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This was the question we had most before the trip: how do you go straight to Macau from Hong Kong airport, and what happens to your bags? It turned out to be very smooth. Here's exactly what we did.
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Why start with Macau?
We'd read about people having trouble coming back from Macau day trips. So we flew into Hong Kong and went straight to Macau without entering Hong Kong, then did Hong Kong at the end. Once you cross Hong Kong immigration, you'd have to go into the city and catch a ferry instead.
Step by step
- Land at Hong Kong airport. Our Air India flight from Delhi (about ₹25,000 per person return from Pune) arrived at 6 am.
- Don't go to immigration. Follow the signs for the E2 transfer desk – Mainland / Macau.
- Book the bus at the counter. Show your passport, boarding pass and baggage tag. The counter opened around 6:30 am, with a small queue, so be quick.
- Hand over your baggage tag here. Your checked bag is transferred to the bus departure gate, and you collect it there. Keep your boarding pass and baggage tag safe, because you can't do this without them.
- Buses run hourly. The 8:30 was full, so we got the 9:30. Have breakfast while you wait.
- Follow the signs to the bus gate. It includes a short train ride inside the airport. Staff guide you at each point.
- Ride across the bridge. About 1 hour on the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, the world's longest sea-crossing bridge at about 55 km, with an undersea tunnel. The views are great, so take a window seat.
- Clear Macau immigration. Just show your passport.
The counter ahead of the bus desk sells ferries. That's a paid option, while the bus is free, so take the bus.
Getting to your hotel
Nobody tells you how to get from the Macau bus terminal to your hotel. Big casino hotels run free shuttles, but we couldn't find one for ours (Sofitel, in Old Macau). We took a taxi for about HK$101.
- Hong Kong dollars are accepted everywhere in Macau. You'll get change in patacas (MOP), which you can't spend in Hong Kong.
- Public buses: a flat MOP 6, paid in cash into a box when you board. No card needed; ask any shop for change. The MPay transport card has a service fee, so skip it.
Check-in time
Most Macau hotels check in at 2–3 pm. We arrived around 11 am, so we explored Senado Square and the Ruins of St Paul's first. Our Sofitel room (about ₹10,000 a night) was huge, unlike Hong Kong's tiny rooms, with views of the Grand Lisboa. Note that they give you a water dispenser for tap water instead of bottles.
Next: Macau in 2 days.
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Can I go to Macau from Hong Kong airport without clearing immigration?
Yes. Follow signs to the E2 transfer desk (Mainland / Macau), don't go towards Hong Kong immigration, and book the transfer there. You clear immigration only in Macau.
What happens to my checked luggage?
Give your baggage tag (from the back of your boarding pass) at the transfer desk. The staff move your bag to the bus departure area for you.
Is the bus to Macau free?
It was complimentary for us when booked at the airport transfer desk with our onward boarding pass and baggage tag. The ferry option costs extra.
TAGS: MACAU · HONG KONG AIRPORT · TRANSFER · SEA BRIDGE · HOW TO
💬 Questions & answers
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Prashant & Sunaina
A travel couple from Pune with Kashmiri Pandit × Maharashtrian roots, 8+ countries and counting. Every rupee shared.
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