualify for one of China’s visa-free schemes.

Verify your status before you travel. China’s visa policies are genuinely complex and have changed significantly and frequently since 2023. The information below reflects the position as of mid-2026 but should be verified against official sources before your trip.

China Visa Policy as of 2026

China’s visa-free access has expanded dramatically since late 2023. As of early 2026, the situation is broadly as follows:

30-day visa-free entry is available to ordinary passport holders from 50 countries, including most European nations, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and — as of February 2026 — the United Kingdom and Canada. This is straightforward tourist entry: arrive with your passport, a return ticket, and evidence of accommodation. No prior registration required.

US citizens are not currently on the 30-day visa-free list (as of mid-2026) but can use the 240-hour transit scheme (see below) or apply for a standard tourist visa.

240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit is available to citizens of 54 countries including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, EU members, and others, when transiting between a third country or region. As of November 2025, this scheme is available via West Kowloon Station high-speed rail into China, opening up easy access from Hong Kong to the Pearl River Delta and beyond. Check the designated ports of entry carefully — not all border crossings are eligible.

All other nationalities should apply for a Chinese tourist visa before travelling. The Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in Hong Kong is one of the most efficient in the world; visas for many nationalities can be obtained within a few working days.

A digital Arrival Card has been required since November 2025 and can be completed online before travelling or at kiosk terminals on arrival — doing it beforehand saves time.

The policies above are confirmed through December 31, 2026, but are subject to change. Check the Chinese National Immigration Administration website and your country’s official travel advice before making plans.

Shenzhen

Shenzhen is the most accessible mainland destination from Hong Kong — the border is the northern edge of the New Territories. It is a city of tech headquarters, design studios, excellent food, high-rises, and extraordinary energy. It is also cheap by Hong Kong standards: a meal that would cost HK$200 in Wan Chai might cost the equivalent of HK$60 in Shenzhen’s food courts.

There is no single landmark that justifies the trip; the point is the experience of the city itself, which is strikingly different from Hong Kong despite being immediately adjacent. It is also one of the better places in southern China to eat Cantonese and Sichuan food.

Border crossings — getting there:

The most direct route for most visitors is the East Rail Line to Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau, both terminus stations at the border (about 60 minutes from Hung Hom, HK$44–52 with Octopus). Clear Hong Kong immigration on the MTR side, walk across to the Shenzhen immigration building, clear Chinese immigration, and you emerge directly at Luohu or Futian stations on the Shenzhen Metro. The whole crossing takes 30–60 minutes on a quiet day.

West Kowloon High-Speed Rail is the more comfortable option for Guangzhou or beyond — trains run directly from West Kowloon Station into Shenzhen Futian (15 minutes) or Shenzhen North (18 minutes), continuing to Guangzhou South (47 minutes total from Hong Kong). Immigration is completed at West Kowloon before departure, which is more streamlined than the land border. Note: West Kowloon is the relevant port for the 240-hour visa-free transit scheme.

Practical notes for Shenzhen:

Google Maps, Google, WhatsApp, and most Western apps do not work in mainland China — blocked by the Great Firewall. Download a VPN before you cross; purchase a Mainland China SIM or data eSIM. Amap (Gaode) and Baidu Maps work on the Chinese side.
Payment in mainland China is overwhelmingly via WeChat Pay or Alipay. Cash (RMB) is still accepted but increasingly secondary. Setting up one of these apps before crossing will make life significantly easier.
Shenzhen taxi drivers generally expect Mandarin or written communication; translation apps help.

Guangzhou: A Note on Timing and Crowds

Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province, a city of 16 million with a history stretching back 2,000 years, and — in culinary terms — the home of Cantonese cuisine at its most authentic and diverse. What you eat in Hong Kong’s dim sum restaurants has its roots here.

By high-speed rail from Hong Kong West Kowloon, the journey to Guangzhou South station takes approximately 47 minutes. The city is large enough to reward a full day or a proper overnight stay; as a day trip from Hong Kong it is entirely feasible but slightly rushed.

Key areas: Shamian Island, a former foreign concession with colonial European architecture; the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall (Chenjia Ci), a staggering example of late Qing decorative architecture with some of the most elaborate woodcarving and ceramic work in China; the old Xiguan neighbourhood for dim sum and traditional Cantonese street life; and the modern Pearl River waterfront for context on how fast the city has transformed.

The Guangzhou restaurant scene is genuinely world-class. If you have any interest in Cantonese food beyond Hong Kong’s version of it, a day in Guangzhou is the comparison that puts everything else in context.

Getting there: High-speed rail from Hong Kong West Kowloon Station to Guangzhou South, approximately 47 minutes, trains run frequently. Book tickets through 12306.cn or the Trip.com app in advance.

Tip: Golden Week (1–7 October) and Chinese New Year bring exceptionally heavy border traffic. Crossings that normally take 30 minutes can take two to three hours. If your visit coincides with either period, plan island day trips rather than mainland crossings — or book early morning trains and leave generous time at the border.

Take a Day trip out of Hong Kong

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External links

Turbojet.com – the main ferry operator between Hong Kong and Macau
Cotai Water Jet – a ferry operator between Kowloon and Macau
Macau Government Tourist Office provides tourist information
Government of China website for information about visas and visa-free travel to the mainland
MTR information on high speed rail travel to the Chinese mainland
12306 China Rail – information on booking rail tickets to Guangzhou and elsewhere.

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